Five Frugal Things -- I Doubled My Oregon Food Bank Donation!
1) I stopped at Goodwill to donate a laundry basket of random items and popped into the store to see if I could find anything necessary or worth buying for resale.
Please take a moment to enjoy our sunny summer skies. There've been recent "where's the sun?" complaints from new residents, but this weather is actually pretty typical for early summer here in Portland, so this feels right to me. Cozy.
Nothing really stood out, although I was tempted to grab this $7.99 bag of Japanese mini-erasers. I might've bought them had they been a bit cheaper, but in the end I decided it wasn't worth it.
My eight-year-old self would be deeply disappointed in fifty-eight-year-old me.
2) I did a quick Winco Foods grocery shop, as the two stores are practically next to one another. I'd jotted down a list, but impulsively grabbed two packages of strawberries as the price was right.
My analog list.
3) We had our daughter over for dinner and served one of her childhood favorites -- "Le Grande Samooch." (It's mandatory that you pronounce this with an exaggerated silly fake French accent!) Essentially it's just a sub sandwich, prepared on an entire loaf of French bread and then cut down into individual portions, but a couple degrees fancier due to the faux French name.
We used to have "Le Grand Samooch" pretty frequently when the kids were little, as it was fast, easy and cheap. It's easily been a decade since I last served L.G.S., so I was happy to fulfill my daughter's request.
4) I donated $67.12 to the Oregon Food Bank, which was my June profit from the items I sold for the $100 Goodwill Gift Card Challenge. Not a lot, but I was able to double the donation through a link on the food bank's website.
Not an impressive amount, but I haven't thrifted much lately and only have around four dollars left on the gift card.
The total food bank donations now adds up to $805.63, which is from everything I've bought from a single $100 Goodwill gift card.
The Oregon Food Bank sent me a letter, (actually two) with instructions on how to get a match for my donation. I made sure to photograph that information before I tossed it into the recycling.
4) I sent out a $20 offer to an eBay watcher, which resulted in the sale of the retro-style toaster I unsuccessfully tried to fix at last month's repair cafe. You can see that I sold it "FOR PARTS," which'll help some other fixer-upper with their project.
I paid $5 at a moving sale, as the proprietor told me the item I actually wanted would be free "if I bought something else."
What did I actually want? This miniature concrete fawn, which now lives at the back of my backyard.
Now your turn, what frugal things have you been up to?
1. I listed several items on Ebay and a couple larger items on Marketplace. I also added more items to the donate and sell on Ebay piles I've started.
2. I mowed another portion of my lawn. It's too hot out to do the whole thing at once and I like to baby my mower since it's old.
3. I uploaded receipts to Fetch and Ibotta. I got 2500 points for some Reese's ice cream bars.
4. I canceled a repair appointment with my furnace service. The loud noise I was hearing while in the basement turned out to be my robot vacuum running over a stick I have for my sliding door and hitting the register over and over. Funny and embarrassing.
5. I ate oatmeal for breakfast.
My online sales are moving at a snails pace. However I did mail two out this week. Plus did a self check and have returned several items to Amazon which I purchased using gift cards. My gift cards will be used for NEEDS.
Driving about 3 hrs to the Dallas area tomorrow for a judging assignment and will return on Saturday am. Staying with friends so it’ll be a girls weekend.
Used Humana rewards to purchase Walmart gift cards=groceries.
Love the name Le Grand Samooch! Lol! The old toaster looks like my grandma's, which also died years ago. Glad you could sell it for parts
Congrats on the food bank challenge -- turning $96 into $805.63 is no mean feat!!!!!!!!!! You are a frugal reselling genius! What a blessing you are to many hungry people in Portland!!!!!!!!!
My frugal wins included getting a rock bottom price on having a hackberry tree cut down. The yardman usually works his other job 3 days a week, but is getting a mandatory holiday bc of the 4th. No work = no pay. So he gave me a good price for the extra labor so he can sorta kinda make up for it. Bonus: he got all of it stuffed into the trash cans so I don't have to pay extra landfill fees.
I also bought some expired candy for 25 cents a bag. Sell by date is today. Manager not happy day shift hadn't culled it from the shelves earlier so we got the duty added to our job descriptions. Phooey hooey.
I've been able to keep the AC to 78 degrees F and still feel comfortable. Methinks it is the metal roof. I chose a white color not only to match the brick exterior but also to reflect off the heat. It is making a huge difference! Much better than my old dark colored asphalt shingles. This is a very nice surprise!. So if anyone needs a new roof, if you live in hot weather country, go with a light color and metal if you can.The extra I paid for the metal roofing material is going to pay for itself via lower electricity bills this summer.
My "let's keep everyone fed with an extra incredibly hungry teen guest" tales continue.
1) Dug out a package of bagels from the freezer and ensured that was front & center in the fridge for an easy breakfast.
2) DS19 & his hungry friend were supposed to be gone for dinner, but he called to advise they would be back earlier, and "any chance there might be dinner leftovers, so we don't have to eat out"? I'm all about helping teens save their money, so I looked around & made a pound of pasta, shredded some romano cheese, and put two (frozen, cheater) packages of meatballs into a jar of marinara sauce & let that cook for a bit. I did buy a loaf of bread to round things out, and cut up some veggies & set out fruit. They ate dinner after pickleball, so I was already in bed. I'm still getting over jet lag. My only request was that they clean up the kitchen afterward, and they did pretty well. I'd give them a 9/10, which is good enough for me.
3) Protein options around my house are super lean at the moment (see above), so I made a pantry/freezer salad. Salad base, topped with olives & garbanzo beans (pantry) & edamame (freezer). I now have enough of the toppers to make 3 more lunches. I will likely snack on the olives between now & then, however, because they are delicious.
4) Helped DS19 pack lunch in a quick hurry when he was on his way out the door. Given our fridge is lighter than usual, I figured he might need the help. Sent him with: the last of the chicken patty sandwiches from yesterday's lunch, some pretzels, blueberries & a yogurt.
5) Non-food related, a) researched insurance through DH's employer, and came up with a family budget for when I stop working. b) signed up for AARP for $15, as it gives a higher CD rate, offsetting the cost. Looks like there are other perks as well. c) ran the laundry & dishwasher during the off hours energy window.
I listed two more items on eBay.
I found a receipt in the short walk around my building to get my mail. But it was too old.
I had my second serving of salmon patties and mashed potatoes. I drank my sun tea with it.
I did my monthly financial reckoning, and realized I've been recording the wrong total for housing the last few months. No harm done, the mistake was in my favor. I also realized I didn't eat out at all in June, except for the days when I was on vacation, and those costs go into the vacation category.
Looks like the heat will last through tomorrow night. I'm staying cool inside.
Got my final bill from Xfinity. Darn, I was hoping they would forget about me. But at least I know there won't be another.
First, Katy, congratulations on the food bank donations!!
Now, FFT, Trying to Stay Cool and Stay Sane Edition:
(1) I am maintaining a low profile and doing my best to keep cool during the heat wave that's affecting my part of the US. (My sympathies to those of you in Europe who have been dealing with heat for even longer.) Knowing that this was coming, I saved up an accumulation of laundry and houseplant repotting that I can do in my cool basement. My mama didn't raise no dumbbells. 😛
(2) I'm drinking cold sun tea in the mornings instead of making coffee. My preferred blend is two bags of regular tea and one bag of flavored (Constant Comment, Earl Grey, mint, etc.) in a half-gallon Ball jar.
(3) I'm sending three boxes of donations via the Bestest Neighbors to the annual antiques/collectibles auction in aid of the library in the town near the BNs' lake house (I believe that Ms. BN is still on the library board), along with a form for claiming the tax break.
(4) I've just learned that our downtown Episcopal church is having a rummage sale in late July, and I'll find out through friends of the BNs who are members there how to donate to that sale. Although I currently consider myself agnostic bordering on atheist, I maintain a soft spot in my heart for the Episcopalians--especially as this downtown church has the same name as the downtown Episcopal church in which I was raised.
(5) And I didn't just soil my Depends complaining on social media about the few recent Supreme Court decisions that didn't go my way (as opposed to the many that, unfortunately, did).
It is hot and muggy!!!!
We're preparing for some dirt work around the barn. Tearing out fence and storing most of it for reuse later. Part of it will be a night pen/corral for the sheep flock.
Made tuna salad instead of a hot meal. .69 tuna from the cheapo store. Egg salad came next. I used zucchini cubes instead of celery to give it a little crunch. We are drowning in zucchini!!!
After clearing fence and moving feed troughs, I really wanted icecream. I resisted and made a batch of lemonade instead.
Almost have the mineral feeder built. Most all of it is salvaged material I had on hand. Newer smaller ones are $350 on market place and I'm cleaning up unsightly piles.
Requested proof of insurance cards mailed to the house as we are out of printer ink.
The last chicken is in the crock pot. Chicks come in right after the fourth. Need to shift gears and prep for that!!!
Ooohh, good idea to use zucchini cubes instead of celery. I'm going to try that!
Sauteed zucchini and/or yellow squash also make excellent taco toppings or fajita ingredients. The (long, long term) local Chinese restaurant uses zucchini in a number of their dishes.
Better half has also added it to pasta dishes or leftover steak/potato/onion skillets (great way to use up the last of mushrooms, peppers).
I sold a free item I got off FB Marketplace about five months ago. It was a new, large, still-in-wrapping framed wall art from Target. It was free because there was a small chip out of the frame, and the chip was enclosed along with the shipping box. We repaired it but the main aspect was this art was too large for anywhere in my home. I couldn’t use it after all. I listed it for $10 (store price $60), for a quick sale, and it sold in 24 hours. I am glad it is out of my way and I don’t have to store it anymore. If the buyer flips it for more $s, I don’t care.
Katy, that is an amazing return on your just under a hundred dollars -- way to go!
There's been a small can of low-sodium salmon in the fridge for two weeks because plans were to use it on a salad, but tonight I made salmon patties. With some stretching help from bread crumbs, an egg and a bit of milk, it made three big patties to eat with steamed broccoli from the freezer and a dish of applesauce. It's a nice light meal that did not heat up the kitchen.
Used a paper coupon to buy a box of store-brand cereal today. Used a bag of peanut butter cookie mix from Ollie's Outlet (84 cents) to make 30 quarter-sized cookies. The mix makes 12 regular cookies, but making the tiny ones is more fun. Had a bowl of use-it-up soup for lunch.
Took advantage of this week's 15% off for member to stock up on cat litter at Ollie's, which came out to $6.37 per 20 pound bag. I bought six, which is all we have the space to store.
The total of your food bank donation of $805.63 from a $100 gift card is beyond phenomenal. I know you've put time and effort into it so I applaud you. Good for you!
1. I donated two bags of unwearable clothing to St. Vincent de Paul.
2. DH started his hike on the Appalachian Trail in New Hampshire today so my vegetarian diet has commenced. Frugal with the price of meat and I love animals but I'm not doing it for either of those reasons, nor for my health either. I'm just not crazy about meat and like to take a break from cooking it and eating it.
3. 92 degrees and humid but with the shades drawn and a powerful little fan the inside of my house is tolerable.
4. Stayed home all day so no money spent.
5. I found a cake mix on sale for $1 so I'm making cupcakes to take to my friend's house house for July 4th. Also a double batch of Boston Baked Beans made from scratch.
Along w/ many others I celebrate your donation to your local food bank. You have been diligent searching for sellable items & generous to donate the profits.
1. My mango supply was low. I went to the neighborhood that has trees dripping w/ them. I found 12 or 13 in the street or next to a curb. I took my neighbor a bag of them. Some of them I am freezing.
2. I went to the senior center for a chair yoga class. I went on the wrong day. However I spied a 2lb bag of navy beans, 1 lb bag of garbanzo beans, and three cans of black beans. All had 2027 expiry date. They were sitting on top of the indoors trashcan. I rescued all of them.
3. I'm planning on making a large Crockpot full of baked beans using my "found" dry navy beans. I may put one cup of mango puree in the beans as they cook. This will be my contribution to a July 4 potluck. I like baked beans. If all are not eaten then I will have them for dinner.
4. I found a dime while out scavenging.
5. I got a free cup of coffee in the office at my condo. I put it in the fridge for iced coffee at breakfast.
Does baby deer have a name? Goldie Fawn is olready taken? Kate Fawn Hudson?
Is this double up on OFB donations only good in July? It comes in the perfect time, you are this close to your initial goal. Plus you have quite a bit of stuff still listed.
I asked one of my kids to pick up red peppers for tonight's community potluck dish of Hawaiian meatballs, veggie fried rice and mango avocado cucumber salad. She stopped at the restaurant supply and they had some marked down veggies. She knows me well! Mushroons, peppers and English cucumbers. She also bought a 3 gallon bottle of dawn dish detergent with a broken pumper for $10. We dumped it into the 5 gallon bucket of dawn that was almost empty. All of the kids bring their bottles to fill up.
I was given some very old flower seeds, I planted them and about 50% have their second leaves. I will plant them by the front porch where mom sits in her rocking chair watching the birds.
What a fabulous amount for the Oregon food bank! Well done!
1. Dh is home after helping ds with a full bathroom gut/remodel. They saved about $15,000 by doing it ALL themselves. They did work like dogs though, 18 days in a row, working 10+ hour days.
2. I picked most of our pluots, they are delicious. I brought home green tomatoes from my garden volunteer gig (branch had broken off) and made green tomato chutney. I made some plum compote with plums from neighbor. It's a great time of year for produce!
3. My mother has a move in date next week for assisted living. That I have not lost my mind and left the country has been a savings. I can't wait until the move is done. We're going to the family barbecue at the retirement community tomorrow, we won't say no to free food.
Oh Kara, I hadn't realized that your husband has been away while you have been dealing with your mom - no wonder you are ready to high-tail it to timbuktoo.
I think I've only tried a pluot once. maybe I should invest in a tree!?
And move in date!! Calendar watching never felt so good..
I highly recommend pluots!
Yes, dh has been away and as it happens in many families, it often falls on one person to do most of the work of these life transitions.
I have a few days that are clear before we start the move. I do have to coordinate with a problematic family member so that will stretch my patience.
Kara, good luck to you on your mom's move. At least NDN1's CF, I, and even the distant nephew have been on the same page with everything concerning NDN1. You have my sympathy on having "to coordinate with a problematic family member."
@Katy, your Gift Card Challenge has been so satisfying to read about from afar. Colour me impressed, though! I thought maybe 4X the card would be a stretch. WELL DONE!!
1. I lied about not needing to water the gardens – even with the cooler weather. I was 'touring' the yard and started up the sprinkler. I can only water in one area of the yard at a time (limits of my well) so I set a timer on my phone and run back to switch things up when it goes off. In this way I can get a lot of the little areas done , and many steps in, by the end of the day... I have some newer fruit trees and bushes tucked in corners, and they all benefit from regular watering. I only have one decent sprinkler, yet I have a LOT of hoses. I've set out most of the hoses where they need to be (with a few exceptions); with the fast connections that I invested in this Spring, is it a snap to move the sprinkler from one hose to another.
2. I can hand-water while the sprinkler is going, so I did quite of bit of that in the various pots around the place. Everything around the house got a decent soaking by the time the day was done. I also got the big greenhouse watered, the sheep's watering trough cleaned out and refilled, and started the field sprinkler once the house sprinkling was done. The field is a grand carpet of green – mostly weeds, lots of volunteer kale, sections where I have cleared and planted that is kind of growing.. always something to do!
3. While sprinkling around the house, I took my grandmother's silver, gold and white braided leather belt (very disco) and strapped two of my “Katy's Special Berry Collecting Containers” around my waist. The cherry tree has a lot of cherries; right now it is really an exercise in literal and figurative Cherry Picking when they first start to ripen.
Getting them at the super red and perfect is a race against the birds and squirrels, so I often pick a bit early and enjoy the firmer yet still delicious flavour. Got ¼ of a Katy's Special worth of cherries. I also picked raspberries from my extremely neglected raspberry patch – filling another KS about 1/3 full.
4. The peas are slowing down, yet I got another 5 or 6 cups of each kind (snap and English).
5. My Dear Sister is visiting Mom, for a whole 10 days!, so I sent a couple of dozen eggs down with DD for delivery. I was hoping that DD would take advantage of having DS as a buffer and would stay for a visit, which she has reported was what happened.
They fed her dinner, so bonus! I think my DS is being driven batty by Mom; usually DS gets a break during her time out here and visits her own daughter, but my niece is out of town this time, so it is a long stretch of togetherness for DS and Mom. Much is getting done due to the yeoman's effort of Sis – electricians, cleaning ladies, fixing a broken door, haircuts, etc. It's great for me that DS has her eyes on Mom to see the speed of her ongoing short-term memory losses, and also how Mom is coping and controlling her day-to-day life. And great for me to get a deep break from the ongoing responsibilities of an aging parent, and the several hours in a car that each visit requires just to get there and home again. I would have liked to see my sister but this cold precludes a visit with either her or Mom, I don't think it will leave before DS does. I that know Mom will want to collapse next week (as will my Sister!), however some big and small projects have been tackled, and not by me!
6. A last minute drop-in visit from my Thrift Store Buddy resulted in several wonderful hours in the garden weeding and chatting. TSB keeps a supply of clothing here to switch into however she needed to borrow a teeshirt – which I had in the 'rag' pile rejected by DD a few days ago!. A good friend of TSB also came by and also weeded , so a big swath of the field has now had a haircut and looks so much more manageable, which means the other bits do not feel so overwhelming.
My other BB arrived with half a pound of basil in quasi trade for the bag of fresh (small) garlic that I'd offered her. TSB took some garlic for herself, and kindly delivered garlic to #1 son, along with a garbage bag full of kale that he had requested.
Unlike other virtuous folk in this commentariat (looking at you, @Laura MO) I DID go get ice cream once the chores were done. It didn't help that BB was telling us about all the kinds of homemade ice creams she has made up for her summer guests arriving today – TSB and I were impressed and salivating!
I'm a long-time reader who would like to join the fun! Katy's community seems to get a kick out of the same frugal things as I, and I've particularly appreciated that recently. I was laid off from work a few months ago and am trying to be extra frugal these days.
1. I've been keeping an eye on grocery prices and *try* to stay less than $15 for dinner (for myself and four <15yo boys). It's getting more challenging, it seems, so I've snuck some regular "cheap" dinners into the rotation: beans 'n' rice, rotisserie chicken (and the multitude of spin-off meals from that), and on-sale turkey burgers.
2. Summer programs for the kids are always so pricey, so I felt fortunate to find a free option for two children for one month. Only half-days, but free!
3. I've only cooked with ground turkey for decades, and the Costco 4-pack for $25 is usually my go-to. I've noticed several instances over the last few months where the same pack was reduced to $15, probably to clear the shelf to get ready for a new shipment. Sign me up! You know I walked out with two 4-packs and trusted I could figure out the freezer storage puzzle when I got home. One trip, the 4-pack rang through for $12...so I turned around and bought another one. I am particularly proud of this FFT, but my friends' eyes glaze over when I tell them.
4. Neilsen sent out a survey asking what I listen to on the radio, and included two $1 bills, to be followed by $10 if I complete and return the survey. It's done and I'll pop it in the mail tomorrow.
5. Frugal fail and redemption: one of my splurges is fancy conditioner (the other is Irish butter) and I bought two bottles on sale recently ($30 when it usually costs $40...I know, I know, who spends that much on conditioner?! It does last me for 1/2 the year...). Anyway, the price went down to $23 for Prime Day (I can't get this conditioner elsewhere, or I would), so I returned both bottles and bought them at the Prime price. I hate that they wouldn't just refund me the difference rather than have to return them and buy the new, cheaper bottles, but it saved me $14...and that's one dinner 🙂
Congrats on your Costco discipline - the lineups are what would give me pause if there was a great deal....
As for feeding hungry kids, and using ground meats is your jam, have you tried adding RED lentils? they cook down to invisible (green and brown lentils retain their shape for longer) and have lots of good-for-everyone protein and FIBER - if you are making taco meat, or ground meat for just about anything, it is well worth trying.
Ha! I actually have a pack of dried red lentils in my cupboard, purchased with the intent to experiment 🙂
McDub, I'm glad you've joined the fun! Sorry to hear of the layoff.
Thank you!
Amazing success with your original $100!
My energetic Shih Tzu’s favorite stuffy toy was coming apart at two seams on the appendages. It took me 10 mins to mend and stitch them closed. I am not a professional but I do basic mending, and my dog doesn’t care how my stitches look! LOL
Double donations? That's fantastic! I wonder if there's a local Facebook group that this could be shared to? Try and spread the word!
1. My long loved immersion blender died today! We don't know what happened, it was working just the other day and we've used it probably 3-4 times since we've been here (yes, I actually did fly to Europe with my immersion blender from home). We had planned on mashed potatoes for dinner and I don't have a potato masher. We used our hand mixer (yes, I brought that too) and it made the fluffiest whipped potatoes I've ever had! Accidentally wins! I have a really nice replacement immersion blender in my online cart but I'm not sure I'm ready to pull the trigger. I'll let it sit for a few days and see how we feel. Maybe we can hold out for now and get it for my birthday next month?
2. We walked to the grocery store to pick up the couple of things on our list. We're traveling the next few days and didn't want to come back and immediately have to go shopping. We stuck to the list and even saved $0.25 on some of the soy milk we bought! Every penny counts.
3. We're heading to Brussels tomorrow and booked our activities and transportation according to which days and times had the best discounts, of course trying to factor in how much we could realistically do with a toddler and preschooler.
4. Naturally, we're bringing our own snacks for the train. One good thing about being dairy free in a land known for expensive chocolate is that I'll save a lot of money by not being able to buy (and eat) the chocolate.
5. I've requested two books from Libby, just in time for our train rides! I probably won't have much time the rest of the weekend to read but I'll give it a go.
1. Been making sure to meal plan better this week and avoid eating out. We’ve done great this week eating leftovers and capitalized on my husband getting free pizza at work yesterday (even brought two pieces home).
2. Grabbed clearance ground chicken, popsicles , and mini muffins at Whole. Got marked down bananas, bell peppers and citrus fruit at kroger.
3. Went to a free local car show over the weekend. My toddler has a blast looking at his hot wheels cars in real life.
4. Have sold a handful of things on marketplace over the last few days. Kids stuff in the 10-20 dollar range always goes fast.
5. Grabbed two cheap pots at the thrift store today for some more herbs. Our garden has been slow but we’re getting there!
Great job on continuing to make solid donations to the food bank from your gift card - wowza! Fantastic and so, so generous!
Roasting in the Midwest. Saw a YT tip to freeze water in a water bottle and put behind a fan to make it cooler. Free to test that out and it seems to help. Even if it's just psychosomatic, it still feels cooler.
Picked up eight ears of corn for a quarter each today, the best price so far this year.
Have a lot of leftovers to get through - including homemade black beans and some rice with pico. Bought an avocado to enjoy with that. Usually buy a bag but that wasn't a deal. I use the tip to put in fridge drawer with a piece of citrus when they ripen and they'll last a long time. I finished up one that was still good after six weeks in the drawer, but one that was older was no good. It got forgotten and unfortunately was relegated to the compost.
Found a cool Star Wars toy at target for grandson's birthday on clearance down from $34 to $16 and then it was further reduced to $9 at checkout. I'll try to go back tomorrow to pick up a few for the Toys for Tots donations this holiday season.
Picked up Elmer's glue sticks for 50¢ for two and notebooks for 35¢ at Walmart. My 12-yo self would have LOVED the cute pricier notebooks and pencil cases they have now. One new thing I didn't know was a "thing" was water bottle charms for kids' water bottles. I felt cheap when I thought to myself what now! The bottle, the stickers, the hanging loop to hold it, the name sticker, and now charms. And we had a water fountain!
1) I made the viral-last-summer tomato and Boursin cheese pasta bake thingy. I have basil, thyme, and tomatoes in the garden plus cheap pasta, so despite Boursin being $5 a round, it's still frugal. There was 1/3 of a package of spaghetti noodles languishing in the pantry so I broke them in to smaller pieces and filled in the rest with some other noodles. I chopped a bunch of swiss chard stems to put in with the tomatoes and cheese, then put the chopped leaves in the pasta water. It was delicious as always and added a bunch of leafy greens to my diet.
2) Had to do a big shop of non-grocery items. Made the best of it by shopping school supply sales, using a coupon, and Fetch/Ibotta where it made sense. Saved about 10% of the total. Sigh.
3)Opted to trim my own nails and use a $4 foot mask instead of going to a salon.
4) Made a birthday cake kit for the Little Free Pantry out of free/cheap items. (Cake pan, cake mix, can of soda to substitute for eggs & oil, can of frosting, candles, and few balloons). When the world feels crappy, knowing I might make someone's birthday brighter helps cheer me up.
5) Staying home and being cuddle-mauled by my cats. It's free and highly entertaining.