Five Frugal Things -- Hydrangeas & Poppies
1. I sold a $20 silk scarf that I listed on eBay back in March of 2021! Yes, you read that right, it took five years to sell! I want you to remember this for next time you're tempted give me credit for being "good at selling on eBay."
There's a saying about how "The profit is made at the buying, not the selling," which essentially means that your money is made when you decide what to sell and this is a prime example of that.
Normally I'd re-donate something that sat on my eBay shelf long enough to start kindergarten, but it took up almost no space so I allowed it to stay. Hopefully I've gotten better at knowing what to buy for resale since 2021.
Click HERE to see the listing.
2. I looked through our credit card statement and noticed two mysterious $35 charges from the day we flew back from Albuquerque. I had a strong suspicion it was due to checked luggage charges. This didn't sit right with me, as my husband and I use an airline credit card whose perks include free checked luggage! So I called the credit card company . . . who then instructed me to call the airline . . . who then told me to call a different number at the airline. It took two additional phone calls after this, but in the end the charges were reversed.
I'd hoped this would be one of those "I spent fifteen minutes to save $70" narratives, but such was not the case. However I can now cross it off my to-do list and move on with my life -- $70 richer.
3. We ran over my iPhone 8 while in Albuquerque and amazingly enough the only thing to be affected was the selfie camera, plus a cracked screen. It's eight-and-a-half years old and was unfortunately already having issues not downloading updates, which means certain apps no longer function. I bought it used for $280 in 2021 and I guess I'll start the process of scouting out a "new" (used) one to replace it. Note that buying a new iPhone is not in my plans.
Ugh . . . does anyone local have a semi-recent iPhone gathering dust?
4. I've been sick over the past week and finally took it seriously enough yesterday for an at-home Covid test, (negative) and then urgent care for a Strep test, which is pending. They took me back immediately, which meant I wasn't able to enjoy the lobby's tea station. I did pocket a couple herbal tea bags on my way out, because yes -- I'm cheapaf!
5. I spent a hour or so pruning back my hydrangeas in order to ensure optimal summer blossoms. Fun fact, my late father rooted these in his greenhouse and came over and planted them for me while I was on maternity leave back in 1998, so I always know how old they are.
I also took a jar of poppy seeds that had turned a bit rancid and scattered the seeds throughout the yard to see if they'll germinate. My hope is for 2026 to be the "Summer of poppy blossoms!"
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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Hope you feel better soon. I snorted when I read "long enough to start kindergarten." Good thing I wasn't drinking something at the time!
1. Found an expired spice jar at our Airbnb. Cleaned it out and added it to our travel kit.
2. Using up bits and bobs of other items at the Airbnb - soap, conditioner, tea, mouthwash and sugar.
3. Reserved the same Airbnb for next winter for the same price as this year, for which my husband had already negotiated a much lower price than advertised. Also taking advantage of the new-to-us Airbnb option of book now and pay later. It's hard to get ahead when your money is tied up in next year's vacation!
4. Watched LBJ via temporary Netflix subscription.
5. Watched Song Sung Blue via our free Peacock subscription through our Internet company.
Sorry to hear you're not feeling well!
1. I purchased some clearance items
2. Starting seeds for my garden
3. Reused rice rinse water
4. Hit a coin jackpot!
5. Did some Goodwill shopping which resulting a flop
More details here: https://practicalwalk.com/2026/02/27/frugal-five-plus-a-flop/
KATY! I have an iPhone SE that is a few years old; I meant to list it for sale because the price the Apple store offered me for it was dismal, but I haven't gotten around to it.
I believe it's the second-generation SE. 🙂
I'm sorry you've been sick. Glad you got checked!
1. Sold 2 mirrors, free to me, for a total of $150. Listed a couple more things on FB marketplace.
2. Had my inaugural "Maker's group" at my house yesterday. Two ladies were mending, tow doing embroidery and one knitting. We had a lovely time chatting. I served homemade lemonade (free lemons) and ginger cookies from Dollar Tree.
3. For some reason I had a $10 off coupon from Panera (I don't ever go there). It didn't say what the minimum spend was so I was suspicious, but I stopped in and ordered the bakers dozen bagels for $10.99 and I only had to pay 99¢! I also got my free birthday pastry.
4. I gave handmade birthday gifts to 2 friends. One was a set of fabric cocktail napkins made with linen from a free dress. I'm focusing on making as many gifts as possible this year as I love making things. The larger bonus is I'm not supporting greedy corporations. Well, I am supporting them with my tax dollars but I'm not supporting them with my purchases. I sewed 2 more gifts this morning.
5. Two kinds of cheese I had in the fridge went a bit moldy at the edges. I've been sick and unable to face them. But yesterday I trimmed the mold off, grated both blocks and put the grated cheese in the freezer in clean cereal bags. To me, food waste is like opening my garbage can and putting dollar bills directly in the garbage.
1) My 5 year old saw a video on YouTube featuring different Japanese snacks. She really latched onto one called a Tokyo Banana (a sponge cake shaped like a banana with banana cream inside)She became desperate to have one, she said it looked so good and she wanted to go to Japan so she could try it. She brought it up daily for the last week, how she couldn’t wait for us to go to Japan so she could get a Tokyo Banana (note we do not have any upcoming trips to Japan planned). I finally did a little research and found that Hmart sells them. We went there this morning to pickup a box and there was pure joy on her face when she spotted the box! Hopefully the taste lives up to her very high expectations (they were frozen so are still defrosting) So maybe not frugal to buy unneeded snack cakes but cheaper than a trip to Japan!
2) I’m going out to dinner for a friend’s birthday tonight. I like to give consumable gifts and she really enjoys interesting snacks so I picked out a variety for her while we were at Hmart as her gift.
3) Listening to a library book on Libby, The Rose Code, historical fiction about British female code breakers during world war 2, I’m really enjoying it!
4) One of my daughter’s friends gave her a new pair of shoes that didn’t fit her well.
5) It’s sunny and warm here today! It’s not going to last past today so I’m going to enjoy it. I ate my breakfast outside and will go for a run later and a bike ride to the beach with the kids.
I hope you have poppy blossoms!
1. I went to walk at the community center, but they were hosting a job fair, and the parking lot was packed. I parked in an illegal spot so could run in and exchange a book for three that were on hold. Got back before I got a ticket!
2. Since I couldn't walk at the cc, I went to Sam's, where I did get some walking done, and then I bought a rotisserie chicken, blueberries and raspberries. I had some free lemonade and veggie snack sticks from the vendors, and I picked up four receipts in the parking lot.
3. Yesterday's walk was accomplished outdoors, since the weather was beautiful -- for one day. No great finds, just one sealed wipe that I put in my purse, but I did get a couple of books from little free libraries. I have a lot of reading material on hand!
4. I trimmed my bangs this morning. I'm trying to stretch out haircuts to last eight weeks instead of six. I will get a haircut next Saturday.
5. I didn't invade a foreign country without Congressional approval..
Beth W., you remind me of a frugal friend who used to do some late evening walking in various big box stores. She'd grab a shopping basket and put a couple of items in it so they wouldn't make her leave, and then walk her laps up and down all the aisle. Finally she would "change her mind," replace the merch on the shelves and leave the store without buying anything.She did this all summer long so that she could walk in air conditioning; she did not like mall walking bc she said it was too crowded.
My frugal fail is your lucky day: I just found the Spectrum phone I lost last year( and have since replaced with another Spectrum phone and also with a TracFone.) I am not doing too well with anything electronic as my computer went kaput and I can't get into my 2 Yahoo accounts. But if you will contact me via the email I will use for this message, I will give you my phone number and we can discuss a sale on the recovered phone. It no longer has a working number but should be otherwise OK since Snuggles never found it..if he had found it, it'd be all chewed up, LOL.
1. I sold a little tikes roller coaster for 80 dollars on marketplace, which is 30 dollars more than what I paid for it last spring at a yard sale! My little guy wasn’t a fan and it took up a lot of space.
2. In attempt to live life without Amazon and get out of the house for the first time post-op, I made a list of things I wanted on Amazon and then went to tj maxx. Mostly cleaning supplies (pumice stone, some microfiber clothes, pink stuff and sponges) as well as dog treats and rose oil. Unfortunately a toddler and hard water requires more than vinegar and blue dawn at times , so cleaning things were a necessity. It was exponentially cheaper to buy at tj maxx!
3. Speaking of hard water, we have it no longer! My husband installed a water softener. The softener cost money , however saved on labor by self installing , and hopefully this will extend the life of our appliances, pipes, clothes and skin !
4. Picked up some organic apples and bananas off the reduced shelf from king Soopers , as well as discounted dove soap bars my husband likes. Cheap fruit is a huge win, especially when you have a toddler!
5. Purchased a very inexpensive pattern off of Etsy to make shorts for my toddler for summer. I have a few pieces of clothing I’ve collected from the bins to upcycle . The pattern is also for sizes newborn-10 , so should get a lot of use out of this. My goal for 2026 is to shop as little as possible, second hand , small business, or diy when I do need something, and no Amazon. Starve capitalism a dollar at a time.
My frugals are mostly about using up stuff.
1. I really dislike the feel of lotion on my hands but my feet need it. So I made up my mind to be brave and rub on some lotion that has been around a long time. After using it every night, my feet are much improved.
2. My husband has been cutting up branches that were downed by the ice storm to use for kindling.
3. We prefer gel dishwasher detergent but we also have a partial box of powder that I am working on using up. It was forgotten under the sink for a while.
4. Bought some tasteless cherries. I should have known better. I pitted them and sprinkled them with lemon juice and sugar. They were fine used in a Dutch baby with apple and blueberries.
5. Lunch today was reduced produce baking potatoes, 6 large ones for $1.50. We had various toppings on them, including green onions that have already sprung up in the garden box.