Five Frugal Things — Finding Money & Saving Money!
by Katy on September 14, 2025 · 46 comments
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Kristen from The Frugal Girl and I stopped for a container of Tillamook ice cream at Fred Meyer, which gave me the opportunity to grab these clearance items:
• A bag of six nectarines from the $1.50 clearance shelf.
• Two cans of baked beans for 67¢ each.
• Four boxes of Betty Crocker gluten-free cake mix for a $1.57 apiece. These normally sell for about seven bucks apiece, so this was a score!
• I also picked up three littered receipts to scan into the Fetch app.
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I found a dime, nickel and penny at the Goodwill Outlet and then five individual pennies at Winco. All coins have been added to my Found Change Challenge jar.
So yes, I recently came into some money!
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I ate the last bit of some salad from a few days ago, which was somehow both A) not slimy; and B) delicious! I abhor food waste, but am relieved when eating leftovers is tasty and not “taking one for the team.”
I also put together this Instagram reel to show a couple examples of how I’m working to avoid food waste.
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I chose not to accept a free FinCon T-shirt, both because they were 50% plastic, but also because I don’t like event specific T-shirts. Any thrifter can tell you that Goodwills are grossly overrun with outdated single event T-shirts.
T-shirts from volunteer events, sorority fund raisers and work events have zero customer appeal in the secondhand market and are an example of the thoughtless overmanufacture of clothing. Doomed to fill our landfills. If we stop accepting these items, perhaps people will stop offering them.
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I continue to not spend one thin dime on anything Harry Potter related, as I choose to not enrich people who quote Adolf Hitler to support their arguments. I’d already made this choice when J.K. Rowling became vocal with her hateful anti-transgender rhetoric and haven’t looked back. I read every damned word of her books out loud to my kids, but am done with anything and everything Harry Potter now. Period.
Now your turn, what frugal things have you been up to?
Katy Wolk-Stanley
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Betty Crocker Cake Mix $7 a piece?! (GASP!)
Must just be the prices in your part of the world. Typically cake mixed here in Northcentral Pennsylvania (Duncan Hines, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, store brand) typically run between $1.79 – $2.59. Dolly Parton’s cake mixes are a little over $3 and gluten free generally run close to $3, but $7?!!!!!
I picked up 2 Pillsbury cake mixes yesterday on sale 2/$3. One of them is a favor I’ve not seen before…Creamy Almond, which I am excited to try!
The price is due to them being gluten free.
Ok, didn’t notice at first that it was a GF cake mix. Around here, those typically run around $5.49.
Have you ever tried making dish scrubbers from the plastic netting that produce often comes in?
Some great scores this week especially for you at your markets! It’s a rare day when I find something to note at mine. What’s on clearance there are things like black icing, valentines jelly beans in autumn, chip bags that are demolished – things that aren’t value food.
My frugal wins lately have been finding beautiful sweaters and pants at a garage sale that actually fit me for $2-3 a piece. I’ve gained a fair bit of weight this past year and wasn’t slender to start so my wardrobe is limited until I can find success at reducing. A pair of plum colored jeans, corduroys from Talbots (so I hope my thighs don’t cause a friction fire…if too noisy I’ll sell on ebay), sweaters from J Jill and Loft, and also a pair of flannel lined walking pants from Eddie Bauer.
Have sold more than $200 on eBay the past two weeks thanks to a couple of higher prices items. We’re both retired and this avenue is a nice option.
Utilized $1 off a gallon of gas up to 30 gal through Meijer mperks for my car and DH took the extra cans to get as close to the max and then filled his truck with that gas, saving $28.
Enjoying my library as usual, picking up a new watercolor abstracts book I put on hold. It has lured/inspired me to pull out my paints and use art supplies I have.
Have a great week!
You brought back really great memories of my grandmother, who started off by making those plastic netting bags into dish scrubbers, but eventually would buy some sort of material to make them. (I believe they were crocheted into round circles?). She always made enough to donate & sell at the church sales & give them away as gifts. We still have a few, and they are incredible at cleaning glass, etc.
Years ago, just about every newspaper in the country ran a column called “Hints from Heloise”. (Her daughter writes it now.) Anyway, back in her heyday, the original Heloise found all kinds of uses for nylon net, as she called it….the very stuff that the produce came in. Scrubbers and much more. Heloise was written for housewives who wanted tips on saving money, and they often wrote in showing how to reuse items from around the house. In other words, they were early non-consumers! If you can ever find anything by Heloise (Sr. or Jr.) — they wrote books as well as magazine columns –you can probably find some good ideas in there.
My favorite tip for using nylon net produce bags (and I believe this was a Hint from Heloise) is using them to scour residue out of cast iron pans after cooking. Since water and dish soap should never be used in cast iron except in emergencies, this one has worked wonders for me over the years.
I used to make up bird food balls with peanut butter, cornmeal, oatmeal, and chopped raisins and tie them up in orange bag nets. They can be put on the tip of a branch where squirrels can’t get at them. Can’t do it here because it attracts rats.
I use the net bags to tie to my laundry sink faucet and fill with soap slivers. Then I wash my hands with it after gardening.
One of the regular patrons at my job brings in round scrubbers her mother makes for gifts near Christmas. Her mother passed away last year, so the tradition may pass with her. I was always surprised and impressed that her mother made them by hand!
Reserved a library book for next month’s book club selection. I enjoy my book club and lively discussions, but don’t want to spend upwards of $20-30 dollars for a new book – particularly when I can borrow it from my library.
I hosted a birthday luncheon for a dear friend. I served a mixed green salad with avocado and dried cranberries, chicken ala king over homemade biscuits, and a fresh apple cake with whipped cream. My total for 8 was a little over $15.00. A few friends took me out for a birthday lunch back in July and I know that it was more than $15.00 per person. It pays to cook at home.
We went on a road trip recently and took all of our own snacks and beverages with us in the car. Gas isn’t cheap, but we save where we can.
Nice! I have been known to skip book club when I can’t get the book via the library.
My daughter had surgery last week in a different town. I took snacks and lunch with me. Glad I did, was gone 14 hours
Not paying cafeteria prices
1. So my friend and I attended the wedding yesterday. The dinner that was served at the reception was only so-so, but it was free and filling. We accepted the complimentary glass of champagne, but ignored the bar. The wedding favors were cute bags containing caramel corn, gummy bears and a jar of spice that was not labeled other than the word “Gomez” so maybe chilli powder?
2. We were very tired after the festivities, being old ladies, but we made the hour-and-a-half drive home rather than succumb to the lure of a hotel room.
3. My wedding outfit was a dress I bought 10 years ago for another wedding and a coordinating jacket I bought about five years ago at a Goodwill. Many guests were dressed more formally in evening attire, but I felt like I looked pretty good and there was no financial outlay.
4. I volunteered to do the driving, and my friend has offered to fill up my gas tank today.
5. I have to add that the wedding was lovely. It was held in an old factory that has been converted to an events venue, so it had that industrial vibe, softened by flowers and fairy lights. The couple was adorable and the atmosphere joyous. Priceless!
Kudos for not succumbing to the pressure of a new dress for a one off event. I have co-workers who order 3 or 4 dresses online to pick one for a special occasion and return the rest. Madness!
“Gomez” on the spice jar? I’m having a fond flashback to John Astin as Gomez on the old Addams Family TV series.
If it looks like ashes…..
1. I’ve been working so hard to pick and preserve all of my garden produce. The grapes and apples are all picked, the figs and raspberries are slowing, I have new kale growing (from free seeds) and my collard tree cuttings are growing like crazy. I’ve put the ends of the raspberry vines into small pots so they’ll root and give me new plants for free.
2. Deep watered the garden using rain water, which we don’t often get in September in california. It’s a huge savings on our water bill.
3. Giving a makeover to the curtain that covers the inside of our front door. It’s the original door with a single pane glass window. During the winter once everyone has come or gone, we pull this curtain over the door to prevent drafts/insulate the window. It’s a common practice in our native northern Europe. I had pieced the curtain from bits I had and also pieced the lining which wasn’t as big as the curtain. In the load that I got of things to sell/donate from my son and daughter-in-law, there was a blackout curtain with the front in poor shape. So I took the lining out of it and replaced my too-small lining on my door curtain. Plus I washed and lengthened the front so now it’s floor to ceiling. I think I get an unusual amount of joy from free upgrades like this
4. I was given a 36″x36″ canvas with a terribly garish print on it (friend drops her donations at my house, I can keep, sell or donate what I want). But I’ve been looking for a large picture for my living room so the size was too good to pass up. I’m in the process of repainting the canvas with something simple and abstract. This way I can get the exact colors I want and the whole project is free since I’m buying supplies using a Michaels gift card I earned giving feedback on a manuscript
5. Made $100 selling 3 items on FB marketplace yesterday.
1. I’ve been part of a community-wide annual event for fifteen years. In the beginning we offered t-shirts, bottles of water, and snacks. Over the years, we have eliminated each of those things.
Now, our shirts are collector’s items. We’ve had people make quilts with them. We also suggest that volunteers wear one of their old event t-shirts to the current year’s event’s and they do!
Once in a while, I get a request for a certain year or color. I’m happy to oblige them from my own personal collection. Fifteen years is a lot of t-shirts!
DH wears them when he’s doing other civic related tasks. I asked him if it’s because he likes them. His response? He wears them because he doesn’t care what happens to them.
2. I’m also just wrapping up a Friends of the Library Book Sale. We earned over $3,ooo to pay for things and programs to enrich the library.
3. Tomorrow, I will attend a free yoga class at the library, paid for with book sale proceeds.
4. Next up is a Community-wide Food Drive. When people donate things that the Food Bank can’t take, I make the problem go away. Free food for the win!
5. After that, a meetup with like-minded friends from all over the country. I shop the places you do for bargains on trail snacks and such. We have an Ice Cream Social one night and all the scoops we use are thrifted.
6. I volunteer at a thrift shop and scoop up deals on quality gear all year long. At the event, I stage a “garage sale” where people can pay whatever they want. That $$ goes to defray event costs.
1) Had a “date night” with DH, sitting by the pool on Friday. We had a drink, and neither of us felt like making a proper dinner, so I baked up a tray of samosas from Costco & we had that with salad. It was a very inexpensive & relaxing date, after a long week.
2) Updated all of my financial trackers, so I could see how much we’re saving, make changes as needed & have a more complete picture of our financial situation.
3) Updated our CDs to optimize for the best rate, while they are in their renewal period. Thank you, Barclays, for making this incredibly easy to do online, vs Chase.
4) Went through the closet of stuff I accumulated when DS18 moved into the dorms. Found a few lotions that I can use, and gave away all of the acne medicine to other parents on Buy Nothing. Saves things from going to waste, and keeps our house cleaned up.
5) Got to enjoy one of my friend’s lovely dog at a dinner party last night. If I could guarantee a dog would be like this, we would definitely get one. But, I got to enjoy it last night, which was free. And then, go home without a pet. 😉
I have not only never spent a dime on anything HP, but I’ve also never read the books or watched the movies. I might be one of the few huh?
1. This has been another quiet weekend of making things work at home. I cleaned, organized and rearranged some things in the house to make things feel new again.
2. I spot cleaned my 12+ year old Thirty One bag. I much prefer bags that can be fully washed, but It can’t be. It’s the only bag I own that will carry all of my teaching supplies in one haul so a good spot cleaning will have to do.
3. I made meals from things that were close to expired or almost ready for the bin. I’m also creating a shopping list for the 3 local grocery stores and prioritizing stops as I am near them (saving on gas too). It’s actually quite shocking at the differences in prices on the same items from store to store. I literally can’t afford not to comparison shop these days.
4. I hung laundry and folded the already dry items while watching my favorite youtube channels – for free.
5. I’m currently enjoying two books from the Hoopla app. One e-book and one audiobook. Love my public library!
#5 FTW! Read the books and watched the movies as a family. Then she started sharing how she really feels. No more. Sad a fun family thing is now tarnished, but it is.
I agree. I read all the books aloud to my daughter, we watched and own all the movies, we’ve visited the Wizardring World of Harry Potter twice and I’m just so upset about the whole thing. While I found her a very gifted author and I so loved the world of Harry Potter it has lost its enchantment. Sad.
We read all the books as a family, own the movies (and have watched them many times over), have been to WWOHP, but JKR has turned out to be a horrible human. I have a trans kid so it’s especially upsetting. Last Fall when she published yet another transphobic essay, I gave away our entire collection of books (which ended up being 13 books because it was the original 7 novels + related books like Beadle the Bard, Fantastic Beasts, etc). I had purchased the first four oversized, illustrated books thinking I’d reread them, but never did. Tried for a few months to sell them in a local group, but no takers. So when JKR announced that she planned to use profits from the HP franchise to fund anti-trans efforts in the UK, I gave those books away too. I’m caught somewhere between sad and furious. Really enjoyed the stories, but my geeky family has told me all the authors she basically plagiarized, especially Tolkien, down to the giant, scary spider. We. Are. Done.
Went to IKEA with my sister. I signed up recently for a free membership (inspired by Katy). Although I ultimately spent $10, here’s how I saved:
1. Received a $10 off coupon for my birthday. I could not find one thing that I needed or wanted so I purchased three dog toys which went $3 over the $10 coupon amount.
2. Received 40% off my meal; I had plant-based meatballs with mashed potatoes, peas and lingonberry sauce. Since sister was with me, she also received 40% off her meal.
3. Brought home half my meal for another day.
4. Received a free piece of cake; I selected the apple crisp.
5. Brought my reusable canteen bottle and filled it with free coffee, which I took home, diluted and enjoyed over several days.
1. While my computer was on the blink, I used one in the library. Free. *
2. Getting up from said computer station, I walked by a display shelf that said “This is your lucky day!” On it were bestselling books you could check out without any waiting, as long as you brought them back in 7 days. I saw the book I’ve been wanting to read — “James”. It tells the story of Huckleberry Finn from the viewpoint of Jim, the enslaved adult friend of Huck’s. Needless to say, I checked it out. Absolutely wonderful, although sad in a lot of places. After a couple of mornings reading on the patio, I sat up all night reading it, so I returned it in 48 hours.
3. My friend, who lives in an apartment complex, needed some cash to get her car “legal” again (expired plates). So I drove her to our store. We got some 99 cent packs of popsickles. She sells things to the kids after school. (They’re in a bad neighborhood and “food desert,” so the kids can’t go to a store and buy treats.) Each pack has 8 popsickles in it and she sells them for 25 cents each. We got a dozen packages, and she’ll be able to make some cash. That, and some more items she sells.
4. Store had 6 rolls of (off-brand 2-ply) toilet paper for $2.99. We each got a pack. (Charmin’s 9 roll pack is $14…and I hear the toilet tissue prices will go up thanks to the tariffs.)
5. Later, after my work shift there, I got me some Blue Bell Ice Cream, a half-gallon carton of their new Pecan Pie flavor, for $5.99 on sale. [Our regular price is $7.49 (or a pint is $3), but other stores (even Aldi) sell half-gallons for 9 or 10 bucks.] Oh, yessssss, it was worth it! Delicious! I have a new autumn addiction now.
*Meanwhile, I don’t know what happened, but my “dead” computer started working again. It’s about to get replaced, but it’s OK for now.
Quick event tee-shirt story, I was inspired to give blood (and saw my blood type was in demand). When I made the appointment, the Red Cross was offering $15 gift cards. However, on the day that I could go, they had switched to giving out snoopy T-shirts. So, I picked out one in my size and do plan to wear it. For the rest of the story, a week later, I get a letter from the Red Cross saying I am now banned from giving blood for two years because I tested positive for babesia (a tick-borne parasite similar to the one that causes malaria and attacks red blood cells). I am now getting treatment and I will most likely be able to recover with no problem, however, now anytime I wear the T-shirt, I’m gonna be thinking about the fact that I had a parasite living in me. (On the other hand, had I not been inspired to donate, I wouldn’t have known I had these organisms squatting in my red blood cells. There’s some relief in knowing why you’ve felt run-down for weeks. I was blaming work!)
Low-key 5FTs today:
1. I picked more wild grapes and canned juice. I also made/canned 5 half-pints of NY plum-wild grape jelly.
2. Put a big bag of cans out for the village HS cross country team’s bottle & can drive.
3. Made a Halloween decoration from stuff I had around the house (I turned an 80s-era pastel ceramic Victorian shoe I thrifted years ago into a witch shoe). Turned out cute.
4. I made a BLT using markdown vegan bacon from the freezer (air-fried), leftover hamburger bun, local lettuce and tomato from my garden.
5. Making my own pumpkin lattes and work lunches.
So glad you gave blood and they caught that issue! Even if you’d gone to your GP for feeling run down, they probably would not have tested for that. Hope your treatments go well and you don’t end up with any lingering issue like the protein allergy!
Thank you!
Babesia? Argh!! So glad that this was caught via the blood donation. The number of tick-borne diseases out there is increasing, and none of them are any joke. I got Lyme myself 6 years ago; fortunately, I broke out in such a distinctive bull’s-eye rash that the urgent care folks were spinning their wheels getting me onto antibiotics. I made a full recovery with no complications. But a lot of folks haven’t been so lucky.
Hi A. Marie, I believe you are in NY state too, right? I was told by the RC it is on the rise in NY and CT. I am so glad to hear you made a Lyme recovery. Scary stuff!
One of our rescue dogs came to us as a puppy with anaplasmosis from a tick bite. The rescue thought she was just calm and quiet, but after we’d had her a few days, we realized she was too quiet and her gums were looking pale. The vet diagnosed her in minutes and put her on antibiotics. She quickly got well and turned into a delightful little terror. 😀
Awww! I am so glad she recovered to become a little terror! 🙂 <3
Maintenance is frugal: Today I took our 10 year old Miele canister vacuum cleaner apart, cleaned every nook and cranny, washed out all the hoses and the brush, put in new filters and a fresh dust bag, and polished the exterior. She looks good!
Used $1.50 worth of discounted coffee to make up 23 reusable K-cups. Made spicy rice and beans in the rice cooker. Spiffed up both dogs with a rinse and brush-out. Demon Puppy has her annual vet check-up tomorrow and I like for her to smell nice. She had a bath last week and did not need the full spa treatment.
My darling sister-in-law gave us a very fancy stuffed toy that her little dog did not like and it’s kept Demon Puppy busy for a whole day.
Miele vacuums: totally worth the money. I love mine! Got it on eBay. 🙂
1.Hubby and I went to his cousins wedding in Massachusetts yesterday. We wore outfits that we already had. I was told to take flower so I happily did. They had a candy bar so we both took some. There was a lot left at the end of the night so I was told to take some more. I happily did that too. They had a donut wall for donuts to enjoy on your ride home. We each took a doughnut but saved them for today. We did not need a sugar rush at 11pm. We gave them a check because I would rather them put it to a house(they are looking) then buying some very overpriced item. It was a beautiful fun evening. The favors were a package of flower seeds which I will use.
2. We stayed at a hotel that hubby has points at so we only paid $69. I made sure it had a free breakfast included. We each grabbed a piece of fruit for later. We packed a cooler with lunch for our drive. We brought our reusable water bottles.
3. We are staying the rest of the week at an Airbnb in the Berkshires. It is a time share type of resort. It has a kitchen so we can cook. We watched Paddington 2 and ate the free popcorn. We went to Yankee Candles Flagship store. We haven’t been there for years. The only thing we bought was a piece of fudge for me and candied pecans for Hubby. We also bought some discounted soap bars as Christmas gifts.
4. Before we went to the resort we stopped at a supermarket. We got some groceries and I had packed shelf stable groceries. We will eat out a few times but neither of us is interested in eating out 3 meals a day.
5. Our son is staying at our house to watch our dog. I left him some money to get takeout a few times. Much cheaper then paying for our dog to be boarded and she is much happier at home.
What does Harry Potter have to do w being frugal?
One more thing she’s not paying money for!
Seems entirely fair to me.
The author of the Harry Potter series, JK Rowling, is transphobic. I think it’s a way not to support those types of harmful views and rhetoric.
1) Due to lack of funds when we first married (and many years after) my dh learned all sorts of skills that he otherwise would have never thought to do. This weekend he helped my oldest change the brakes and rotors on his car for just the cost of materials. I love that he is passing on what he learned to the kids.
2) We are redoing a flower bed. 3 large crabapple trees died a few years ago. I found 3 evergreen trees on sale at Lowes to replace them. As filler to the bed we moved 1 burning bush from elsewhere in the yard and waited on a sale at the nursery to buy another one to go between the evergreens.
3) In weeding and cleaning up the bed we borrowed a small rototiller from a neighbor
4) Gave the dog a bath at home.
5) dh rode his bike to work 3 days last week saving on fuel and wear and tear on the car
Our 3 car oversized garage has the typical builders primer/paint on the walls. After 22 yrs of tons of kids sporting stuff, garden tools, being used as a basketball court, etc. the off white walls were very messy. So as a way of distracting myself from toxic news I decided to paint it myself. I had previously received quotes of 3200.00 – 3800.00 which I would never do. Found the PERFECT paint match and started almost a week ago. The perfect match means I don’t have to paint certain areas and the really high spots. Should be done in a couple more days. My friends cannot believe I did this, but I saved about 3,500.00 and it was strangely fun!! No bad for being over 60!
We went to a yard sale and I bought a winter coat with a hood that I can use for walking for $3, got some thanksgiving stickers for a quarter and got 2 totes with lids for free. We had a church picnic today.
1. I received a class action lawsuit payout of $7.44 it was on a digital debit card and could only be used online. I had been wanting a car air freshener, so I found one on Amazon for just under that amount. My husband keeps signing us up for Prime so he can watch certain sports events on Prime, so the shipping was free.
2. I got a postcard about yet another lawsuit, and this one allowed me to choose direct deposit to my bank account. I think the first one was related to Equifax and this one was for being shorted interest payments on my Capital One savings account. So we’ll see what this one nets me.
3. I made homemade salsa for the first time in a long time.
4. I stayed home most of the weekend and did yard work, cleaned, worked in the garden and decluttered. The only money I spent was on groceries and for insect covering for my plants.
5. I got free exercise walking the dog Saturday and Sunday.
1. Had a lovely girls afternoon at a friend’s new house. She cryptically told us to wear old clothes as we were going to do something fun together. So we all started guessing what it was. I thought maybe helping her bury a dead body, someone else suggested maybe we were helping her paint a room in the new house, someone else said maybe painting a nursery for a new baby… we had fun with the anticipation. Turns out we painted wine glasses! It was so much fun. We had wine, fruit, cheese and crackers, listened to music and laughter a lot. We each painted two wine glasses to bring home. Such a fun inexpensive day!
2. Dinner was ham, green beans and potatoes in the crock pot, all bought on markdown.
3. Made eggs for breakfast thanks to the hens.
4. Sold 2 items on Marketplace.
5. Picked up a very. Clean hooded cat litter box on the curb. I’ll sell it on Marketplace. Cat things sell really fast so I always pick up cat trees and litter boxes if they are in decent shape. Money in my pocket and keeps them out of the incinerator.
Love your posts!! And yes, JK is a garbage person.
Fascist.