Five Frugal Things — Free Museum Passes!
by Katy on October 2, 2025 · 26 comments
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My sister and I took our mother to the Goodwill Outlet “bins” as an early birthday treat, (this may sound odd, but “the bins” is her favorite place on earth!) and although I didn’t buy much, I did come home with a few items.
• Two 100% cotton dish towels.
• Seven or so thin velvet hangers.
• An empty Altoids tins, which I’ll add to my collection of overly organized office supplies.
• A silicone cast iron skillet handle, which I’ve wanted to own for a long time as I use our cast iron on a daily basis. Mind you, not enough to go out and buy one, but enough to grab one from a pay-by-the-pound bin.
Total cost: $4.74
Click HERE to read my “Love Letter to my Cast Iron Skillet!”
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I clicked on the library’s website at precisely midnight on October 1st to get first crack at newly available “Cultural Passes,” which scored me two passes to the Portland Art Museum, (normally $25 apiece) and as well as the Oregon Jewish Museum, which charges $10 for admission. My admission days aren’t until December, so I’ll file this under “Doing a favor for future Katy.”
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We had a small knock on the door from a local elementary school student, selling pie orders to help fund their 5th grade trip to Japan. My kids also went on this cultural exchange and I chose to write a $50 check instead of placing a pie order. Otherwise they would’ve received maybe half of the money.
I was PTA president for one horrific year and there are an endless number of companies that prey on schools in the name of “fundraising.” Not that a local pie company necessarily falls under this umbrella, but I’d still prefer to directly donate to whatever cause.
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My daughter dropped her iPhone and broke the screen off, so I took it to a local repair shop and paid $80 for them to repair the phone and keep it in circulation. This phone is already nine-years-old, but there’s no reason to not buy a bit more time before it needs to be fully replaced.
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I continue to drive all around “war ravaged” Portland, Oregon without witnessing even a single signs of conflict. I guess it’s just a way to get us to stop talking about the Epstein files. Oops . . . didn’t work!
Now your turn, what frugal things have you been up to?
Katy Wolk-Stanley
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{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh Katy, what you said…..I am just so appalled with what tRump is saying. I will never understand how people can believe any of the crap that comes out of his mouth.
1. gathering and processing what is left in the gardens, will be canning sliced green tomatoes for frying thru the year.
2. still growing beets and cabbage but they can go a good while longer.
3. have been getting some decent meat buys on Flash Foods
4. canned tuna on good sale and bought 10 cans….
5. the next 3 months will be stock up on pastas and dry goods.
haven’t been doing any shopping for so long and don’t miss it. Go to the store get what is needed/list and then back home.
1. Frugal fail, courtesy of Snuggles the Dog: I found my good pair of eyeglasses all chewed up. The lenses are still OK but the frame is ruined beyond repair. Snugs is being especially naughty today, as he earlier got out and ran all over the neighborhood. (See Frugal Girl’s blog for the whole mournful story). Luckily, I haven’t spent my Medicare Advantage card credits yet for this quarter (which began yesterday), so perhaps they’ll be good towards replacing the eyeglass frames. I’ll go to Walmart and see. Fingers crossed that they still have that particular style of frames in stock.
2. Our church launched a lunch-at-the-church deal, so I bought a $3 lunch. Sadly, it was only a tuna sandwich, chips, applesauce and fruit juice, the latter two items in kiddie pouches. I felt like I was in grade school again! And just as disappointing, there was only me and one other member in the parish hall eating, although our rector joined us later. (Next time, I’ll go to Burger King; their junior whoppers are $3 + change and I have my own drinks and chips at home.) But, hey, $3 is a cheap lunch.
3. Was able to charge an LED portable light with my cell phone charging thing.
4. My coworker loves Lume spray. I tried it and it broke me out in a rash. Still had 7/8 of the container left. Took it to her and she’s happy to have it.
5. Paid bill at bank, and got another handful of candy for my Halloween cache. I’ve been collecting all year and the bucket is almost full.
#5. Wow. I so admire your discipline. If I had been collecting candy all year “for Halloween”, it would be gone LONG before Halloween.
I put it in a bucket in my gift closet. Mostly, I never touch it. And a lot of it is candy I can’t stand.
Mind you, this is just candy. Not Blue Bell Ice Cream!
Fru-gal Lisa: Weren’t you searching for some lined drapes? Ollies had 4 panel black-out curtains (full length) for 27.99. It was for a grand opening at a new store in TX but perhaps they have them in your town.
If you can’t find affordable frames, or if your lenses don’t fit them, I’ve been really happy with the quality of Zenni for new frames and prescriptions. And they take insurance, so I expect they’ll take your Advantage card as well.
Yes, I also continue to bravely venture out into our war-torn city. Yesterday, I saw a unicorn walk by. It’s getting bad!
My kid moved out recently, and the race is on to transform their bedroom from a dank teen lair into a respectable guest room. I have guests visiting in two weeks, so feel a sense of urgency. I needed a shade for the (thrifted) bedside lamp. I decided to check the Goodwill bins for one, where I found a nice formal fabric shade with no structural problems. It had smudges of dirt, a thick layer of dust, and a splatter of something (Gravy? Mud?), and a smattering of dog hair. I decided to give it a chance. I took it home and sprayed it all over with Formula 409. I gently scrubbed some of the uglier dirty spots. THEN, I put it in the shower and sprayed it with warm water! You should have seen the schmutz rolling off it! So satisfying! I set it in a warm spot to dry, and now it looks perfect. PERFECT. I can’t believe it! If you saw it on a shelf at the local lamp store, you’d never suspect it isn’t brand new.
Wow! I’m impressed! Not sure I would have tried that advanced a cleaning technique.
The shade cost around $2. I was willing to take the risk. (I’m still shocked that it worked so well!)
I am amazed that the lampshade cleaned up so well. Was it handmade fabric?
It was one of those fabric shades on a metal frame. A similar one I see online says it is made out of polyester.
1. Yesterday we took our youngest to the dentist, she has molars coming in before most of her other teeth and the teething has been miserable for her, but she’s been a little champ. No concerns from the dentist and we walked out with no bill thanks to insurance and a resupply of baby toothbrushes and toothpaste.
2. Brought a packed lunch of sandwiches and WinCo bulk bin snacks to Wildlife Images where I previously won a year membership. The kids are still in the free admission ages so it makes for a fun day! When my husband tried to pay for his admission the woman at the counter said we were good to go. He asked if she was sure and she said to go on ahead. I’m not one to argue with $20 savings so we thanked her and proceeded to a sunny picnic table to have our lunches.
3. Today is meal prep day! Making French bread in smaller hoagie style sizes for my husband to take sandwiches for lunch. A pot of black beans has been soaking since this morning and will make for an easy burrito night in the instant pot tonight. A pack of chicken has been cooked, shredded, and portioned for chicken and dumplings throughout the month. I took a ‘pork loin in the bag’ and portioned it into 4 pieces that are marinating in the fridge waiting to be rubbed in some homemade dry rub. Aiming for an oven baked ribs flavor without the bones or cost. Fingers crossed it’ll taste as imagined.
4. We lumped out errands and outings together yesterday and only had to make one trip. We only have one vehicle we try to make this happen as often as we can, especially since we live 30-40 minutes from WinCo.
5. A part for our washer has been ordered and should arrive early next week! The darn thing is going to war with me during the spin cycle, apparently an issue with Samsung washers, and it’s far cheaper to replace the rods than it is to replace an otherwise fine washer.
Love that your mom loves the bins!
Went to Lidl to pick up a very few things. Specifically frozen berries that are $2 cheaper than my normal store. I do not live near any source of free berries, so I almost always buy frozen.
Continuing to eat based on a meal plan and what we already own. Dh health issues have shifted our eating a bit. One good thing is no red meat!
I started to do a survey to enter for a $500 gift card. I bailed out early on. The survey asked for a lot of information I wasn’t comfortable sharing for the chance to win. I might have finished if I was guaranteed the $500.
Weather has been very nice, so no AC. Yay! The summer has been so hot!
I’m not looking forward to what my ACA insurance costs will be next year. I don’t want this shutdown to go on, but I do want sanity to prevail around health insurance costs. Not sure that sanity is a possibility these days.
Helping at the food pantry warehouse two times a week as a way to keep my sanity!
Sue, I’m afraid that sanity left DC a long time ago.
Paging the Marx Brothers in A Night at the Opera: Groucho and Chico are reading over a contract. Groucho says at the end, “That’s in every contract. It’s the sanity clause.” Chico: “Ha, ha, you can’t fool me. There ain’t no sanity clause.” And there ain’t no sanity clause in DC these days, either.
For those who need diversion and would like to see the whole sanity clause routine, here it is (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbUDSxJFsDA).
Katy, Ugh…I agree about the fundraising companies taking advantage of schools by sharing a measly percentage while these school children are schlepping their wares around town like a traveling salesman of times gone by. I always make a donation vs. purchase too! It’s the responsible and kind thing to do and I think they should just ask for donations…but obvs not door to door.
1. Paid off my mortgage this month after 30 looong years! Frugal in the long run. But what a long run!
2. Made sure to cancel my Balance meditation app before the free trial ran out and I was charged for an annual subscription. Whew! Almost missed the deadline and had already decided it wasn’t worth the subscription price. I do appreciate free trials so money isn’t wasted. And I have subscribed to some apps after trying them so, it’s not always a loss for the company.
3. Bathed and groomed my very unwilling Doodle myself. Not perfect, but she looks cuter and more naturally part of the family when her hair isn’t groomed to perfection. It’s our vibe. Trying to look perfect is exhausting. And I saved $225 in grooming costs for a bath and a cut. Also good bonding time!
4. Did a consumer product test. The lotion broke me out like a teenager with acne, Ugh! Good news is it’s starting to clear up and I earned $100 while hopefully helping the company tweak their product!
5. Listening to an audiobook through the library’s Libby app, signed up for a 6 week course through their gale platform with a real teacher and certificate of completion after passing, I took a meditation class through the library which met at a park near my house in the evening (it was magical), and I’m taking a Goat Yoga class this weekend on the grounds of the library. I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time, but it’s expensive at yoga studios. I just hope I don’t get pooped on by a goat! I used to volunteer at the zoo and would occasionally help in the goat yard…one thing I learned is they poop constantly. Maybe because kids are constantly feeding them? Anyway, the Library continues to impress me with their offerings. Good for you Katy scoring the museum passes for future Katy!
Congrats on paying off your mortgage!
Lea
Oh Katy…I could write a book about those fundraising scams. We aren’t able to give cash but that’s the way I would go . I have instead set a dollar amount the child can spend for something they want themselves. I don’t even look at the catalog. Saves my blood pressure!
25 years ago my niece went to a brand new elementary school. Shortly there after the children were selling things to buy playground equipment. What! The taxpayers pay for a new school & there is no play ground equipment? It is not safe for kids to go door-to-door to peddle the items so the parents get stuck selling the items. I would be happy to see this practice to end. The items are overpriced & not things you need.
My frugal friend, who looks just like Peppermint Patty in the Peanuts comic strip, teaches elementary PE in a small town. They also didn’t have enough equipment. (Although I think it was more like balls, jump ropes and hula-hoops than swing sets, slides or merry-go-rounds.) Instead of asking parents to give $, she went to all the classrooms and offices in the school and throughout the community, and asked them to save scrap paper, cardboard, empty ink cartridges and aluminum cans. She regularly collects this stuff (I believe the Scouts or high school service clubs help) and takes it in for (paid) recycling. The money she gets from the recycling pays for her equipment. This doesn’t rip anyone off, and it is good for the environment.
Katy, thank you for your first-hand account from America’s latest war zone. I trust your city’s supplies of artisanal coffee and flannel are holding up against the administration’s attempt to divert the nation’s attention away from every bonkers thing they’re doing. Stay strong, Katy & Co.!
Oh goodness, rereading my comment a few hours after posting makes me realize it could be taken in a way I hadn’t intended. I had just finished watching funny videos questioning why Portland was getting picked on and mine was a riff on those. I am pro Portland and all of its uniqueness!
1. I received word this morning that $27.14 was sent to my PayPal account — Facebook class action settlement.
2. I ordered my goodies for this quarter from my Medicare Advantage plan — pickings were slim, my incontinence pads were not available, nor COQ10 — those are my standby orders. I have plenty of Tylenol and vitamin D and melatonin. I decided to order a wedge to elevate my head while reading in bed — also some sort of cooling/heating neck wrap. We’ll see how that works out.
3. On my trash walk this morning I picked up a lot of trash and recyclable items — and something that puzzled me. I had to look it up online. It was a vaping thing, whatever they’re called. I was ready to throw it out, but read a little more and realized it should be recycled because it contains a lithium battery. To do that, I had to take it to a vape shop, which was several miles away. SO I decided to make a trip of it, and also go to Aldi, PetSmart and Home Depot. At the latter I wanted to drop off batteries to recycle, but they only take rechargeables, so I’ll have to do more research. At PetSmart I bought aquarium filters and feeding blocks, ignoring buy-one-get-one-half-off offer, because I have one remaining fish and he is pretty old. I don’t want to stock up. At Aldi I bought two bags of groceries which totaled $34, even though I tried to make smart choices.
4. On my wanderings I found four receipts to scan to Fetch in addition to my own receipts.
5. I continue to monitor the invasion known as the Midway Blitz which is blatantly interfering with law and order. Protesters are being tear-gassed and US citizens are being hauled off. Not fighting crime, but trying hard to provoke it.
@Katy – we’ve donated money also for some school fundraisers. One kid was close to being shocked – the food items for sale did not appeal to us. But we supported the camp he wanted to attend – our kids also attended the same camp.
* Sold a jacket on Vinted. The buyer is in France so it takes about 2 weeks to actually get to the buyer which means there is a delay in the sale price being released. Thankfully I am not dependent on the 7 Euro that I will get for the jacket 🙂
* Won a 100 Euro gift card for Lidl at work. Absolutely delighted with this prize!
* Recent favourite library read: How to win friends and influence people (Dale Carnegie) – this book is ooooold but I still found it insightful
* Our son brought home 3 jars of chicory coffee that the shop where he works could not sell due to the plastic lids having broken. I had an exact match to the lid in my empty jar stash! We could have discarded the coffee into a different jar of course but that way it’s way less messy.
* I had bought a glass reusable bottle in a charity shop a few months ago – turned out the seal was not tight and it was leaking. I was going to throw it away but then realised that it would be perfect for storing my homemade almond milk in the fridge! It sits upright in the fridge so leakage is not a problem and because it is glass I can see exactly if I have been shaking it enough or if there is still nutty bits at the bottom.
Katy, I thought my husband and I were the only people left, who still wear masks inside !!! What brand do you use?
We got a silicone handle cover too with a cast iron pan for $4. It works great.