Five Frugal Things -- Dumb it Down For Your Future Self
1) My husband and I are getting closer to our vacation to Vancouver B.C., which puts a deadline on projects. I was unsure of whether to bring my thrifted platform Teva sandals, which I stopped wearing as the soles needed to be reglued.
For four years I've been meaning to fix these shoes!
Of course it took all of five minutes to complete the job, including getting out the supplies and putting them away. They now get to accompany me on my vacation.
Pardon my pasty Oregon legs. Or "you're welcome" for normalizing pasty legs. Your choice. Either way, they're functional and that's what matters.
2) I cajoled my friend Lise into coming with me to Trader Joe's to procure "road trip snacks," which'll magically transform into "hotel snacks" once we cross the border into Canada. The hanging bananas in the background will also be traveling with us.
By the way, I asked the cashier for a couple lollipops, which prompted him to add multiple handfuls of them into my grocery bag! Umm . . . thanks? Not sure my dentist will be enthused. I might set them aside for Halloween.
3) I'm a firm believer in doing favors for my future self, which is why I threw a bag of Trader Joe's classic Mandarin Orange Chicken into the cart, as I want to have a set meal for our first night back home.
No one has ever come home after travel and been excited to plan out a meal. Dumb it down for your future self.
4) I pulled out my "Master travel list" to ensure I'd be less likely to forget the essentials for travel. Of course each trip requires modification, but this list helps me to not reinvent the wheel every time I travel. There's nothing more frustrating than having to buy things on vacation that you already have at home.
I thank "past Katy" for putting this together. Even though she was overly enthusiastic about Ziploc bags.
5) I didn't buy a single specific item for my vacation, as "vacation Katy" can make do with the same clothing and supplies that "Portland Katy" uses on a daily basis. I still wear that shirt and did actually pack it!
Of course I packed everything in the designer suitcase that garbage picked from a Goodwill dumpster in 2018 or so. Look how happy "past Katy" was, she's a real cheap date!
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 looked over your collection of snacks and your master list, as I think I'll be traveling in the near future. Very helpful!
Yesterday was kind of a lost day after I got home from grocery shopping. I was operating on little sleep. Sleep becomes elusive when you get older! Today I have plans to do some laundry and bake a quiche.
I found 27¢ yesterday, or, I should say, I found 2¢ and acquired a quarter when an Aldi shopper took my cart but didn't want the quarter. Nice! I also found two receipts. I'm getting very close to being able to redeem my Fetch points.
I found an unused plastic bag that I will find a use for.
We had storms yesterday and my power stayed on. I consider that a win.
I’m also getting ready for a trip. It involves a plane ride to the east coast, so I’ll include snacks that will tide us over in the event of delays! Also, I will pack a sandwich so I won’t have to pay for airplane food.
All of this will go into a suitcase I sourced from the Goodwill bins, a toiletry bag I sourced from the Goodwill bins, and a day bag I sourced from the Goodwill bins.
Have a good trip!
Now I’m wondering why Hubby hasn’t bought those pita bite crackers! I will have to put them on the grocery list. Your Goodwill system is amazing. Where we live now has a difficult to navigate mostly clothes one that I avoid for local charity thrift shops. I hear our goodwill region has a new leader so perhaps it will improve.
Anticipation is a big part of a trip!
Are wildfires a concern for your travels? Or is that something you just sort of roll with?
We're not traveling towards any known wildfires. Hopefully.
Keep in mind you have to declare produce and dairy as you cross the border. Consider ditching the fresh food (or bringing just what you will eat before crossing the border) and hitting up a grocery store in Canada. Nothing frugal about throwing out good food.
As a Canadian living in the US I was coming to say the same , no produce crossing the border.
Yes, was just about to warn Katy! Don't lose those bananas!
1. We got to travel without travelling: last night we hosted 4 Italians (from Pisa) for dinner who were here on vacation (my partner connected with one of them about 8 years ago on social media over a shared interest, but whom we've never met IRL).
2. Rather than go out, we hosted them for dinner, saving all of us money. Although we splurged on really good cheese and salmon, it still cost less than it would have for our share (2 people) had we all gone out to a restaurant.
3. I was able to save money by planning our meal around all of the produce that we had: radishes, cucumbers, peppers, and carrots for an antipasti plate; heirloom tomatoes and peaches for the first course; Napa cabbage, corn, and zucchini for main; peaches and blueberries for a crisp (with free mystery shop ice cream). In addition, the chicken, peanuts, and olive oil were from: mystery shop, free food from Ocean State, and a gift from a friend. My dad had bought a pre-pack of "dented vegetables" which included an orange, and he gave it to me to garnish our Aperol Spritz, which was a given to serve as an aperitif to Italian guests (as I couldn't think of an iconic American option).
4. My mom was clearing out her large collection of shoes, and so I grabbed a pair of Børn sandals, which were like new.
5. While home, my sister and I had an errand hang: we went to the post office where she mailed off her first-ever eBay sale (she was recently laid off, and this sale made her very excited), and then she went and did 2 mystery shops with me, which included a lunch shop. So, rather than spend money while socializing, we both actually made money.
That's an impressive spread! My family had an open table and I do miss hosting people from all over the world.
Are you comfortable sharing your preferred shop companies? Nothing I've found locally reimburses groceries I'd actually use.
I have a master packing template - several actually. One for work trips, and one for personal trips. They are super helpful & I always use them to ensure I'm bringing everything I need, although I travel enough that I'm pretty much good to go without looking at the list at this point.
1) I prepped egg bites for the work week, which is definitely a "future me will be thankful" move. I also prepped dinner for tonight - taco meat.
2) I reconciled my budget, to ensure my tracking stays up to date. I use this tracking to inform our yearly budget, make cuts to areas where our spending feels out of whack, etc.
3) Picked up two items on Buy Nothing - one for our house organization & a pair of new tennis shoes for DS19, as his current court shoes have holes.
4) Forgot to buy bagels for the boys this week, but I defrosted a package of ciabatta buns, which will work in a pinch.
5) Opted to have DH drive the electric car today, by planning out our schedules, as he will be driving the furthest.
I keep a few master packing lists on my computer that I can adjust and print out as needed. One for cruises and one for summer trips in our camper. It's made travel planning so much easier!
Katy, love your shopping list, and wishing you a fun vacation. My list looks very similar (including Ziplocks :-)… one thing that I added to the “just before leaving the house” section- is turn off the water to the house. This is on recommendation of a plumber plus a couple of friends who had a leak while they were on vacation, and came home to a huge amount of water damage, ugh.
Another reason to shut off your water: I went out of state and then found my water bill to be astronomical. Turns out the next door neighbor wanted to drain and fill her swimming pool; other neighbors witnessed that her pool was drained and later refilled. But they didn't see it being refilled. Hmmm....So, apparently she and her hippie teen-aged boyfriend tiptoed into my yard in the middle of the night and hooked up her water hoses to mine. She got free water and I got the bill! For several hundreds of gallons of water. Reported her to the police and they said they couldn't "prove" this happened, so nothing was done. (All they would've had to do was check with the city utility office and see that she didn't use all those gallons of water, and take that plus the fact it didn't rain and the fact neighbors saw her drain her pool into evidence. Duh!) Well nothing was done about the theft of water...we reported the old lady and her teenybopper boy toy for their illegal drugs and something was done about THAT. [All the blonde hair dye in the world won't make you 28 again, Lindsay!]
I'd skip the fresh fruit. Border crossings can get pretty particular on produce, and for me its not worth the potential hassle.
Have a great trip!
That may have been a passive aggressive move from the cashier since the lollipops are meant for children.
He was super friendly and enjoyed the generosity.
Don’t mean to be a Debbie Downer but they may not let you cross the border with fruit or vegetables. They sometimes confiscate that or any other fresh food items. The crackers, etc would be ok but you run the risk with the rest of the stuff.
Sorry!
I hope you have a great vacation!
1. I picked some cherry tomatoes off my plant to add to a macaroni salad for tonight's supper. I made it out of things I had on hand.
2. I used yesterday's leftover tea kettle water to water the tomato plant.
3. I grocery shopped and stuck to my list for the vast majority of it. My add-ons were Nathan's Hotdogs on sale, the New England hotdog rolls to go with them (for some night when I am tired and don't want to cook much) and my fall weakness: Brach's Autumn Mix candy. Yes, I know it's not fall yet...
4. Trying to wear my clothes more than once. This is the third day I've worn this dungaree skirt, second day for this bra.
5. I'm planning on making a lasagna for our out of town company starting this weekend. My question is: If I make the lasagna ahead of time, should I freeze it before or after baking it? Does anyone have any experience with this? Thanks.
Christine,
Re: lasagna: I have done both, and prefer to freeze the lasagna UNbaked, then thaw and bake when ready to serve.
Thank you so much Liz! I will do the unbaked freezing method you recommended as the preferred one.
I do a favor for my future self by making up a pot of soup, or rice and beans, or a skillet meal, eating a serving for two or three days and then portioning up and freezing the rest in individual portions. Future hot meals, easy peasy. After a couple of weeks, there's usually enough meals stockpiled in the freezer to take a break from cooking.
Most of the recipes I make are probably four hearty servings, but I eat less than that, being a petite senior citizen, and always get at least five servings from them.
I've started portioning the extra the same night - this ensures it gets done in time, and saves space in the fridge.
Another hack, for casseroles: I never make a large lasagna, etc., these days, but spread the same ingredients over two or three freezer-to-oven glass containers, each of which holds two dinners and one or two lunch portions, depending. It's nearly the same amount of work.
Same thing with meal components, like extra protein, sauteed onions, beans, rice - plan extra, and by the end of the week there are multiple quick options for minimal effort.
1. Cleaned out some more closets and took a bag of misc. to Salv. Army. Including a seldom-worn hoodie and a pair of jeans...right in time for some kid's school wardrobe.
2. Since SA is close to Ollie's, I went in and bought 2 bulk cans of spicy honey beans (for next time I have to go to a potluck at church), a couple of bucks each; a 7 pound box of peanut butter flavored Milk Bone Dog Biscuits (for a certain Snuggly-Wuggly Rottweiler), 250+ "cookies" for around 10 bucks; and energy drinks for under a dollar a can. Got home and Snuggles turned his nose up at his treats. Oops, I forgot he only likes basted Milk Bones. If he doesn't change his mind, I will return the box....I'm the one going "Grrr" over this!
3. Got the Ollie's cashier to sack it up in their biggest sized bags, which I reuse for trash bags. Also have reused a huge and heavy plastic wrapper (bought last week, held 48 rolls of toilet tissue) for another trash bag. Ditto, a bag that came inside a large boxed fan, I had trashed picked the big box and found the packaging was equally useful.
4. After a plastic lawn sprinkler broke, I changed around the other sprinklers to avoid having to buy a replacement. And, whaddya know, I found another sprinkler I didn't know I had in the garage. Will put the metal sprinklers in the backyard and the plastic ones in the front yard, so if anyone steals a sprinkler from the front, they won't be getting a good one.
5. Did not sign an executive order making parents have to take children to the doctor multiple times to get vaccinated, instead of only one time. I predict that there will be outbreaks of more preventable childhood diseases stemming from fewer youngsters getting vaccinated. Especially among children of low income parents who cannot get off work to take them to the public health clinic. RFK Jr. and Trump never had this kind of problem, both having grown up in the lap of luxury, but for working people, it is very difficult to access health care. This will just add to their woes.
Your #5...I agree 100% with the executive order signed by One Who Shall Remain Unnamed. He and RFK Jr. have preyed on parents' unfounded fears and as you say, we'll be seeing more outbreaks of these preventable diseases than we are seeing now. Also, to make parents who are working or have transportation issues come back time and again for vaccinations given as one shot in the past is pretty lousy. But then again, they're not thinking of the American public and the everyday challenges we face. I know this to be true; I just filled my gas tank.
P.S. I worded that incorrectly. I DON'T AGREE with the new executive order signed today.
I disputed a late penalty on an insurance bill that we did not receive. We are meticulous about paying bills. I pointed out to the company that we were on autopay until they overcharged us over $300 last year. Now we feel we must review the bill before it gets paid. They waived the penalty.
Our son, daughter in law and grandchildren came for the weekend. I sent them home with a free half wine barrel to plant in, a box of cucumbers, tomatoes and apples, and we were able to gather a floor lamp and table lamp, a small side table, a desk and 4 plants, all for free, for our son's new office. He is beginning his intern year as a therapist. This is the beginning of their third year without income as he finishes his masters. Our daughter in law is taking some pre-req classes at the community college 5 minutes from their house. The classes are free while they have no income. Once our son is earning, they'll have to pay for her classes, so she may as well take as many as she can now! She's a teacher but wants to become an ultrasound tech, which I think is a great fit. I suspect they will both always be learning.
Washed all the extra sheets and towels and have them out on the line. It's a good day for drying. We have leftovers for dinner. I prepped a lot of veggies before they came and put them in quart size mason jars. They were so space-efficient in the fridge, I'm going to keep on with that method.
We received a huge cardboard box from Buy Nothing. We cut a door and windows in it and the grandchildren used it as a play house. They also got to decorate it with crayons and felt tips. So much free fun. We will flatten the box and save it for the next visit. It will be fun to add decoration to it each time.
Our grandson (just turned 5) wanted a particular chapter book at the independent bookstore a half mile from our house. We walked over and I gave him cash to buy the book. He paid for it independently. It was so fun to watch. Money skills can't start too soon.
Our health insurance premium went down this year. Dh is a teacher and we just received the details for this year's plan. It feels very good.
Add a doorbell! My sister had a sort of cloth tent that fit over a card table to make a house, and it had a little jingle bell by the door, which we thought was cool.
That's a great idea. Thank you!
Cardboard boxes are some of the highest-value toys we've ever had. A neighbor used to go above and beyond when his kids were little, adding box after box and using sturdy cardboard tubes to support upper levels so that they grew like Miyazaki compounds.
I'm so glad you mentioned the community college classes. It reminded me of a search I wanted to do on our state's voc-rehab program, which will assist with self-employment setup expenses. My son needs to find or make flexible work as his physical condition presents more challenges.
I've missed a couple of posts and am late to the party on this one as usual. But happy belated anniversary, Katy, and I enjoyed your and Mr. NCA's day out in downtown Portland. It's too bad about that great mall being torn down, though.
Now, FFT, The Tale of the Traveling Tomato Plant Edition:
(1) As I've done for many years now, I've been tending a tomato plant in a pot (an old Shop-Vac tub on wheels, to be exact) behind the 8-foot chain link fence at NDN1's house. Imagine my distress when I discovered late last week that the estate sale guy NDN1's CF and I engaged to sell NDN1's more valuable possessions actually SOLD the tomato plant (!!!), having forgotten what I told him about the plant being NDN1's and my shared property. To his credit, he fell all over himself apologizing and arranged to have the plant returned--which it has been, although it's considerably the worse for wear. But (a) it's the principle of the thing, and (b) I'm very glad to have the Shop-Vac tub (which is a great planter) and the tomato supports (which came from Gardeners' Supply Co. some years ago and were not cheap) returned.
(2) After that saga, everything else is fairly small. But for starters, I went to the Regional Market on Saturday and indulged in locally grown and inexpensive summer veg. I mean, can you beat a zucchini for 75 cents and an eggplant for $1 (which will be going into another ratatouille shortly)?
(3) I stopped at my Price Chopper on the way home, batching errands as usual. In addition to the prices I chopped on groceries, I found two quarters and two NY State deposit containers in the parking lot.
(4) My excellent neighbor Bailey dog's dad helped me get 20+ bags and boxes of old financial documents out of NDN1's house and into my garage yesterday. (The estate sale phase of the project is winding down, and the junk cleanout is coming next.) CF and I are having trouble finding a shredding service that doesn't cost an arm and a leg, and I'm seriously considering a friend's suggestion that I throw these docs away in heavy-duty contractor bags, with some well-used cat litter mixed in (which Betty will be happy to contribute). 😛
(5) And I've discovered that the garage sale at the local Catholic activist church is happening this month and not next. Not only am I ramping up my efforts on stuff to donate, but I'm delighted that I will be able to take JASNA BFF to the sale when she visits in 10 days for our Triple Birthday Celebration with our JASNA Panera friend. I've taught BFF to appreciate a really good garage sale!
Good for you for getting the tomato plant back! It's kind of astonishing that someone bought it.
WOAH - glad you got your tomato plant back (And a brilliant use of an old shop vac canister, I am assuming it is on wheels?). I would have been unreasonably upset if that were to happen to me, A. Marie. Particularly if I had been doing ALL THE CARE that you have done for your NDN1... I would have felt both unappreciated and unheard.
I'm sorry the shredding service options are not good, too. I am glad to have a wood stove that gets pressed into extra service when there are some papers needing secure disposal.
In many places, there are annual shredding events where you can drop off confidential documents to be shredded for free. You would have to store them until then, but might be worth checking into in your area.
Unfortunately, all the shredding events I've checked out around here limit you to 3-4 boxes/bags per vehicle.
Not sure what all is in the boxes/bags to be shredded, but from experience helping some older family members downsize, most of it didn't need to be shredded and I was able to recycle.
We have curbside recycling pickup which makes that part easy, and I'd pop in a podcast and devote 30 minutes at a time to sorting the paperwork. Frequently I could just tear off the top part of a page and shred it, and the rest could be recycled. I don't know why those relatives thought they needed to save every envelope as well?! And any inserts etc.
By the time it was sorted 5 bags of shredding was more like 1/2 a bag.
It definitely made me stay on top of my own paperwork! All mail gets sorted and dealt with immediately, I have a yearly reminder in my calendar to go through my file cabinet and dispose of anything no longer needed. Even with online bill paying there is still so. much. paper!
I like to think I'm an advanced repurposer, but the shop vac planter *pow*
1. I got a huge 2 cord delivery of firewood – not frugal, these days, but I prefer the way my house functions when I use some firewood to heat – it keeps the whole place dryer and somehow is just a more comforting heat. It still is kind of frugal, though, because I get a bunch of free workouts, putting the wood into the woodshed!
2. My #2 son's GF was hosting some friends overnight so he escaped to my house, which was a big treat for us both as we haven't visited for ages – we've seen each other but not TALKED. I fed him supper, and we planned the next day.
He really really wanted to pick blackberries, so that is what we did – he was impressed with my speed, but I do have almost 40 years on him when it comes to blackberry picking experience, LOL. We picked 4 of the Katy Special buckets worth (about a half gallon each bucket).
He took a break midday to go see his Dad, but he really wanted to commit some serious visiting time with his mom so he wasn't long at his Dad's before he came back.
3. I had already made 9 half-pint jars of blackberry jam, the day before he arrived; he helped me make a second batch (5 pints) with berries I had already picked, then he made a third batch (7 half pints, a pint, and a ¼ pint) almost completely by himself, with the berries he and I had picked and a small bit of Mom oversight. He took home only one jar of jam (I get to store the rest) and ~10-12 cups of berries in a Katy's Special, gifted to him as he and his girlfriend aren't drinking the milk from which the Specials are created; he has his eye on some berry patches near where he lives.
4. My Garden Buddy's body is in painful shape, so she isn't able to help out right now (she did so much helping out in the winter and spring I am full of gratitude.) GB came by for a visit and went home with armfuls of veggies – kale, zucchinis, tomatoes, beans. She was thrilled, and I am glad to still be on top of the bounty. Win-win
5. I get another Hospital visit, with driving assistance from my Thrift Store Buddy. Luckily it's our local hospital, so she can easily go home in the middle part of my adventure.
She offered me her waffle iron, and I thought one of the kids (adult children) would like it. #2 son was excited to hear about it, so I'll collect that during our driving adventures.
Two cords is *a lot* of wood. And it is work to cut, haul, and split (plus delivery). We sell by face cord (1/3 of a cord). We also have a wood stove which we love. You just can't beat the heat it generates. But I'm glad we don't exclusively heat with wood.
After your pasty legs comment, I kept reading “past Katy” as “pasty Katy.”
You mentioned one “travel hack” I INSIST on doing: Having a Trader Joe meal at the ready for that first night home! FINE minds THINK ALIKE! Coming home,exhausted and hungry: microwave/voila! I also love to make up a FRESH BED before I leave home..nothing like slipping into clean soft sheets on the first night back!
HAVE A GREAT VACATION!!