Five Frugal Things -- Marketplace & Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream
1) I was energized by how quickly my art nouveau lamp sold, so I took three of my eBay listings and converted them over to Facebook Marketplace. The immediacy in which they got interest was deeply satisfying!
- The Sasha doll that I thrifted for $4 in January. Sold it for $100, cash in hand in under two hours. <-- Oregon Food Bank sale.
- The Portland Gear baseball cap from the Goodwill bins in January. Sold within a couple hours for $20. <-- Another Oregon Food Bank sale!
- The vintage pink telephone I bought at the bins just last week. Someone's coming by for it in the morning, although I don't like to count my chickens before they hatch. It'll be a $50 sale. (Not a food bank sale.) Update -- sold!
Unrelated, but I worked hard for this phone, as it was almost hopelessly tangled with another telephone.
I'm now over $700 in profit from that single $100 Goodwill gift card, so I might actually hit that thousand dollar goal after all!
Buoyed by success, I scrolled through my eBay listings and transferred seven more items to Marketplace. The photos are already taken and the descriptions are prewritten, so it couldn't have been easier. Will they sell there? I don't know, but there's no harm in trying.
I normally sell small items on eBay and the bulky stuff on Marketplace, but I may need to rethink this model. Cast a wider net and all that.
2) I stopped into my credit union and transferred some money from one savings account into another, as I got a flyer in the mail advertising their 4% interest rate. (I could've done this through their app, but the interest rate on our main savings account was difficult to verify.) The other account started at 5.05%, but they'd lowered it over time. Sadly, the era of 5+% savings accounts are behind us.
3) We had our daughter over for dinner and although we served steak, (husband's choice) we were able to find a Safeway digital coupon to significantly lower the price. Also used a digital coupon to score a tub of Tillamook ice cream for just $3.49.
Their chocolate peanut butter is the best!
4) I scanned the receipt into the Fetch app for 900 points!
For a point of reference, this is what my scanned receipts normally look like. Winco, Goodwill, Goodwill, Goodwill, Franz Bakery outlet!
5) My husband has decided to let his hair grown longer, which has resulted in a lot fewer store bought haircuts. He almost always wears a baseball cap, so it doesn't really matter either way. It's now curly at the ends, which is new and super cute!
Before you ask, he doesn't like my home haircuts.
Now your turn, what frugal things have you been up to?
Congrats on all those Marketplace sales.
1. I ordered some items from iHerb. They are somehow affiliated with Vitacost. I received 30% off my first order and I also received 15% cash back from Rakuten and an additional $5.
2. I ran an errand with a friend and then she offered me leftover fried rice for lunch at her house.
3. A friend had surgery and I brought her lunch. It was nice outside so we sat outside and chatted. Friendships are important.
4. I bought some elastic for DH. His kicking around pants are too large in the waist so he wants to try a hack he saw online. I guess I gave away my bits of elastic when people were making fabric masks in the early days of the pandemic. It's worth spending a few dollars on elastic to avoid the need to replace pants.
5. A neighbor put out excess tomato, zucchini, and cucumber plants with a Free sign. I grabbed both a zucchini and a cucumber pot. Someone told me the other day that they add egg shells and coffee grounds to their plants to nourish them so I am experimenting with egg shells and tea (from tea bags) since we don't drink coffee.
I save all my used tea (both loose leaf and teabags) for my garden - I mix it with my seaweed mulch, mix it directly into the soil or put it into the home made soil mix for growing from seeds.
I also use leftover liquid tea for watering my house plants, especially orchids and they seem to like it
Bravo on making so much money for the food banks.
1. Found 5 cotton panties and 1 pair of cotton sleep shorts at Kohls for about $11 total.
It is great to replenish my very sad looking old stuff.
2. Soaked black beans overnight and cooked in the Instant Pot. Half the beans went
for bean /chicken burritos using my homemade part spelt tortilla shells.
3. We packed a picnic for Mother’s Day and remarked on how we needed a picnic
table cloth. At a thrift store I found a beautiful old linen/cotton one with no stains or
tears for just $2.99. Trouble is it is so pretty that I am not sure I will want to put it on
the often less than clean park picnic tables.
4. It is raining here today in the Seattle area so I am trying to talk myself into going to
my weekly protest group participation. Aside from feeling strongly about the things
going on in this country it also feels like a sort of social bonding time.
5. I contributed a tiny framed painting to The Little Free Art Gallery. I found a woman
who is going to show me how to crochet granny squares:)
We have black beans in our instant pot almost weekly! I can usually get away with a 7-9 hour soak in hot water in the instant pot itself and then a manual cook for 50 minutes.
May I ask how your beans typically turn out texture wise?
I have tried a few different methods - pressure cooking from dry, and pressure cooking after an overnight/12ish hour soak (with a shorter time at pressure - 5-8 minutes).
With either method, most of the beans come out with the skin burst, or skin having separated in some capacity. This has happened with black beans, pintos, etc.
Any tips? It's not a huge deal if they are going in something like a burrito, but less desirable for chilis/etc. Thank you!
1. Just finished darning two socks with holes in the toes and sewing up an underarm hole in a shirt. Now just need to replace the metal button pin on a pair of denim jeans and my mending will be done.
2. Yesterday’s shopping trip to Kroger was a good one. It was early in the day and the clearance sections had a bunch of good items: bananas that looked as good as full price ones, Bob’s Red Mill steel cut oats for $2.99 (usually 5.99), and the best was my husband’s fave cereal. It’s normally 5.99 but was marked at 2.99, and then I had a 5x coupon that surprisingly applied (I’ve been told before that coupons don’t work on clearance but sometimes they still do) so I got each box for 1.79. I got 5 boxes and we are stocked up for a while and still left some for others. Mother’s Day flowers were on clearance so I got a hydrangea in a nice plastic pot for $6.30 and it’s brightening up the area beside my front door.
3. It’s Hospital Week and yesterday my employee husband was able to get a free loaded tea. It’s not something he drinks normally but hadn’t slept well the night before so gave him a good boost for the day. Also as a vegan in a small Southern town it’s not often he gets to partake of any food freebies from work so he enjoyed that.
4. To celebrate the 3 moms in the family, including my sister, we took the family out for Mexican food on Mother’s Day. The restaurant gave a free slice of cheesecake to each mom but my mom doesn’t like cheesecake. I didn’t want her left out so stopped by Kroger after dinner and picked up a piece of chocolate cake for her. I had forgotten that I had clipped a digital coupon for free piece of cake so it was a nice surprise when it turned out to be free!
5. We paid off our auto loan early but we are redirecting that monthly amount into an investment savings account instead of letting it go back into our regular budget and contribute to lifestyle creep.
I have also noticed that coupons often do work on clearance items !
Very interesting, the greater interest on Facebook Marketplace.
1. I went to the shoulder doctor today. I had to drive, but I took note of gas prices along the way. I didn't see any stations topping the $5 mark, as they were recently. I'm almost ready to buy gas -- the needle hasn't quite reached the 1/4 mark yet.
2. The doctor gave me another PT order, but I don't have to go back to see him unless there is no improvement. That's good, because there is a $25 copay for each specialist visit. At this time, it's coming out of my flexible spending debit card, but I'm running down the total coming to me.
3. I took a walk to the dry cleaners to pick up my silk top. It's a fairly short walk, just right for getting slowly back into the routine. On the way I found a pencil, a clean poop bag, and -- at a LFL -- an Alexander McCall Smith book that I haven't read.
4. A friend gave me a container of mango preserves. Unfortunately, I didn't like the taste. Today I froze it into cubes, which I plan to use in stir fry, where I assume some teriyaki sauce and soy sauce will disguise the funny taste.
5. Had a great phone conversation with BFF, wonderful free entertainment!
Nice find in the LFL with Alexander McCall Smith book! He is by far my favorite cozy mystery author. The Number One Ladies Detective Agency and the Isabelle Dalhousie series are the two I enjoy most. I read a couple of his stand alone novels which were good too.
Those are my favorites, too! This one, "The Second-Worst Restaurant in France" is a Paul Stuart novel, which is new to me.
If you enjoy the 2nd worst restaurant in France, you may also like My Italian Bulldozer, first in the paul Stuart series
I'll check it out. Thanks!
I will, too!
I fill up when I it 1/2 tank - covers me for winter weather, homeland attacks (9-11), and executive branch (I use the term executive loosely) inflicted "incursions".
I have a lot more success with fb marketplace sales than I do on ebay. I don't know if ebay is oversaturated? I sold 2 items on fb marketplace this morning, 3 yesterday, and I have one lined up to come this evening.
1. Brought home the outer cabbage leaves that are trimmed off at the community garden. Once washed and chopped, it was almost 1lb. I'll saute them as they are not young tender leaves that would be tasty raw.
2. Removed worn and frayed binding from a hooded baby towel. Replaced binding with free fabric. The towel is bamboo fiber and very thick and soft. The frayed binding made it look like it belonged in the rag bag. Once the binding was off, the towel looked like new. I may sell it, or save it a few years in case another grandchild comes along. I'm good at not over-saving, so I'm happy with that plan.
3. Received 2 pairs mens pj pants from a friend. Like new and dh's size.
4. Gave away 5 things on BN, and all were promptly picked up.
5. Received 8 lavender plants from a friend. Will plant a couple. Not sure what to do with the rest...
I’m experiencing financial anxiety after hearing this am on ABC that consumers are paying $262/mo more for necessities than they did a year ago.
1. Received a $25 Wal-Mart gift card for taking a survey. Immediately used it to buy groceries and used balance of Humana OTC allowance for baby aspirin for hubby and I
2. Phone restaurant we had Mother's Day brunch at to share our experience which was less than stellar. Invited back for a complimentary meal
3. Sent email review of a product I purchased. Didn’t work for me and they are issuing a full refund
Wow, I'm impressed with your self advocacy -- well done!
Nice work on the food bank donation!
1. DH and I packed a picnic lunch, stopped at the library to borrow their state park pass and headed for Mount Wachusett, a mountain within our state park system. DH is training for accomplishing more sections of the Appalachian Trail so he climbed to the top by himself. I walked up the auto road to the first overlook, feasted my eyes then turned around, walked back and hunkered down at a picnic table to read my library book while waiting for DH. Later, we ate our sandwiches. A lovely day in the Massachusetts forest.
2. I got a nasty grease stain out of DH's shirt using Dawn dish soap.
3. I did my volunteer job at the library, helping set up for the annual Friends of the Library book sale and then did my once-a-month job of shelving books patrons return. I get so many benefits from my wonderful library, I like to give back when I can.
4. DH and I had tea on the deck while watching birds with my stepfather's old binoculars, bird book in hand. We take a half hour or so every day to have tea and talk. Talk is cheap and so is home brewed tea! Ha!
5. I carefully wrote out a shopping list for a Market Basket run tomorrow. I've been going to this inexpensive store for so many years I know where everything is so I make the list accordingly. This way I can hopefully be in and out quickly and it will be easier to stick to the list.
Add on to #3...I returned the state park pass and picked up a book I had on hold while at the library. Less gas money spent seems so important these days.
Nice job on the sales!
I always list on Marketplace first so I don't have to deal with shipping, and if doesn't sell within the first week and is easy to ship then I put it on ebay.
1. Deleted and relisted several items on marketplace hoping to get more interest. Lowered price on the 2 items that are cross posted on ebay. Would love to get them sold in the next 2 weeks before we go on vacation.
2. Had a container of grape tomatoes that were getting soft, so for lunch I made a version of Padma Lakshmi's spaghetti with tomato and garlic oil leaving out the fresh basil since I didn't have any.
3. I cut my husband's hair, but my teen boys go to the local Great Clips for their cuts. There was a coupon in the mail last week, and I got a second one from the neighbor. The college kid has an interview for a summer job this week so they went to get haircuts together when the high schooler got home.
4. Trying to batch errands to save gas whenever possible, so the boys are stopping at the grocery store in the same shopping center after haircuts to pick up milk since we're almost out. Everything else on the list can wait until Friday when I get 4x fuel points at Kroger.
5. Been remembering to use Upside each time I shop at Kroger and get a little bit back.
One of my best friends brought me multiple gifts:
1. Full set of small/medium/large reusable zipper bags shaped like mason jars
2. Duluth Trading Company tunic/hoodie
3. Brand new linen pants that will fit over my leg splint contraption
4. The latest issue of The New Yorker magazine (she's a subscriber)
5. She cut my hair using scissors from our never-used Wahl trimmer kit
1) DS19 had his mail forwarded from Boulder & he had a birthday check that had never been delivered, from my parents. To say he's broke is an understatement (he front loaded the first part of his summer break with time off, because his summer job doesn't begin until end of the month.) The excitement when I told him that $150 had arrived for him was fabulous. 🙂
2) Had a dental visit where they said my teeth were in excellent shape & nothing further was required until the next checkup. Good dental hygiene is a great investment!
3) Paid off a dental bill for dS19 (he has both mediocre dental hygiene & questionable genetics for the teeth) & used my points earning credit card. Then reimbursed myself with my HSA. This adds up to be a surprising amount of points earned for "free" by health care expenses.
4) Sold a dress on eBay. I was thrilled, because I've had it listed for awhile & have made several pretty low offers. Someone bought it for full price, which is always a win.
5) Listed more items on eBay, had a coaching call with a former coworker (free help for others), made lunch out of freezer chicken noodle soup, & leftovers for dinner.
I spent most of my day using the weed eater around my property. Trying to keep my mind occupied because I am so concerned that tRump is going to sell out Taiwan to the Chinese in order to make one of his so-called fabulous business deals. Oh how I cannot stand him....
1. so weed eater ran and trimming done.
2. made a supreme recipe of cinnamon rolls and used up some lingering cake flour to do so.
3. planted more home-grown annual starts,
4. gave an unneeded garden cart to DGD....she was going to buy one and I said just take this one...stuff out of my shed for a win.
5. froze fruit from Flash foods for smoothies in the future.
Love Fetch !
So smart to offer up your inventory across several sites. You are rocking your goals and then some because it is only May!
Patched a tear in my favorite jeans that are so old and buttery soft.
Made a huge bouquet of 30 yard roses for a friend's parent funeral. I got asked which florist I used.
made 2 loaves of sour dough and took them to the funeral potluck.
Picked up a dozen treated wood posts for my corral project. I was invited to pick over a farm before they have a huge auction in a month.
News flash, the era of 5% savings and CDs earning competitive rates longer than a 6 month term have been over since raygun crawled in bed with the religious right. The war on the middle class began. The law directing savings accounts pay 5% was revoked post haste.
Mortgage rates are not too high - check in 1980. Also check what CDs were paying 1980/1981.
--Idiot neighbor has been practicing golf again and another of his golf balls landed in my backyard. There is a busy street between his yard and mine so he's lucky he didn't break someone's car window. We live 4 blocks from a driving range so you think he'd go there, but no. Therefore, I will donate the goofball's golf ball to a thrift store.
--TV set has started picking up several more sub channels all of the sudden. Hooray for free entertainment!
--Made an appt for Snuggles to get bathed. One of the most annoying things about getting older is not being able to do what you used to do. Wrestling with an uncooperative soaped up dog in the backyard is one of them. Did I mention Snugs now weighs 61 pounds?
--Got free sample of heartworm medicine and flea prevention and gave them to Snuggles after his vet visit. I will continue the heartworm treatment but will try the old garlic trick for the fleas. He gulps his food down so fast he won't have time to taste the garlic I'll sprinkle on his kibbles.
-- Found appropriate greeting cards from my collection to send to 2 friends having birthdays this month, and to one soon-to-be new graduate. These were purchased at thrift stores for about 25 cents each.Also get/keep some as samples in the mail, and if Aldi or Ollie's has any on sale after holidays, I may buy ones that are extra cute and extra cheap. I keep a big box full of cards to use when needed and I never pay full price.
My understanding (and I'm not a vet) is that garlic is toxic to dogs in all forms? Symptoms may not appear immediately. https://www.gsvs.org/woodbridge-nj/blog/can-dogs-have-garlic-emergency-guide/
You are rockin' the food bank challenge!!
Put the chain back on my little chain saw and gave it a good sharpening. Determined that the chain on my big saw is junk. Waiting to sell calves before I replace it.
Put the H braces on two sets of hedge corner posts. The posts were cut locally. One was pulled from the neighbor's burn pile (It's a beauty, well.... for a corner post.) One 4x4 brace was scavenged off the roadside.
Picked up a piece of chip board off the side of the road today. I am seeing a theme!!!
Set up the tank behind the pond at a rental farm. It will water the cows with pond water when the overflow pipe quits running. Saw a decent sized snapping turtle hanging out near the overflow. It seemed content! Repaired the fence with materials on hand.
Herons are back as well as the barn shallows.
Flushed, cleaned, and hooked up a float on stock tank behind our pond.
Repaired the floor in my cattle trailer. Hauled a new momma and calf to summer pasture. Just one more to go!
If you like malt, and haven’t tried Tillamook’s malted moo shake ice cream- highly recommend!
My husband is a malt FANATIC and for his birthday I gathered several malt ice creams for a taste test and tillamook beat out all of the fancier brands!
That 100$ GW GC is the gift that keeps giving!
1. I'm catching a ride w/ my colleague to attend graduation.
2. On my evening walk I saw a medium size pile of lumber. It looked like part of a deck. Husband went to get it. He said was in good condition to make raised flower beds.
3. Found a dime & 4 pennies on my walk.
4. I had a box of Velveeta cheeseburger mac in the pantry. I only had 1/2 lb of ground meat on hand. I grated 1/2 lb of fresh carrots and an onion in the food processor. It made up for the missing meat. The cats enjoyed the grease I poured off the meat on their kibble. I saved the carrot peels & ends to feed the deer.
5. A rep for a university gave me a coffee mug and a few other items this week.
Funny you mention this, Robyn -- I picked up some Malted Moo to try!
(But my favorite is still Tillamook's Oregon Black Cherry. Very, very few ice cream companies make this flavor.)
Katy, I think of you whenever buying Tillamook products, because you mention them so often.
Katy, do you do FB Marketplace shipping, or restrict it to local pickup? That lamp was a really cool find!
That is good ice cream!
1. I walked an hour late yesterday evening.
2. I took my breakfast and lunch to work.
3. I made hamburgers for supper with ground beef I had bought a few months back for $3.99 lb. I cannot believe I am saying $3.99 lb is a good price for ground beef but here we are.....
4. I bought gas at the cheapest place I can find in this area which is $4.09 a gallon. I also cannot believe I am saying $4.09 is "cheap"......WTH
5. I sat in my own yard and watched the sunset because I pay taxes on that sucker. Also, it costs too much to go anywhere. I enjoyed the screened windows I had installed last year and listened to the crickets/bugs in the late evening. I didn't start any stupid wars or build a ballroom for fancy people when folks in my own country are worried about whether they can pay their bills, or have food to eat.
I love how you remind us that we pay for our homes, whether through mortgage or rent, and we should enjoy them! I think along the same lines.
My thought on the surge in FB Marketplace is that shipping on eBay has gotten ridiculous -- $6.95 to mail a t-shirt to the next state, for real -- that people have pivoted to FBM as the cheaper alternative.
The food bank challenge has been great fun to watch. You go, Katy!
I agree! I used to sell semi-regularly on EBay, but I just had to pay $13 to ship a pair of very light weight children’s shoes. I way underestimated. After EBay’s cut, I actually ended up losing money.
When Safeway has Umqua ice cream for $2.99 for 1.5 quarts, we stock up on the chocolate peanut butter ice cream. Big streaks of peanut butter!
It's not an exciting week over here, so back to the basics I go!
1. Enjoying the food I have cooked and the variety in our weekly menu at home.
2. I am drinking my coffee at home and it is lovely.
3. I am WFH solo today, so the only lights on are in my little office.
4. I am wearing clothes that either came from clearance outlets or resale.
5. My fave water bottle of the moment was free from a conference last year, where I couldn't resist since it's my favorite shade of purple!
Have a great week everyone 🙂
I'm a huge Tillamook fan, that is a great price!!!
Frugals....
1. I have not spent any money on food in over a week. We continue to eat out of the pantry and it's been a bit of work, but I'm sure I will appreciate the savings in the long term.
2. I am hosting a chess tournament and we will have lots of free food for two days. I am excited to enjoy that. My son will also come one day and enjoy food too. So, I guess we're kind of eating out on the cheap!
3. A neighbor and friend brought over home made French onion soup last night as a surprise. It was wonderful. The first meal I haven't cooked in a while!
4. I am having some things checked out medically and am very thankful for good insurance.
5. I've been staying closer to home to save on gas and cooking in to save in general. It inspired me to try and expand my Youtube channel. I started doing just shorts mostly of my cats. I've now produced three videos using yt studio. So far I have edited videos with multiple sections, added stickers, voice overs, and ....I'm not sure, but I'm impressed with my learning curve!!! 😉
1. I have to have two teeth extracted in July, and because DH and I both have dental coverage through our pensions, the cost should be covered. Unfortunately I will need one implant for $2300, and that is not covered.
2. I renewed my car insurance and because of the low mileage on my 2018 Subaru Crosstrek, received a discount of about $50.
3. My lovely neighbour who owned a garden shop last year, which she has now closed, brought over a tree for me. I can't remember the name of it but it's quite large, and will have lovely flowers.
4. My 13 1/2 year old Mexican rescue went to the vet, and apart from some minor arthritis, is in very good health. I paid for the exam, a worming pill, and her vaccinations, but nothing more. She is so worth it!
5. Harvested some radishes from my garden. They grow so fast! I wish everything did.
I started cutting my husband's hair during Covid, and have been pretty much doing it ever since. I didn't think I did that great of a job though, especially on the front sides, and he has a nice head of hair. So a few months ago, I asked him to go to the barber so I could try to learn from a professional job. He got two barber cuts in a row, and both were worse than my cuts, and certainly more expensive, so I guess I'm in it for the long haul!