Five Frugal Things -- May Day Boycott
Today is May 1st, which is "May Day" and a worldwide economic boycott. I haven't promoted it on the blog, as I plan on living my life today as I do the other 364 days per year.
Refusing to buy new whenever I can, promoting the nonconsumer concept to thousands of people on a daily basis and to "use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without."
1) My new (used) iPhone14 needed a proper phone case, but instead of buying one online I simple rummaged through Goodwill's offerings until I found one that clicked perfectly into place. It took a few visits, but in the end I got a graphically interesting case that set me back just $2.69, (55+ senior discount, bay-bee!) and kept Schmeff Schmezos from getting a tiny bit richer.
2) I went for a walk after dinner and came home with a discarded water bottle that'll add 10¢ to my family's growing coffers. By going for a simple walk I was able to chat with a couple neighbors, get some exercise and not hand our hard earned dollars over to a private equity/corporately owned gym like 24 Hour Fitness.
But what about my upper body workouts? That's what the cast iron pans are for!
3) I stopped by Lounge Lizard to sell them the vintage lighting globe that I thrifted the other day for $2.99. I walked out with thirty dollars in cash. This groovy store is in my neighborhood and I love that my sourcing helps keep them in business.
4) I thrifted this lucite table to resell, paying just $11.69. (It was priced at $12.99, but again I used my 10% senior discount, as it was a Wednesday.) I'm no expert on lucite furniture, except to know that some of it can be worth a pretty penny. I haven't been able to identify this specific model, but it's super thick and heavy which is a good sign.
I'll clean it up to sell locally and in the end I'll have done enough lucite research to sharpen my thrifting eye for future lucite offerings. My guess is that it was specifically manufactured for a retail space, which is why I haven't been able to find a match online.
5) I went to lunch with my mother and she paid for my bagel and lox. Thank you, mom!
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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It's super easy to boycott the stores today bc it's raining cats and dogs here! No doubt we'll have a very slow shift at the store tonight and they'll make us fold t-shirts. IMI the deepest pit of hell should be reserved for Hitler, Trump and customs who mess up the T-shirt displays. I've seen dirty clothes hampers that were less jumbled than our T-shirt shelves!
Poor Snuggles! He's decided it's too rainy to chase squirrels in the backyard and he looks bored.
Meanwhile, I'm setting up my secondhand refurbished computer, something I've procrastinated on for months now. Because I have a freelance assignment next week. And I'm reading books in preparation of same
I just hard-boiled some of those (89 cents a dozen) brown eggs I bought the other day. Will be snacking on them a lot!
IM0, customers. Spell check errors again
In "Nickel and Dimed", when writing about her time at WalMart, Barbara Ehrenreich also laments clothing clean-up, but especially the bra section. All those straps and sizes on little plastic hangers. I remember when bras came in boxes, and that might be just as bad to restuff.
Luckily our drug store does not sell bras! I imagine that would be the pits.
Finally made a batch jam from cherries from my niece's tree picked last June. I reused jars and bands. Now to get the other 4 batches made from fruit measured and frozen since last summer including 2 batches of raspberries from my bushes, one more cherry, and strawberries picked from local farmers pick your own.
That's great that you could bind a phone cover at the bins. Our thrift stores aren't as good as yours or ones where have lived other times. I keep hoping they improve.
Hubby is out getting a haircut and doing our grocery shopping at Trader Joe's so I can't say we are boycotting spending today. He usually goes on Tuesday or Wednesday so the frig is getting bare. However -
- I exercised this morning using a DVD program that is so old that I recorded the sound since I have exercises memorized.
- Drinking homemade coffee, wearing a thrifted sweater and scarf plus jeans that are about 10 years old.
- Using a home blood pressure machine that was my FIL's. I often record higher blood pressure at the doctor's office and have my annual physical on this Thursday. They checked the machine calibration and said they will take my record of my normal blood pressure instead so I am going to take readings on 3 different days. No additional medication is thrifty.
- Gave myself a pedicure this morning, drinking coffee made at home, we are going to cook Mother's Day brunch for son, DIL & grandgirls, etc.
I didn't know about the boycott, so I went to Target this morning. It is between the library and the train station, so an easy stop to make. I wanted to see if anything I had on my grocery list was on sale there. No, and everything was ridiculously high priced. I did find a few items on the clearance shelf, though. I bought a sugar cookie mix, Heinz chili sauce, and olives. Then I picked up cream cheese, to make a sandwich spread I like with olives and walnuts. Target's house brand of cream cheese is reasonably priced.
For lunch, I finished the soup I made yesterday, which was made from leftover salad, and I also made two mini pizzas from biscuit halves.
The biscuits were rescued yesterday when I noticed the can had popped in the fridge. One biscuit had to be tossed, but the rest were fine, and I baked them immediately.
I have three more books to read after my stop at the library.
At Target I found five receipts in the wastebasket by the self checkout. It was a little embarrassing to snatch them up in front of everyone, but I did it anyway.
The whole reason I left the house today was to go to the post office to mail an item I sold on eBay. It was a doll I'd bought at Goodwill, so I was glad it sold -- I was afraid it might have been a bad buy, but nope! Money in!
Just have to add, on the train there was a twenty dollar bill torn into pieces, lying on the floor. A lot of pieces. I don't know why someone would do that. I discussed it with another lady, but neither of us stooped to pick up the pieces. Maybe if I'd been alone in the car....
1. We've eaten down to nothing but half a head of cabbage and three potatoes. No garlic, onions, carrots, peppers, etc. Is life worth living? Yes. Can I cook? No. 2. I had planned on grocery shopping today. But I'm observing the boycott and hope that waiting until tomorrow will give my hold at the library time to arrive. A friend invited us out to lunch, and I have many bean Indian soup and rice still in the fridge for dinner. Could we make it to Sunday? 3. My basil seedlings are up. 2.98 for this dozen, and many more in the seed packet. 4. I've started sewing a jacket from hand-dyed fabric a friend gave me 18 years ago. Shopping the stash saves big bucks. I'm using a pattern I've made several times that fits and flatters. No need for novelty. And while I was shopping the stash, I measured the yardage pieces and safety pinned on snippets of interfacing with the measurements. Saves time when shopping the stash, and I hadn't done that for the bin of reds. 5. Splurge--we're going to the Sheep and Wool Festival on Sunday. Twenty-minute drive, fifteen bucks, and a day's worth of fun. Sheep to shawl in the big tent with bleachers to watch, many breeds of sheep, many classes--I'm telling myself (sternly) that I don't need new pastimes as I have what I need for quilting, mending, and knitting.
We are accidental boycotters, simply because we rarely buy anything. We will be picking up groceries today, from employee-owned Winco, because I have a standing Friday date with my eldest son. He doesn't drive and the only grocery store in easy walking/bussing distance is an overpriced "boutique" grocery.
1) I harvest rhubarb today. A lot of rhubarb!
2) The spouse found an old garden hose in the woods behind the house, probably tossed there by a former resident. It has a couple of leaks, but it relatively sound. We are going to poke more holes and string it over the raised beds as a janky drip irrigation system.
3) We have a potluck to attend tomorrow at a friend's house, and we are in charge of salad. I'm making rhubarb slaw today, which tastes bests when it marinates in the dressing overnight. The rest of today's harvest is becoming scones and wine.
4) I made garden trellises out of some old chicken wire and a few warped cedar 1-by-3's I picked up from the side of the road last year. (Secure your loads, people!)
5) Tonight is our darts tournament night, which we host in our home. A free evening of entertainment, friends, family, homemade food (we always do snack trays/no-frills charcuterie), and adult beverages!
I had to buy cat food today for my kitty who recently recovered from a serious and very expensive illness. But I was otherwise an excellent nonconsumer.
Cleaned my house this morning with a stack of old rags and an OCedar mop head bought off eBay. Am wearing head-to-toe thrifted or secondhand, save for my underpants but they came from the official Hanes store on eBay. Yesterday I visited our neighborhood hardware store to buy dog shampoo and a tub of The Pink Stuff cleaning paste, thus depriving a billionaire of any of my money. Used a store coupon to buy the cat food this morning.
Ruby, I wound up my recent "Jane Austen and Thrift" presentation to my JASNA region by noting that everything I had on was thrifted except for my underwear. My JASNA Panera friend videoed the presentation and has promised to put it up on her YouTube channel in what passes for her spare time. 🙂
I would love to see that!
Sorry if this comes out twice, I think my previously typed comment was lost.
Interesting study done by Yale on thrifting
https://news.yale.edu/2025/12/08/second-thoughts-secondhand-why-resale-market-expanding-fashions-carbon-footprint
I'm also joining boycott, I'm not even driving my car today. This isn't much different than all my other days though.
Did our monthly finances. Food budget is $375 for 2 adults and April came in at $371. I got a lot of satisfaction from that. Our adult daughter was with us for a week and a half of April as well.
Happy May Day
Kara, that is an interesting study. It turned my assumptions upside down.
Re: the Yale study: That survey may have been "nationally representative," but I don't think it accurately reflects the reality of commenters here and on The Frugal Girl. (So, OK, we're not nationally representative; what else is new?)
My entire wardrobe except for a heavy winter coat fits into a bedroom closet 3.5 feet wide and one hanger deep, so I don't think thrifting my wardrobe is causing a personal consumption problem. But before there were so many resellers and pickers in the thrift stores, I did sometimes see people who most likely had a shopping disorder and were doing it on the cheap by thrifting.
Well I wrote a comment and lost it!
1. Cooking dried pinto beans on top
of stove and thawing hamburger meat bought in early February to make chili bc it is rainy today.
2. Bought gas on a different route home because it was cheaper than the town where I work. The gas was $3.90 gallon where I purchased.
3. Took my breakfast to work. Made tuna fish with apples when I got home.
4. Stopped at Pig in town where I work and got sandwich bread and a bag of dried black beans and a bag of green split peas for $1.25 each. I didn’t have either kind of pea in my stock so I was pleased to get them on sale.
5. Washed out my work dress and tights in the bathtub and hung them up to dry.
Cindy, I assume that "Pig" = your Piggly Wiggly supermarket? (I grew up in TN, but a lot of folks outside the South either have never heard of Piggly Wiggly or don't believe the name even if they haven't heard of it.)
And the last line should, of course, have been "...even if they have heard of it." 😛
Yes, the Piggly Wiggly with only grocery store in the town where I work and I don’t have a grocery store in the small town where I live. Walmart is 20 miles away in a large town, and the new Aldi is 30 miles away now, so unless I happen to need to go to a larger town, “The Pig” tends to be my go to grocery store. It is far more expensive than Walmart or Aldi thought but gas prices are $$$$$. Always a balancing act!
We had Piggly Wiggly in NW Minnesota when I was little! but it faded away.
Also Red Owl, perhaps a more regional chain.
Gas here leapt up overnight from $3.99 to $4.99 this week. BP refinery in NW Indiana has been on lockdown for over two months, and it is finally sinking in. Governor's gas tax holiday expires next week as well, with taxes going up the following week.
I remember Red Owl and loved their logo!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Owl_(retail_chain)
WI still has a lot of them but just one left in IL
Well, I did observe the May Day boycott--by choosing to stay home and continue my spring work in my gardens. I cut back two of my four butterfly bushes (they are beasts), weeded all around the bushes, and moved various volunteer seedlings I do want but in other locations to the other locations. The nice light rain we're expecting tonight should water the seedlings in nicely. No money and no fossil fuels expended.
I’ve dubbed it Mindful May.
1. I participated in my sister’s garage sale today. As I haven’t been accumulating stuff, I only sold $68 which is great.
2. I realized that we have ample foods in the pantry (oatmeal, protein powders and bars) So no more take out breakfast on my way to work.
3. I also have enough “flavored stuff” to add to tap water for the next month.
4. I used a $25 g/c to assist with groceries as we had no veggies in the refrigerator
5. Revised on line listings and got a sale
We didn't hear about the boycotts until we were already on our way home from a day of running around.
1. Took advantage of my insurance (and my husband's day off) and went to an appointment and then had labs this morning. We had breakfast before we left the house and brought our coffee.
2. While at my appointment, hubby and kids went to the playground and enjoyed the sunshine. We brought snacks so they enjoyed those while running around.
3. We all piled in and went to the library near the doctor's office, not our usual branch, and read and colored for a bit. My husband found a stack of movies for us to take home too!
4. My mother in law and brother in law came to town and we met them at a Mexican restaurant. They treated us and brought a gift for our daughter's birthday later this month. The food was delicious and we brought back leftovers from our kids since they didn't finish their plates.
5. We're all exhausted so we're taking it easy now and hopefully eating leftovers for dinner since no one has energy to start cooking. There were PBJs in the diaper bag that we made this morning and no one ate so I might have that for dinner, lunch was very filling!
I stopped by the local independently operated bookstore to drop off some jigsaw puzzles. They have a bookcase of puzzles that have been donated. I left four puzzles and ended up taking three with me to make room for my donations. I noticed they have a Little Free Pantry in front of the store and some was approaching it when I was leaving.
We washed out large pots we rescued on trash pickup day last week. We put them at the curb and in the morning will add other stuff we want to give away during our neighborhood's semi-annual Yard Sale. We prefer to walk around and chat with neighbors. DD and SIL are still using, in their dining room, a table and chairs we bought eight years ago during the event.
Tomorrow I will attend a memorial service for a friend's mother. I have no idea what I will wear but it will be something from my closet.
I didn’t realize that it’s a boycott day, but I managed to stay away from retail anyway.
I went for a looong walk this morning and found 24 redeemable cans! This is a sure sign that the weather is getting warmer.
Next time I’m in your area, I’ll check out Lounge Lizard. I wouldn’t mind sourcing some things for them!
Heidi Louise I am in Indiana and our gas is 4.99 and up right now. Right now I am a bit concerned that the propane costs are going to stay high during what is usually "summer fill" times.
I grocery shopped and ran errands yesterday. DD2 and I went together to shop to save gas/vehicle wear and tear.
I have been transplanting seedling inside and then taking them to the outside pop-up greenhouse. All flowers but will save me quite a bit over buying them, I am also doing some perennials.
I wear almost all thrifted clothing, for me underwear are optional. I hate them. LOL
Having a real hard time with the Supreme court right now. The way they gutted the voting rights act is unforgiveable.
Wish our state would put a deposit on plastic single use water bottles. They're everywhere.
1. My bill at CVS came to almost $20. Using my monthly $10 off and a variety of coupons and ExtraCare points, my total came to 48 cents. The cashier said: I have no idea how that happened but that's what you owe. I put my debit card away and dug the change out of my wallet.
2. I canceled a magazine subscription I had lost interest in.
3. My friend gave me a bunch of stuff she didn't want to give to my church's thrift shop. I asked her if I could keep a couple of the necklaces and she told me to take whatever I wanted for going to the trouble of getting rid of it for her.
4. DH walked for exercise. I've been feeling a little under the weather so he went without me.
5. I didn't carelessly disregard the finances of every middle and lower income American by starting a war, never mind sacrificing American lives.
1. Filled up at Sam's for .35 less than my local station, as I needed to be in that area to pick up my niece for my sister.
2. Bought 2 PYREX pieces- a pie plate and a storage bowl for 1.00 each. Score!
3. Bought only what was on my list at Aldi.
4. Used up some near death items in taco bowls for dinner.
5. Turned up the AC 2 degrees after the recent arrival of our electric bill! May just turn it down a notch at bedtime.
I'm having fun imagining the marketing possibilities of "Near-Death Taco Bowls." They might be quite a hit with younger folks. I've seen a beverage brand called "Liquid Death" in my bottlepicking rounds, so I'm not entirely kidding.
Katy, your love letter to your cast iron skillet is a fabulous and funny piece of writing.
My five relate to how much my sister is helping me - for free! She:
1. brought me her backrest pillow for more comfortable reading in bed.
2. has my library card so that she can pick up and drop off my books while I recuperate. By the time this is over, I will have made a HUGE dent in my never-ending reading list.
3. made herself a copy of our house key so that she can let herself in and out.
4. keeps me company.
5. helps care for our dog and other things I can't do on my own when my husband is gone.
MB, I'm glad your sister is there to help you through this. Hope you're back to 100% soon.
MB, what Christine said. Also, I'm glad you're catching up on your reading list (I probably won't live long enough to finish mine), though I'm sure you wouldn't have picked this way to do it.
1. Going to a free educational seminar tomorrow. I have to earn a certain number of CEU hours every 2 yrs to renew my license. When I can find a free one that is a win.
2. I had an iced coffee this morning made from my free coffee drink I made at my job site. Alas the semester is over so no more free coffee drinks.
3. I cooked part of a pork shoulder in the crock pot. I found some corn tortillas in the freezer which I crisped in a skillet. With salad mix & cheese we had tostados for din-din. The leftover meat can be made into other menu items this week.
4. The sole on one of my athletic shoes came unglued. The husband glued it back on. We will see how it holds up.
5. Trimmed the cats' hooked nails. They do not like me to do this but it is needed. I'm not hauling them to a vet for a nail trim and a vet bill.
Today was estate sale and garage sale day! I sometimes feel bad to take advantage of super sale prices when someone is cleaning out their loved ones belongings. I bought beautiful men's casual as well as dress and golf shirts for $1. I will consign them. I bought a beautiful set of "guest bathroom" towels and rugs. I will wash them and they will be stored until I have guests. I picked up a nice modern rug for my nieces move out day for her first place. I also took her a bouquet of my first roses to place on her new kitchen table. She was so cute setting the table for pizza. I remember that day 41 years ago!
I picked up a quart jar of antique marbles for $2...
A sweet widower was selling his wife's belongings and I told him I was looking for bigger pots for a patio display, he took my hand and opened his tool shed and told me to pick as many as I needed and he sold me 6 Costco sized bags of miracle grow soil for $1/bag. What a doll.
Fun day. Is it considered frugal if I buy a tractor implement second hand, but have to buy a very expensive, but so useful for a widow gal, quick hitch bracket? I'm closing my eyes and doing it. All total is still half the price of paying someone to do it for me.
quick hitch for the win! I have just invested in quick connect hose ends - after poo-pooing them as wussy for years. GAME FREAKING CHANGER - my aging wrists avoid all that twisting and turning, no more lost or damaged washers, no more kneeling and swearing as I wrestle with some recalcitrant fittings. Clip and done.
It is SMART to use the quick connect anythings, I says!
Only money today was $10 for a brand new pair of slogger shoes on market place. Been watching them, as we live rural, and she's close. Less that 10 miles, yes. New garden shoes!!
I found out about the boycott but had already made plans to take a granddaughter to lunch for her 25th bday. It is a family owned small local place so didn’t feel too bad. We went back to our place for a ‘depression’ chocolate cake - the one my mom made in the 50 and 60’s. Plus ice cream that was on sale.
I took the light rail to a Goodwill I just discovered. Huge and so much better than the crappy Value Village we have in town. Much cleaner and less expensive. I found a quarter on the ground during my excursion. At Goodwill I purchased a nice willow basket for $2.99. Badly needed, as it is a regular ‘rat’s nest’ of books and papers next to my reading chair. Everything looks so organized and pleasant now.
I have been watching a really interesting UK show called ‘Kristie’s Homemade Home’.
Very inspiring - I have been doing decoupage on cardboard boxes that I use for recycling. The show is based on buying used, learning helpful crafts, repurposing items to help save money and the planet… Fun show I would definitely recommend.
Made a promise to myself that I am going to try to cook more vegetarian meals. Tonight we are having kale/cashew casserole.
The globes you sell at Lounge Lizard: they must then turn around and sell them for even more? Or do they add them to light fixtures, which they then sell?
They dip them in colored glazes to make beautiful hanging lights.