Five Frugal Things -- Free Movie Tickets & a Sewing Bee
1. I went onto the Multnomah County Library's website to see if they had any new "cultural passes" and lucked out. Normally passes are only available at the beginning of the month, but they actually had a few to choose from.
I was able to score a pair of free passes to a screening of Project Hail Mary, which'll be a fun diversion. It's not until next week, but it's something to look forward to. (I can't remember when I last saw a movie in a theater!) What best is that that it's at a theater with loads of free parking, which is the cherry on top of my free sundae.
2. My friend Lise recommended the show The Great British Sewing Bee, which enjoyably streams for free on the ROKU channel. The first season is just four episodes, so I'm already on the second one. I don't really sew, but that doesn't mean that I can't enjoy watching people exercise their creative muscle while being polite with one another.
3. I started listening to Destroy This House through the library's free Libby app. I don't remember who recommended it, but I think I'm going to enjoy it.
4. My husband and I are attending a birthday dinner for a friend this weekend and have started a conversation about how we'll clarify the check ahead of time. Of course we'll chip in to cover the birthday boy's bill, but will request a separate check for ourselves. We're not the type to order appetizers, multiple drinks and desserts that inflate the cost, and don't want to ruin the evening by falling into an awkward "let's split the bill" scenario with people who do.
Communication and a plan are key to a successful meal out with friends.
5. I thought we were getting low on bread and considered heading over to the Franz Bakery Outlet. Luckily I thought to have a dig through our basement chest freezer, where I found another loaf of sliced multi-grain bread, as well as a sleeve on English muffins. I paid a buck apiece for them, which makes this extra satisfying.
Thank you, past Katy!
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 would love to hear more about how you handle the bill for your friend's birthday dinner. It is one area of frugal living that can be hard (for me) to navigate, seeing that it involves lots of people and a potentially awkward situation.
I'll let you know afterwards, it does the potential to go sideways as I don't know anyone at this dinner.
Not necessarily
frugal for me but for a younger coworker who is new in town: I let him in on all the good secondhand furniture places and the best thrift stores around here. Also recommended he frequent the same, and also drive around campus housing and apt. complexes and rental houses in neighborhoods around campus, from now until mid summer. That's because many wealthy, spoiled and over-privileged college kids simply toss this year's furnishings and start from scratch next fall. Some donate to charities but others just leave stuff at the curb or dumpster. He couldn't believe anyone would be so wasteful, but I told him the kids and their wealthy parents don't want to be bothered bringing a truck to our city and carting away/ storing all that stuff. They have so much dough they just buy anew. Personally, I'm eagerly awaiting Hippie Christmas, as someone called it, to find new-to-me household goodies extra cheap if not free. Lamps, curtains, trash cans, office supplies, rugs, clothes, pretty flower pots...all kinds of useful stuff.
I am spending another day inside, as the Windy City is very windy indeed today, and according to the forecast, it will continue late into night. No spending, no gas usage.
I had a lovely phone conversation this morning with my unemployed son. He has had a few interviews -- at last -- and he seems to be keeping himself in good spirits. I sent him some gas money -- so I guess I did do some spending! Nah, more like sharing.
I am reading Dan Brown's latest. Two more holds have come in at the library. I'll pick them up tomorrow.
I spent nothing on groceries this past week. I'm starting a list of things to buy, but so far it's pretty small. May shop tomorrow or Sunday. I plan to keep it down to necessities.
Yesterday I had a long phone conversation with my BFF, who lives in another state. I took a moment to appreciate the fact that we used to have to pay through the nose for long distance! But on the other hand, phones used to be essentially free, since they belonged to the phone company. Different times.
1. I harvested an exceptional amount of Swiss chard. I kept a bunch for myself and took a bunch over to a friend. I chopped the greens from my bunch, then looked up recipes to use the stems. I ended up making a modified 'benas and greens" recipe with the stems. It used navy beans which I'd already cooked from dry and stored in the freezer, and homemade tomato sauce made at home from tomatoes I grew. I even grew the herbs that went in it, so out of pocket for that dish was the cost of salt and pepper. Perhaps a penny?
2. Dried a load of laundry on the line each day. Laundry is washed in cold water and I recently put a measuring spoon with the laundry liquid so that certain people in the house were more careful about how mutch they used!
3. The friend who received my chard gave me a bag of lemons and three items for me to sell and keep the money. I definitely lucked out on that exchange. She loves chard and hers doesn't grow well. I don't love chard and mine grows prolifically. But clearly it is a good currency for barter!
4. Reordered the laundry liquid, I want to keep good stock on hand right now. I also want to restock bike tire inner tubes.
5. Thank you for the sewing bee recommendation on Roku