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!!!
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.