Five Frugal Things -- Library Books & an eBay Sale -

1) I processed all my gleaned plums, which simply meant splitting them in half and then sticking them in the freezer for now.

I didn't have a reason to make any plum based desserts yesterday and I wanted to make sure they wouldn't go to waste. (It was amazing how much they ripened in the single day since I picked them!) These plums took maybe ten minutes to pick!

My plan is to make a small batch of plum jam, plus this NY Times plum torte recipe that A. Marie mentioned in yesterday's blog comments. (Thanks, A. Marie!) Apparently, it's the newspaper's most requested recipe!

2) My painted kitchen cupboards become grotty pretty quickly and I somehow never notice it until it's embarrassingly bad. This is real life here, no sanitized for the internet content in this blog!

I noticed that my husband bought a box of Magic Erasers for some project, so I grabbed one and got to work. (Cutting it into pieces in order to make them last longer.) This involved removing the handles to fully access the flat surface. I also scrubbed down the chrome handles.

You know how you can put off a chore and then it ends up taking just a few minutes? This is not an example of that phenomenon! I cleaned six cupboard doors, which took at least an hour and a half. I think I need to get some kind of non-toxic degreaser spray for the rest of the cupboards.

There are ten more cupboard doors and that doesn't even count the drawers!

3) I started reading a library copy of Good Joy, Bad Joy, by Mikki Brammer. I'm just a couple chapters in, but I think it's a keeper.

I'm also listening to The Love Haters, by Katherine Center through the library's free Libby app. I started this lighthearted read after finishing The Calamity Club, as my brain needs a palate cleanser after serious books.

It's good to vary what I let into my brain.

4) I sold the Space Needle pepper grinder on eBay for my full asking price of $30. (I paid $3.99 for it.) It was listed for just a few days, which is an enjoyable counterbalance to my stale inventory. However, my sales are always a mix of things I just listed and the stuff that I gave up on ever selling. Ain't that like life!

It's also a sign that I'm better about what I pick up to resell than I was in the past. That's personal progress and I'll take it!

5) My life is a bit more my own after last month's vacation, which was immediately followed by a two week visit from my sister. I'm enjoying the time alone, but that doesn't mean that I don't value getting together with the people in my life.

I sent out a couple texts checking in with friends and now have two play dates scheduled. Both will center around visiting one another's homes, so there won't be any expense as one friend will come to me and the other lives within walking distance.

An active social life doesn't have to be a money drain.

Now your turn, what frugal things have you been up to?