Five Frugal Things -- Laika Studios & BTS Tuna
1) My husband somehow convinced his higher ups to switch where his work vehicle is stored overnight, which means he's back to being able to cycle to work! He's been talking about replacing our gas guzzly minivan with a compact car, but we can now delay this large expense for the near future. We have a second car, (a Subaru Outback) which we bought from a neighbor last summer and quickly became our primary vehicle.
We bought the minivan brand new in 2005 and it's hard for me to think of getting rid of it, as it has no serious issues, but would sell for almost nothing. She's ugly, but reliable.
We previously owned a Prius, but gave it to our youngest when they took a job with a long commute. We miss the Prius. Such a zippy lil' car!
Ugh . . . I hate buying cars!
2) I baked a batch of Reese's Pieces cookies from a kit I bought on clearance last year. It required an egg and two tablespoons of butter, and turned out very yummy -- especially while warm!
This kit normally sells for $3.49, so $1.22 is a welcome bargain.
Please note that the cooling rack is a recent Goodwill bins find and the perfect vintage spatula came to me from a neighborhood "free box."
3) My kid and their partner stopped by the house to pick up mail, so I shared the last two cookies, as well as a library book about Laika Studios. I knew this book would fall within their interests and since Laika is a Portland based stop-motion movie studio, so it was the perfect library loan-within-a-loan.
In another world, I'd work for Laika Studios creating tiny stop-motion characters, plus the bits and pieces that shape their world.
When I was in middle school I drew up detailed architectural plans for a "Gnome Home" based on the popular Gnomes book and constructing many household items based on Rien Poortvliet's magical illustrations.
The only item I have left from that phase is this hinged chest, which thirteen-year-old me built and painted. I remember that I had to go to a specialty store to buy the miniature hinges.
4) My mother liked my Ralph Lauren inspired shirt, so I offered to add embroidery to her denim jacket. I figured less was more, but she just sent me an email that just said, "Keep going, keep going!" so I guess I'll be sewing a bit more decoration.
5) I'd seen a few online recipes that featured a specific Korean hot tuna, so I stopped into H Mart to see if they carried it. Not only did they stock this specific item, but it came with a commemorative BTS tin and stickers. (BTS is an insanely popular K-Pop boy band.)
The "recipe" (if you can call it that) is to simply mix the tuna, (which includes carrots and potatoes) with rice and then scoop it up with nori sheets. Very tasty, filling and not over the top spicy.
It wasn't cheap cheap, as I paid $13.50 for four cans of tuna, but it did make for an inexpensive and healthy meal. So . . . expensive for tuna, but inexpensive for a meal? Does this make sense? Either way, I now have three cans in my pantry that'll serve as a last minute lunch for "future 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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Katy, consider the cost as the means to having a new culinary adventure. Wonder how a tuna and pasta salad would taste…add some celery?
I love that Gnome book! I used to read it to students when I was teaching and they loved the illustrations.
My SUV is not economical to drive either, but it comes in so handy for family trips with its' third row of seats, not to mention all of the cargo space. Best of all, it is fully paid for and has been trouble free. It is ten years old and the only thing I've had to replace is tires (once). I can live with that.
I came across some marked down cookie dough, too, a while back. I knew that the chocolate chips and the peanut butter alone were worth more than the marked down price so I went ahead and bought six. It is so nice to have them in the freezer.
My neighbor gifted me with blackberries, huge sweet, juicy blackberries. I ate most of them just out of hand, but when I was down to the last cup or so I decided to bake a coffee cake with a blackberry streusel filling. I shared half with the neighbor.
This week he brought me more blackberries. They are hybrid berries that his Mom and Dad grow. This time I decided to make a sour cream blackberry pie. He brought me about three cups of berries which was just the right amount for an 8-inch pie. It is so nice to have generous neighbors.
Last fall a local market ran baking specials on white sugar and flour, at $1.00 a bag. I stocked up with 5 bags of each. I am so thankful that I did. It was a great price, a real loss leader even at that time and I continue to be grateful every time I bake a loaf of bread or make a pie.
With the weather being so hot I have been walking in the neighborhood very early, usually just as soon as it is light enough to feel safe. I have also been doing all my exercising at home rather than driving to the gym and saving up my errands to run them all together. It is efficient and saves gas at the same time.
That meal is very similar to one of our faves that we call “tuna rice”:
Steamed short grain rice
Can of tuna in oil mixed with a little mayo and soy sauce
Eaten in nori with homemade Kimchi
I had that same Gnome book as a child and young teen and spent hours poring over it and then drawing the adorable gnomes. I even remember creating tiny gnomes out of clay. They closely resemble Swedish tomtes (elves) which were often mentioned by my Swedish mother and her family. My great grandmother supposedly saw some in the woods in Sweden as a child. It took until I was about forty when my mother sprung the news on me that our Mormor had made the whole thing up!
1. I picked another small bowl of raspberries from the yard. They seem to be slowing down but we'll get another crop in the fall. I recently learned this is a type of Raspberry bush which puts out two crops a year, summer and fall.
2. I picked two more tomatoes for DH's salad.
3. I got paid again for working two days this weekend at the deli. I like this retirement gig of no set schedule, just getting asked to come in if someone calls in sick or is on vacation.
4. I found a penny in the deli parking lot for the found change jar.
5. I was not put to shame by a very wise and knowing Wolfe Blitzer.
The day has gone with not much frugal happening. We took my mother out, she is in assisted living. She has advanced cardiac and lung disease and is frail. We went to the beach, her favorite place. We then had lunch on the way home. I tidied out her mini fridge, changed the batteries in her bathroom scale (SO much weight charting with cardiac disease) and left her blackberries (freshly picked at a friend's house) and a GF cookie. Dh and I packed our lunches, she bought her lunch. We got free coffee at assisted living, which we brought home. Staff leave snacks in her fridge that she can't eat, so we scored 4 mini chocolate bars there. And an apple in a free basket. I am thankful that we choose to live frugally and therefore I don't have to work. It gives me time like this to spend with my mother.
I did sell 2 fb marketplace items while I was gone, I had left them on the porch this morning. Someone is on their way to buy a bike that we had been given to sell (and keep the money). I also sold an item on ebay while I was gone. I do love earning money while I'm at the beach!
I have towels drying on the line. I used rainwater to water my new green bean seedlings. I gave a neighbor a cucumber and received green beans in return.
We trade vehicles between family members also.
1. My usual early morning one hour walk.
2. I ate bagel with Farmer’s market tomato and egg sandwich for breakfast. Hot dog with sandwich bread as bun, with my homemade potato salad and cucumber salad for lunch, watermelon for dinner. Homemade peanut butter cookies for dessert.
3. I took a nap.
4. I worked from home.
5. I washed work clothes in bathtub and huh them outside to dry. I will enjoy the sunset from my window bc I paid for this house and pay taxes. My frugal fail is that the air is on in this heat. It is supposed to be even hotter tomorrow and Tuesday. I am thankful my air is working.
Cindy, it's not a frugal fail if the AC keeps you from getting heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Trust me, being in the hospital for either one is much more expensive than the electric bill would be!
I second this. Older adults are more likely to overheat. Keeping cool & hydrated is self-care IMHO.
1. I went to Dollar General to buy basic things: toothpaste, cough drops, batteries. Very glad we use very few things that use batteries, and that the packages have dates on them now. I had the $5 off 25 and the $10 off 40 couple they put out for most Saturdays, and reached the $40 prices. The checker dropped it into my bag as though I would use it again later in the day, which was wrong, but friendly. DG clerks always look pleased when I pull out my cloth bag.
The best part was that I found the coupon blown into my front yard day lilies, so free to me!
2. Great year for day lilies! I figured out how to cut them and take them inside with one bloom and one big bud ready to bloom the next day, leaving stems with smaller buds for another day.
3. Fail: The really expensive single serve juices were on sale at grocery store for a dollar. The blueberry with added protein and other items tastes just vile.
4. County Fair in town this week. I will go one night to the "business" booths and cruise for pens or such, and admire some crafts.
5. Last summer, I mentioned to my sister that Elephant Ears were $10 at the fair, (the big fried dough things), and I wouldn't pay that much for one. She said she would; she lives far from county fair country and is often homesick. Should I have one for her this year?
I add that sometimes local groups-- youth, businesses, churches-- have food booths, and I would give them a slight priority of support.
If elephant ears are fried dough (?), my uncle used to take a shortcut and buy pizza dough from the store (but easy enough to make) and just roll some out, shallow fry it, and serve with powdered sugar, all for a fraction of $10.
I *suppose* you could always make it, put it in a tupperware, and eat while strolling the fairground!
That's a fun idea: I could send a photo to her, even if it isn't quite real. Cinnamon and sugar perhaps.
Future Suellen will be very grateful for the loan she got Friday as she was able to pay off 1) all of her credit cards 2) the HVAC system, 3) Norco, 4) Michael's, and 6) the Mid Oregon Credit Union personal loan.
Current Suellen is thankful for past paying off nearly all old debts and collection items with the income from the job that increased her credit score from low 500s to low 700s. The job was very helpful with all that which she will remind herself of on the days she wants to stomp out in a huff lol!!
Oh yeah forgot yesterday's very frugal trip to Winco. Several bottles of Brisk iced tea (different flavors) for 88 cents each, heath bars for 98 cents each, big thing of haagen daas ice cream for 7.96 (a pint of said ice cream at any other store runs from 4.39 to 7.39 depending on the store), 2 bottles of Dasani for 1.94 each, and a box of Fat Boy ice cream bars for 3.78 (7.99 at Safeway last time I bought them)
Well done, Suellen! Sounds like (however uncomfortable) you took charge of the finances.
Went to a wedding recently, most of my outfit was thrifted. Pant suit $8, pumps $8, nail polish dumpster dove, eye shadow dumpster dove (nip from my former sil). Had an amazing time, such a nice couple!!! Received some nice complements on my outfit and think it will work well for my other brother's wedding in Aug.
Smoked an entire brisket and 2 slabs of ribs outside to avoid heating the house. Rub was in the $5 mystery box of goodies from the cheapo grocery store. We'll eat it until we're sick of it and freeze the rest for later.
Hit the cheapo grocery store, nothing spectacular. Went to gw while out. DH got 2 dress shirts (one nwt) and a pair of jeans. Bought myself a t-shirt and pair of good jeans. ($26) I'll down grade a pair of good jeans to work jeans. I threw out a dilapidated pair this week. Lugged laundry to laundry mat and brought home clothes to hang out. DH has almost got the washer fixed. He ordered a door lock from eBay, that should complete the task. He also put a new belt on the vacuum.
Finished the mineral feeder project and am using it. Built a calf feeder from materials we had on hand.
Cleaned my purse using mens' shaving cream. Turned out well. Now I need to oil the leather straps and we're back in business. It's a very well-made purse and looks new. I bought it 7 years ago at a second hand shop (:
Gearing up for hippy Christmas with my cousin. Our new preacher is very young and it's his first home away from home. Church created a registry for him, so I looked it over and made a list of items he has yet to receive. I will try my best to hook him up. My cousin sells things on marketplace and donates the remainder to good causes. I'm happy to help her!!! Looking forward to it.
1. Line drying all the laundry.
2. Put my new bike bags to good use today and cycled to the grocery store, with one of my sons who was kind enough to haul back the zucchini, cucumbers and cantaloupe--I was able to pack an 18-count carton of eggs, among other things, and didn't break a single one coming home!
3. Finding free-with-subscription things to watch.
4. Reading library books.
5. Biked to a neighborhood Little Free Library and scored two cookbooks and an old Star Trek paperback. (very old--published right after the Original Series went off the air for the first time!)
Katy I love how your embroidered shirt came out. I can’t wait to see your mom’s jacket. Keep going!
I had a similar tuna concoction this weekend but with carrots, cucumbers, broccoli, barley, basil and lemon juice.
Your mom will be styling in her blinged up jacket, can't wait to see the end product.
I feel ya on the van - we were looking at selling our 2003 Suburban with 260k miles and picking up a used sedan with better gas mileage for our college kid. But used car prices are nuts, and the Suburban is reliable and my husband has done all the maintenance and knows that engine inside and out, so it made more sense to drive it until it won't go anymore. Our 17 year old is driving my old 2005 Camry with 280k miles and that thing will probably run forever.
I had a Camry that ran forever. I finally sold it for $500, and as far as I know it's still running.
I made spaghetti and meatballs today, combining two containers of sauce from the freezer. I served it over penne, since I appear to be out of spaghetti. I should get several more meals out of it.
The heat came back today. Around noon I gave in and turned on the air conditioners. Now (8 pm) they're off again. I hope to get through the night comfortably with just the ceiling fan.
I stayed in all day except to do a load of laundry in the basement.
Tomorrow thunderstorms are predicted, but I plan to go out to mail my eBay package and pick up a book on hold. Will just have to time it carefully.
I am going to try to stay out of grocery stores for the rest of the month, as I have spent my allocation. I may have some strange meals, but I have plenty of food.
I was planning to make pumpkin muffins today, but it was too hot for baking. I hope to get it done in the morning when it's cooler. I got the can of pumpkin free, so it will be a frugal breakfast.
We do something similar with our home canned tuna, Gochujang, crisp chili, carrot and scallion. If I don't have nori sheets, I scoop with lettuce leaves. Kimchi and my new favorite food pickled pineapple. I wish my canning lids had a cute kpop star on them!
I love my '11 odyssey van! I have been known to haul farm animals (llama) in it. We put waterproof flooring in it after the hidden milkshake incident. It is the most borrowed car in the family.
I really like your mom's denim jacket. I am working on a denim shirt dress.
1. The mango season is coming to an end. I went to the neighborhood that has many mango trees & scavenged 5 lovely ones.
2. I've been attending free yoga classes. I don't own yoga clothing but have been making do w/ my Old Navy bike shorts & a snug tank top. I discovered that a loose tee shirt does not work & gets in the way.
3. I found a rice cooker & took it to the Habitat store to donate.
4. My church hosted a group who's home church had no a/c. The unit has to be replaced. I had some breakfast items at the end of the service which were tasty. I hadn't eaten breakfast so the food was a nice treat.
5. I found some in-date food items that I don't eat. I'll donate these to the food bank. Prune juice anyone or instant espresso mix? Also a large bottle of V-8 juice. I'll likely get a few jars of peanut butter to add to the items.
Food Edition:
1. Food has been frugal. I picked up a mystery shop for dinner on Friday, for my 2-hour commute. Saturday, I was going to cook for a small dinner party to celebrate my mom coming home from the nursing home/rehab, but she wasn't up for it, so I didn't have to buy all of the ingredients for that, and instead I just made us grilled cheese with stuff they already had in their house.
2. Yesterday, I did another mystery shop for groceries that are delivered to my house. There are a set number of items, which I have to buy, but most are staple foods that we would buy anyway, and I give away the food that we won't eat.
3. Dinner last night: leftover farro and mushrooms (free CSA box), with sauteed corn & zucchini (free CSA box), topped with burrata (ate the other "ball" for dinner a few nights ago, on sale $4.99) and topped with salsa matcha, which I got for free when judging a food competition. Fresh herbs from the garden. Thus, I think dinner cost $2.50 for two of us.
4. I just picked another summer squash from our tiny urban garden. Today, I'll make chilled cucumber soup, with garlic, Armenian cucumbers from CSA & herbs from the garden (we are having a banner year with our tarragon). Dinner will be something with pasta (homemade), eggplant (CSA), and ground beef (mystery shop), so only pennies spent there.
5. (More of a fail): for the 3rd time since we bought the stove 12 years ago, the starter pilot light on our oven is dead. Someone coming out to fix it will be about $400, and we've delayed it for about 3 months (the top burners work, and we've been using our little airfyer), but our house/cat sitter is coming in a couple of weeks, and it didn't seem right to not leave her working appliances! It doesn't help that our NutriBullet also just died.... but I found one on deep discount.
typo!: salsa macha, not salsa matcha!
Was pretty intrigued on the combination of matcha & salsa! 😉
Oh, you are a queen of food creativity and frugality. I love all the different meals you make with the catch-of-the-day surprises from your CSA and Mystery shops. I'm looking for the spoons to start mystery shopping, none yet and very few in my area, but I am intrigued! As always, thanks for sharing your adventures.
and YAY for your mom coming 'home'!! that is such great news.
1) Fed an extra 4 teens for dinner, and gave another teen the green light to crash in our spare bedroom. I think parents really underestimate the amount of support kids need between college semesters. For this one, the parents sold their house & moved out of the country, and she has three weeks to go until she heads back to college. She was planning to stay with her BF's family. They broke up, and it's awkward. DS19 has three friends this summer who don't really have a landing place, so we've been feeding a lot of folks, opening up our spare bedroom, bringing them on weekend trips when we go, letting them shower between jobs, etc. Not frugal for us, but we can afford it (although, I just saw my water bill & we are going to have to find creative ways to conserve water!) & we enjoy helping them. Young energy is fun to have around the house.
2) Planned a menu to coordinate our purchases (large bag of peppers from Costco, etc) to use up what we have before we leave for a trip tomorrow.
3) Coordinated purchases & menu for our beach trip with family. We are providing the house & a few other items. Other folks are providing most of the food. Should be a great time.
4) DH & DS20 rotated the tires on DS20's cars. Doing your own mechanical work is inexpensive, and a great life skill for DS20 to know.
5) DS19 found a friend who is not working this summer, and offered to pay him to drop him at the airport on Friday. He will pay him the same as an Uber, but the friend will get the money & they can chat on the way.
Kudos to you for giving the college student a place to crash until she goes back to school. That the parents up and moved away is an odd situation. You would think they'd provide her with an airline ticket to get to their new place. Well, I guess everyone thinks in a different way. Glad you were there for her.
We are in the bay area, which is a super HCOL area, so I get why people may not want to stay permanently (job changes, layoffs, immigration situations, etc). I think the challenge is that the "kids" have all grown up here, and although they've done one year of college somewhere, they consider the bay area "home". So, even if their parents have moved on, they want to come "home" for the summer. One of DS19's friends mom's had a family situation in another country she left for, but she returned & rented an apartment for the summer to spend time with him, and to give him a space to land. But, she's in & out due to the complicated family situation (her mom's health, I think?), so he spends a lot of time at our house. I don't know the situation with all of the families, but know 3-4 "kids" who have had housing gaps or just needed to be in California for school but have no place to be. They also have to maintain their residency to qualify for in state tuition, which further complicates everything.
Yes, I admire you for opening your home to the students!
How kind of you to help that college student. Warms my heart!
I've never seen either of those books you mentioned, and they both look wonderful! Immediately placed on hold at the Denver library. Love it!! Also, your mom's denim jacket is coming along great. What a fun gift to embroider that for her!
Katy, I'm typing this from the blood donation recovery area at the Red Cross. They have Nutter Butters now! I've never had them before and am really enjoying them because of you.
1. I have found that cutting up a watermelon and saving it in generous portions has been my biggest unlock to staying cool. So with the heat going back up this week, I love having this hydrating (and my favorite fruit!) snack.
2. Spent a lot of wonderful time with friends this weekend, including volunteering at an event, going for a long walk, and attending two parties at a friends' houses. Only expenses were a meal out and a ticket to a sauna in a park. It was not an overly cheap weekend but I felt like I got to do what I wanted without breaking the bank.
3. I found a dime while out on my long walk with a friend. So, I recently came into some money!
4. I picked my first pepper harvest! 3 bell peps and 4 jalapenos. My total saved is probably around $3, which certainly makes all the garden investment worth it....at least the cats are enjoying the fresh catnip all summer!
5. Found myself incredibly hungry at lunch, not my normal MO. Did NOT want to cook. Managed to throw together fridge items and scoop them with some (gently) stale chips. It worked!
I love watermelon, thanks for the reminder to get one!
Hooray for your recent influx of cash!
That BTS tuna can is making me LOL - the most random marketing ever! Cute.