Five Frugal Things -- Mammogram & Thrifting
1. I went for a mammogram, which I scheduled at a inconvenient suburban clinic as otherwise I would've had to wait until 2026. I'd already put this task off and felt that sooner was the smarter choice. Not that I have any known issues, but I still needed to scrub this worry from my brain.
I was rewarded with two pieces of Dove chocolate, which my husband and I enjoyed after dinner last night.
2. I stopped at one of my favorite Goodwill locations on the way home. If you're from the Portland area, you'll recognize the Cornell store, as their see-it-from-space signage is designed to grab your attention from the freeway.
I bought a Christmas gift for my mother, but more importantly I finally found a jacket to replace my missing Land's End rain coat. Not exactly a steal at $14.99, but still better than the $90 were I to buy it at REI. (Although it's currently on sale.) We're deeply into rainy season here in Portland, so a warm functional rain coat is non-negotiable.
3. I got briefly excited about this sweater, as it looked like one of Taylor Swift's signature cardigans. But the quality was terrible, which prompted me to examine it closely and compare it to her officially licensed sweaters -- yup, it was a cheap knockoff! Too bad though, as it would have been worth hundreds of dollars had it been the real deal.
4. I listed a high end cell phone case on eBay that I found awhile back in the street in front of our house. I did my due diligence of asking in my neighborhood Facebook group if it belonged to anyone, but got no response. It's missing the strap and a tiny bit scuffed up, but I might as well try to get it back in circulation and make a couple of bucks.
It sells new for $128, so $38 is actually a decent price for a bargain hunter. Edit -- Sold!!
5. I have zero plans to do any black Friday shopping, as frenzied consumerism and falsely low prices are not my jam.
Now your turn, what frugal things have you been up to?
1) After patiently saving my Safeway health points (they award points for meeting my step and activity goals as well as other various health challenges) I was able to redeem them for a $25 off $65 purchase coupon. Safeway is often overpriced but have some good sales and coupons so I only bought those items that were a good price and then used the $25 off coupon.
2) I had two kitchen items recently break (one I dropped on the ground, the other I dropped a glass vitamin bottle onto it and it broke, clumsy lately!) My instinct was to replace them immediately but then I paused for a few days and realized I didn’t really need either of them. One was a covered butter dish but since going plant based, I don’t eat butter and I’ve reduced how much my family eats too. Plus there is still butter in the fridge if needed. The other was a small serving tray, but we have many other trays and dishes and don’t need that particular one.
3) I’ve gone almost an entire year now not shopping at Target. Considering I used to go there almost every week, I feel like I’ve probably saved $100’s (even if some of the necessities I used to buy there I still buy elsewhere, I think I was prone to more impulse purchases at Target)
4) I’m hosting friends for brunch on Sunday. We all live about an 1-2 hours away from each other so when we do get together we want plenty of time to catch-up, which isn’t conducive to restaurants who don’t usually want you taking up a table for hours. Plus one of my friends needs to bring her 5 year old with her, it’ll be much more relaxing having him play with my kids at our house than trying to bring 3 young kids to a restaurant. I’m using veggies from my produce box delivery this week to make a Mexican breakfast hash and everyone else is bringing a dish to share too.
4) Bought the kids matching Christmas pajamas used on eBay. This is cheaper, keeps the item in rotation and my kids get attached to certain pairs but then outgrow them, so I can usually keep finding the same ones year to year on eBay.
5) My work let us telecommute today because of the holiday so saved a bit of gas money!
Also no plans to shop on Friday. I do have plans to attend the free craft supplies swap at our local Reuse Hub on Friday!
1. Roade my bike to locally owner grocery tovbuy food gifts for sister and uncle. I'm taking them with me to my parents tomorrow. Saves me postage on 2 gifts.
2. Received a few more things from my aunt's estate. I've texted pictures of all of it to appropriate family members and will also be taking the claimed items to my parents tomorrow. The rest will promptly be donated to a thrift shop that supports causes my aunt cared about.
3. I emailed nicely asking for a refund on 2 supplements that just didn't sit well in my stomach. Received a refund of nearly $100!!
4. Walking with different friends nearly every day, for exercise and community.
5. Given away several things on buy nothing, and loaned out a booster seat and high chair someone needed for a visiting relative's child. No need for all of us to own these occasional-use items (I'm a grandma).
I wasn't going to go to any grocery stores this year, but I have a free birthday icecream at a local grocer I may redeem tonight. And....Staples has 100% back on batteries in points today only. I may venture out and do that as well since I need batteries for some of my flashlights and camping lights, very important in FL. And, my son goes through them like crazy for video game controllers. And, while I never go out Black Friday Shopping, I am sorely tempted to go to JCP or Kohls and see if I get some free 'cash' to spend in their stores as my budget is beyond tight right now and Xmas is looking like it will be very slim pickins at my house. Need can be an incentive. We'll see how much my need drives me.
Yay for a nice warm rain coat for our PNW drippiness.
I bought 2 this summer on a 100 degree day. I have only used the unlinked Columbia one as it is not cool enough for the fleece lined coat. $3 ea. Oh my word!
Neighbor stopped by for tea and cookies and brought me a pound of coffee beans as she doesn't own a grinder. I poured them into my island mounted burr hand crank from my great grannie's farmhouse and cranked while we visited. It smelled so good I made a French press pot for us to try. Bagged up the coffee and handed back to her for Thursday.
Gave the pup a bath, begged her to not dig in the field before our Thanksgiving guests leave.
Neighbors down the road brought over salad makings, cream, butter and eggs as they headed South for a month. Dead bananas are peeled and frozen. Apples and grapes will go in the fruit salad.
I do not have a silly dress code for Thanksgiving, I do encourage guests to bring slippers.
I am looking for rechargeable hand warmers on the black Friday sales. I have PJ's to sew for the grands and I am finished for holiday prep.
Ha ha, we call them "dead" bananas, too. 🙂
That was sweet of you to return a gift (coffee) to your friend after you Fixed the problem. Good friend
1. I am using Christmas decor from past years, nothing new. Still, I often find new ways to display them. Like old friends, they are always welcome and bring fond memories
2. I had a dinner party over the weekend and prepared and got carried away. There were enough leftovers to make 3 or 4 more meals. That means I don't have to cook for a few days, saving time and energy.
3. The temperatures have really dropped in the past two weeks. I keep comfortable by layering during the day and wearing a pair of socks along with my flannel pajamas at night. That way I can keep the thermostat set low.
4. I go to the community center once a week for a group activity. While there I often check the shelves in the fireplace gathering area for donated books and puzzles. I found four puzzles this week. Lots of free entertainment.
5. While returning books to the library, I often browse the shelf of free magazines. I picked up a few Christmas ones featuring decor, recipes and crafts. I will put them out in a basket as part of my Christmas decorations.
Speaking of Cmas decor, I can’t watch any more Ralph Lauren cmas decor video. It’s so silly to buy all this plaid and old school money looks for one holiday. It will be at every garage sale next year when a new look is in fashion . Use what you have or make your own. Quit buying more stuff
Speaking of Cmas decor, I can’t watch any more Ralph Lauren Xmas decor video. It’s so silly to buy all this plaid and old school money looks for one holiday. It will be at every garage sale next year when a new look is in fashion . Use what you have or make your own. Quit buying more stuff
Diligently did the deep dive again and donated 2 bags of clothes to local
church clothes closet.
Last two nights had leftovers. I suspect we will have leftovers over the weekend after Thanksgiving dinners on Thursday and Friday
Reworking closet to avoid buying a couple of long sleeved shirts for winter
We are going to a potluck Thanksgiving, for which I made today a cherry pie and gluten-free chocolate brownies with pecans on top. Nearly had an emergency grocery trip in the midst of cooking when the white sugar ran short, but brownies made with a mix of white and brown sugar turned out just lovely.
Had a big cooking day and made more individual freezer meals for myself. Also made up more reusable K-cups with coffee from Aldi. Bought crackers and almond milk at Dollar Tree.
This month marks a year since I deleted my account with Amazon. Aside from one trip to Walmart to replace a small appliance, what few things I have needed in a year have come from eBay.
Hooray for reaching the 1-year mark on Amazon abstention, Ruby! I'm now 2.5 years into mine and not missing ol' Schmeff Schmezos a bit.
1. Received a colorful throw pillow from Buy Nothing that perks up our rec room. Original 1950s paneling on the ceiling and walls (which we love) makes it dark in there.
2. Husband found an onion in the Trader Joe's parking lot. It was in the middle of the empty parking space next to his, so he figured someone dropped it and couldn't find (or reach) it when a car was parked there.
3. Found a poop bag in the park. Luckily it was empty!
4. Dental bill for husband's new crown turned out to be $100 less out-of-pocket than expected.
5. Contacted our insurance agent regarding our new homeowner's insurance premium. Coverage amounts increased yet premium declined. Biggest reason turned out to be the new roof that was installed. Just wanted to make sure we weren't losing important coverage somewhere. A few days later, we inexplicably received a notice of a $262 credit on this policy. I have no idea what's going on so I'm just going to roll with it since it's in our favor.
1. Took advantage of an online Old Navy sale to order a few things for the family for Christmas. We have their store credit card but keep the account locked. I unlocked it to combine the sale and a coupon code to save an extra $6, and chose slower shipping to save an extra $2, plus had a $1 credit from who knows where. Our 4 items came to $30 and change and the card is re-locked. I have a reminder on my phone to pay off the balance in a few days so we don't have any interest.
2. A bag of chicken nuggets had a faulty reclosable seal so I wrote an email to the company and they apologized and asked for some information. I signed up for coupons while on their site and I'm not expecting much to come out of this, but who knows, maybe I'll get a good coupon in the mail or emailed to me. Never hurts to try.
3. I moved two quarts of blackberries from the bowels of our freezer to the fridge so we can make a pie tomorrow. We picked the blackberries an embarrassingly long time ago and they've been hiding in the freezer ever since. I have a lid from a large bowl under the containers in case there are any leaks or drips while they defrost.
4. Our fridge is almost empty right now and as part of my list of random things to clean tomorrow I plan on doing a thorough clean of the shelves.
5. I finished crocheting a hat for my youngest daughter and my oldest is now very excited for me to start hers. I'm combining two colors to try and stretch the yarn I have left but it might be a photo finish but that'll use up the last of my yarn stash!
@Shyla - and it never hurts to inform of a flaw which may be a huge issue for those on a very tight budget. Issue is likely from the vendor of the bag.
1) I'm doing lots of prep work for Thanksgiving today. My oven has been doing double duty all afternoon. It took some organizing to figure out what I could bake together based on temp but I did it. I'm accommodating gluten free and dairy free this year (different people)
2) We always put socks in the kids stockings. Someone gifted me a $25 Target gift card so I went and grabbed 2 3-pks of socks for a net out of pocket of $7
3) I earned a free turkey from our local grocery store - 20 lbs that was listed at $37
4) I got my yearly mammogram today but sadly no chocolate afterwards
5) I had put all my not ripe tomatoes into a paper bag back in October. I checked this past week and almost everything had ripened. We have been eating tomatoes from our garden all week!
I've never received chocolate after a mammogram either LOL! Seems like we all should.
Received a lovely gift from one of my parents yesterday "for the holidays." She gave me a generous gift last year, too, but waited until school ended before the Christmas break. Family is Muslim and her husband is an internal medicine doctor. I received a lovely box of (EXPENSIVE) gourmet chocolates, a crocheted Christmas bouquet that has a Santa in it (that was a real surprise from a Muslim family!), and a $100 Amazon gift card. Yeah, Amazon, but it's a gift. My laser printer has been out of ink for awhile, so I bought ink cartridges. Not the high yield ones, but they will hold me over. I was a little short, but I only had to pay $16 out of pocket, so I consider that a win. I don't ever expect anything, and I am sometimes overwhelmed at how much parents appreciate me.
I went to a painting party last night and we did a painting of a massive poinsettia. Bought a frame as we're giving it to my sister for Christmas. There was no way for the canvas to stay in the frame, so I used Gorilla Glue. Some residue got on the frame. Googled to look how to "possibly" remove it. Going to pick up a bottle of dollar store nail polish remover and pray. At least I have a few weeks to work at getting it off.
That was very thoughtful for the Muslim family to think of you at Christmas, a holiday they do not participate in but knew it was import ant to you. Very kind
1. Needed powdered cloves for pumpkin pie. I only had the solid pieces on hand. I put some in a zip lock bag and smashed them w/ a hammer in the garage. Now I have some powdered cloves.
2. Planted saplings that my BFF propagated for me.
3. I found someone's debit card in the grocery parking lot. Looked up his name. The dad came today to pick it up. Frugal for them. Frugal for me as I left it on my doorstep in an envelope & didn't have to drive somewhere. Dad was grateful it was found.
4. Made Thanksgiving dishes using mostly what I had on hand. I did have to buy Key Limes for a pie. (The recipe said regular limes taste different. My brother is also a discerning eater. He could likely tell the difference.)
5. Used some chocolate covered grahams to make a pie crust. I crumbled them in the food processor. Will see if "picky brother" complains.
Your #1 reminds me of something they say in the British Royal Navy, Texasilver: "If at first you don't succeed, hit it with a bigger hammer!"
And your recipe in #4 is right about Key limes. They're smaller and pack more of a citrusy wallop than regular limes.
1. Sold a couple of Christmas cushions that I had thrifted last year, on Marketplace. The seller gave me an extra $5 because I delivered them, and she was mortified that there was a mixup, and no one was there to get them. (it was at a business that was closed and locked up, so I couldn't leave them). She had to then pick them up. I made probably $20 on the sale.
2. Packed up some books and other miscellaneous items from my living room, and donated it to the Sally Ann thriftstore as I am cleaning up before decorating for Christmas.
3. Bought a top listed originally at $65, marked down to $12.99, then used some airmiles cash that had accumulated to pay for it, so it cost me about $4. But, when I got it home, I put it on and didn't like the fit, or the neckline, so will list on Marketplace. I should get at least $25 for it.
4. The Airbnb business has been very quiet for November, buy I received a two night booking for the end of the month. Every little big helps.
5. Tomorrow I will visit my favourite thrift store which always has the entire store at 50% off on the last Thursday of the month. I usually find something for myself, as well as a couple of items to flip.
I always have to try clothing on in the store's dressing room before I buy it as my profile is a cross between a short pregnant woman and the Michelin Man. That way I know. f I like it on me before I cart it home.
I hate the parking lot at the Cornell store, but I’ve had some good luck there.
I spent much of today getting everything prepped for Thanksgiving. Pies are cooling on the counter. All I need to do tomorrow is assemble things and put them in the oven!
I’ve been keeping my eyes peeled for other people’s discarded grocery store receipts to scan into the fetch app. Every receipt I find earns me exactly 25 points. The people in my neighborhood seem to buy nothing but kale and pasta. Finally, today I found a receipt from someone who’d bought HubbaBubba bubblegum, and I got 1000 points! Junk food for the win!
I won’t participate in Black Friday, but I might do small business Saturday.
1. Talked myself out of ordering a Black Friday special TV from Wallyworld. Instead, I shopped secondhand sources, including pawn shops. One pawn shop had a TV minus its remote control for $199. I almost bought it but then decided to look some more. Glad I did! Found a flat TV screen at Goodwill and paid only 8 bucks. It was the Senior Citizen Discount day so I got 20% off. I rounded my payment up 17 cents to make it an even 8 dollars; the extra change goes to their job training program. It has helped me many times in the past.
2. Looking around the house for some old computer speakers I used to use in my classroom. Will see if they fit the 8 dollar TV. If not, I have some speakers that go with an unused CD player. Will keep looking until I find something that works.
3. Got some nice hardware clips designed for drapes at Walmart. Used these to turn a bedspread into a curtain for the window above my bed. It matches the new bedspread on the bed, is quilted to block out the cold, and looks like a tapestry. (I'd bought 2 bedroom in a bag sets because one did not have enough curtains to cover both windows. Neither did 2 sets. But instead of buying a third set, I figured I could use the bedspread. The fabric pattern matches even if the window treatments are a bit different. )
4. The matching curtains went on the front window. They are as thin as bedsheets. Bought some thermal curtain liners to go under them. They will keep the bedroom warmer.
5. Worked my Wednesday night before Thanksgiving shift. Us older workers came in as scheduled; the teenyboppers all called out. Which we pretty much figured they would do. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out next week when the big boss is back. Methinks some high school students are going to get a valuable life lesson along with their pink slips.
1. Recent expired but still good freebies from my son’s workplace: 5 cartons of oat milk, 2 cartons of coconut milk
2. Used Lidl points to get 1 litre of dairy milk for free. Used Tesco coupons to get a frozen pizza for free.
3. Mended my daughter’s fleece sweater. Thanks to the sewing thread set (48 different colours!) that I bought in Lidl I had the exact shade of brown that I needed and the mending is 100% invisible.
4. A local charity shop had a sale, everything was 2 Euro. I bought a sweater for myself (it had a stain but I could tell that it would come out easily and it did) and a rain jacket for my son. I probably would have bought more but the place was thronged and it was too hectic to browse for a longer period.
5. I bought a gift card for ice skating tickets as they were 25% off due to Black Friday week. My daughter is planning to go ice skating with friends over the Christmas break.
1. My partner and I will work in our friend's shop tomorrow, and I have no plans to buy anything, so Black Friday will be net positive in my purse. We will bring our own coffee and lunches, and dinner is in the freezer, so a zero spend day.
2. I might have mentioned part of this, but we were on 2-sides for today at my in-laws. We were going to make green beans (on sale) and a potato-cauliflower mash, using potatoes that I got 5 lbs for .99. But, then we got Swiss chard in the free CSA, so I figured free is cheaper on sale. I was horrified that the cauliflower was going to be $3.99 for a small/tiny head, but then I found one on the dented veg rack for $1.99 and I just had to shave the top off in a couple of spots.
3. We also brought 4 pints of free ice cream (from mystery shops) to serve with the family on Monday & Tuesday.
I think that is it! Happy Thanksgiving to the US Americans, and happy last Thursday of the month to everyone else.
Thanksgiving version:
1. We split the food prep with my motherinlaw, almost everything was from scratch. The smoked turkey leftovers will be marked into tamales for our Christmas get together.
2. We played Thanksgiving themed games I got free off the internet and printed. I don't think I've ever laughed as hard as I did at my attempt to draw green bean casserole for pictionary!
3. Also enjoyed a free Thanksgiving walk, and a time of sharing things we're thankful for.
4. Of course we had Thanksgiving leftovers for supper.
5. As of right now, I don't have Black Friday shopping plans
Tests for cancer in females are punitive. No males have any part of their body "scraped" nor held hostage for birth control. Testicular/penile cancer testing does *not* involve slapping the anatomical parts between two cold pieces of metal then given a hearty "squeeze". And to be perfectly blunt, leaving this earth due to *any* cancer is preferably to the indignity, cost, and toll on family caregivers if one has dementia/Alzheimer's. For those of a certain age, we were held hostage for birth control *even* when married/ob-gyn recommended screening changed. Tubal ligation is the best choice I ever made.
1. Colonoscopy scheduled for next week - wanted to get it done and be sure all is well in case we go without insurance next year (already got an email that my premiums may be 45% higher next year!)
2. Meal planning based on what we have for the adjusted diet leading up to it, and liquid diet the day before. Fortunately had most everything I needed, but going to splurge on a $1.50 2 liter of clear soda as a treat on the liquid diet day.
3. Tried not to overcook yesterday so we didn't end up with a ton of leftovers, and now wishing I'd made a little more so I didn't have to cook today! Will be making another pumpkin pie tonight since we demolished the first one, using evaporated milk and canned pumpkin picked up on clearance last year. Whipped topping was free with my Tom Thumb reward points.
4. Picking up a friend's family at the airport tomorrow night. We swapped airport rides for our respective November trips - we both live close to the airport so its not a problem, and saved us each some money we'd prefer to put toward travel.
5. Strategizing with my husband to use up my Kroger fuel points before they expire this weekend. We have enough for 2 fillups and I hate to waste them. Taking 2 cars to the store today, and he will take the Suburban and several gas cans tomorrow to up the other one. We were gone on vacation for 12 days this month, so we didnt drive much.