Five Frugal Things -- Museum Day!
1) Yesterday was finally my day to hit the Portland Art Museum with my free library pass and although my kid flaked out at the last minute, I still took myself across town for an adventure. I took the city bus there and back, which set me back just $2.80. Cheaper than parking.
I was most excited for their David Hockney exhibit, but also to just wander the museum for spontaneous discoveries.
Like this painting by the artist Ralph Pugay who used to work at the same art supply store as my youngest. He even taught my daughter's drawing class at one point, which was an amazing opportunity as she was the only kid and we had to get special permission for her to join. I'm very happy for his well deserved success!
I was tempted to keep my admission clip as a souvenir, but turned it back for reuse. I spent two hours at the museum and only left because they were closing. Fun day!
2) My free library pass was for two admissions, so I asked the employee if I was allowed to use my extra ticket to let a random person in for free. She liked the plan and assisted me to make sure my second ticket didn't go to waste. Mind you, the regular admission price is $27.50, so the guy we plucked from the line was very appreciative.
3) I listed the weird Lakeshore figure toys on eBay that I picked up at the Seattle Goodwill last month. I priced them low as they're actually pretty banged up. Not exactly a home run thrift store find, but I only paid $3.99 so not a terrible loss. They stood out as different from most mass produced toys and that always catches my eye. Unfortunately I was socializing with my friend and didn't take the time to look them up.
Click HERE to see the listing. Edit -- sold!
4) I set my robot vacuum cleaner to clean the kitchen while I was gone and came home to a nice clean floor. Cheaper than hiring a cleaner. This may seem like a stretch as a "frugal thing," but it's amazing how much schmutz gets picked up by the vacuum.
Let's file this under "cheap thrills."
5) My husband and I watched the new season of Deadloch through my sister's Prime Video account. Absolutely hilarious and suspenseful -- I highly recommend!
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."
Click HERE to follow The Non-Consumer Advocate on Instagram.
Click HERE to join The Non-Consumer Advocate Facebook group.
This blog post includes an eBay referral link.
1. My youngest daughter and I wandered around a large neighborhood garage sale yesterday. It was a beautiful day and we got some good exercise. I found a pair of snow pants for daughter #2 in a free pile. I almost paid for them but decided to wait for a reply from my girl about whether she wanted them or not. I had to drive past this garage sale to go home and saw that they'd put them in their free pile. That's a win and yes, she did want them.
2. I cleaned up a silverplate set of utensils using the aluminum foil, boiling water, baking soda and salt trick. It worked pretty well and I've photographed the set and will list it on Ebay.
3. I made a quiche using some of the ham I had portioned from the spiral ham I shared with my mom. I took this to my MIL's house where DD#3 and I had lunch with her. I meant to make a fresh fruit bowl but ended up taking a can of fruit cocktail instead that was languishing in my cupboard. It worked out perfectly since the pieces are small and soft so she was able to easily eat it. She's 91 and has bad teeth.
4. I sent some quiche home with my sister and I'm sure this will be dinner tonight for her and my mom. Neither likes to cook so I like to give them a break. They do the same for me sometimes.
5. My mom took my styrofoam to the quarterly collection our county does at a local park. This saved me a trip.
Dwadloch is great. A suggestion for you if ypu can fond it is Ten Pound Poms. A fantastic series
I’m still outside Portland. I was in need of a pet grooming implement, and it makes no sense to drive 30 miles to get one from home, so I set off to buy one from Walmart. On the way, I spied a yard sale and found one for 50 cents. So frugal! Also, it’s always good to be spared a trip to Walmart. I’m not a fan.
After reading your library pass score, I checked my library & they have state Park passes! I need to investigate this further, although we are happy to support our parks - could be a win. I'm pricing out an annual park pass now, which I should have bought earlier in the year (have already been to two national parks).
1) Made a double batch of chicken broth out of two bags of rotisserie chicken bones I didn't have time to deal with & stuck into the freezer. Added 9 containers of varying sizes of chicken broth back into the freezer. It's taking up more space, but they are ready to be put into action for a recipe.
2) Got my doctor to my autoimmune medicine to a 3 month prescription, as required by my insurance.
3) Picked up said medicine at CVS & while I was there, I used a bunch of reward to pick up two containers of vitamins for $3.45. My hair is falling out with the double whammy of menopause & lupus, and my doctor said this may or may not help, but won't harm. For $3.45, I"ll give it a shot.
4) Remembered to make the bacon languishing in the fridge. This will serve as a quick breakfast for DS20 & DH.
5) Made sure to use up the rest of the bagged salad I bought at Trader Joes before it went off.
We spend the summers in a travel trailer cruising around different parts of the US, and several times I have bought a state parks pass if we're going to be in a state for several weeks. I usually come out ahead versus paying per visit, except NY, where I misunderstood the camping reservations and thought we had to pay the daily fee along with camping fee like in Colorado, but it was actually included. And I usually find more places to visit because we have the parks pass!
The Ralph Pugay figures look like Pilgrims of Quakers to me. Is that what they are? I don't know much about art.
Never mind. I see the legend. The figures are indeed pilgrims.
i love that you took your personal self to the museum and that you found a person to gift your other ticket to. Way to pay it forward! Honestly I like doing museums solo or with someone who can do their own thing so I can go at my own pace.
I have a friend who has nicknamed their robot vacuum “Clean Elizabeth” - very clever.
I have been doing spring gardening stuff and volunteering.
Yesterday I received a thank you $10 coupon for being a volunteer which I promptly spent on a couple items I didn’t know I needed until I saw them. The brand new items will go in my gift stash.
DH recently diagnosed with osteoporosis. Needs to eat less red meat (and other dietary changes). He had gotten 4 - 3 lb packages of ground turkey at this month's food bank (we got 2 and his bro gave us his 2). Took the plunge and concocted southwestern style turkey meatloaf for him with things I had in the kitchen. Cooked some for his lunch (I'm having "tummy turbulence") and he said it was really good. Fortunately, I was smart enough to write down and measure everything I put in it so I can make in the future. I used the entire 3 lb ground turkey, ended up with 6 - 1 lb loaves. 5 are frozen. Future self is estatic!
Seeking used mixer. Nothing nearby or sellers are asking what it would cost to buy a new one outright. We don't have BN groups here. Craigslist and marketplace aren't panning out. None in local thrift stores. Patience...
That's it for me...
This turkey meatloaf from Bobby Flay has veggies and a balsamic glaze and is fantastic.
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/vegetable-meatloaf-with-balsamic-glaze-recipe-2117815
1. As part of library appreciation week, my library had our yearly employee and volunteers luncheon. So yay free food! There were tons of leftovers so we actually got several free meals/snacks. We also received small bonus checks.
2. I was able to ride my bike to work one day this week. That's 14 miles round trip. Hopefully the weather will improve and I can start riding 4-5 days a week. Gas.is just so expensive right now.
3. A patron purchased flowers to fill a large pot at the library's entrance. I normally do this and maintain the pot all season. The patron purchased them on my behalf because I stayed over after the library closed to allow her to have a private meeting. There was no need for her to do this but I am grateful.
4. Worked on planting my garden most of the weekend. Hopefully it will help to keep my grocery bill down. Already enjoying lettuce from the greenhouse. Spinach and peas are up, but it will be a few weeks yet before that's ready. I purchased 200 onion bulbs for $4 which was half price.
5. I went to Goodwill and came home with two Ikea Roberget matching metal swivel chairs. They appear to no longer be available. They originally retailed for $65 each. I paid $5.99 each. I plan to use them as kitchen chairs.
I'm driving to Iowa for a few days tomorrow to go home hunting. Will be staying with family, so no hotel fees. Brewed 2 extra batches for iced coffee so I can fill a couple of reusable bottles & not have to pay for drinks on the road. Also packed sliced salami, cheese cubes & grapes for snacking. My big splurge will be stopping at my favorite roadside diner (coming & going) for a tenderloin sandwich & homemade pie. They've been in business for over 50 years for good reason!
This will be the longest drive I've made since I was hit by a car in 2024. I plan to stop & stretch frequently during the 9 hour drive so that I don't arrive crippled with pain.
Greetings from Iowa! I love cedar rapids.
My robot vacuum runs everyday for an hour, and always picks up a full container of dog hair and dirt.
We also enjoyed "Deadloch". Those Australians do have a quirky sense of humour!
1. A friend and her DH came on their way to their lake property with their motorhome, and stayed overnight.
They plugged into our power, and slept in their RV. We had a nice dinner together, and my friend brought us some of her homemade jam and pickled beets.
2. I have been gardening a bit everyday (I have problems with my back and hip, so can't do much in one go). I had several very large plastic pots from when we bought our fruit trees in the fall. I put them at the end of the driveway, and all were taken. I know they can be recycled but I much prefer someone to use them.
3. Likewise, I put 8 glass jars (all the same kind) on our Buy Nothing group, and they were picked up. They are perfect for storing nuts, seeds, etc, and again, I could recycle them, but it's better when they get reused, IMO.
4. Sold a Starbucks "Arizona" mug on FB Marketplace to a local "avid collector". I bought it at a thrift store.
5.Have turned the heat off completely, and probably won't need AC until June, maybe later.
Allie-- I agree with you on "could be recycled but better to reuse first." I have glass pickle jars and lids I am going to put out in a free pile for our city-wide yard sales this weekend. If no one takes them, I can recycle them later.
I also have some take-out containers that are not recyclable, at least not around here, and I hope someone takes those to reuse.
I've been watching the weather forecast and it should be clear that day! Hooray! More sunshine, more sales.
1. Your earlier post about trying to snag a haircut stuck with me as I've been wanting to take a bit more length off of my hair. The last time I cut it I went with more of a trim than a full cut so I grabbed the scissors this morning and took off a few more inches.
2. My husband mowed the second half of the lawn today, the battery died before he finished last time and then it rained. While he mowed the kids played in the mud and dirt. They were happier than pigs in.. well, ya know.
3. I wasn't very hungry at breakfast or lunch so I finished off a tub of almond milk yogurt (someone left only 1/4ish cup in the tub and put it back in the fridge! Not on my watch), and then had half of a chicken enchilada and about 1/3 cup of refried black beans. I'll probably finish the rest for dinner tonight.
4. I reached out to a friend for book recommendations and she had a few, all of them will require waiting for a copy to be available on Libby. Oh well, patience is a virtue and I could probably use some of those.
5. I'm getting creative with our bits and bobs of snacks from the freezer and cabinets. I've heard "I don't want THAT" snack about 100 times recently but when served as a "snack-cuterie" plate it's suddenly very desirable to our kiddos.
Your #5 is soooo true when it comes to kids. Mine will eat anything if it's served as a snack tray.
I worked all of my calves in one 12+ hour day. Saved the cost of a vet and they are all up to date on their vaccinations. I was tired!
Set 4 hedge corners for a new stretch of fence. Located some used line posts that I had put away for safe keeping. I now have all the materials on hand.
Dh put new brake shoes on my truck and replaced one rotor. I ordered replacement taillights from ebay, used.
My atv cart needed a new tire. Dh attempted to mount a new tire on the rim but wasn't successful. He and my brother managed to get the job accomplished. I'm sure much grunting was involved, lol.
Received samples from the doctors office, yes please! Routine blood test covered by insurance. I don't have R.A. My hands are swelling from physical work....um yippee, maybe?
Tried to get the cows up to transport them to summer pasture. The wind was too strong and they didn't hear me or either didn't want to cooperate. I will try again later, c'mon ladies!
Went to the cheapo grocery store, hung out the clothes, and composted.
Ironed some used tissue paper for a gift bag, now it looks brand new. The gift bag was used as well.
My daughter is looking forward to visiting an art museum next month! I think visiting it with her will make me appreciate it more.
1. I got free paper from my mother-in-law
2. I got free mulch from helping a lady with her yard
3. I also got some free plants from the same lady
4. I'm catching some of our wasted RO water for my plants
5. My daughter ordered jeans off ebay to replace a favorite pair
More details here:
https://practicalwalk.com/2026/04/27/frugal-five-free-mulch/
1. I traveled across country to see my grandkids and their parents, and while that is not frugal,
I stayed with them for free. I also bought them this week’s
groceries bc I was eating there also, it is much cheaper than eating out, and my son in law made delicious ground turkey tacos.
2. I counted running around Atlanta’s airport parking lot for 45 minutes looking for my car as free exercise. Yes I took a pic of the zone and row where I parked but Atlanta’s parking deck is HUGE. I also did not do the “A” airport train.
Idk if it is still out of service or not but I elected to walk. If ykyk.
3. I ate the free nuts and crackers on the plane. I also took a banana from my daughter’s house to hold me over.
4. On the way home, I stopped at the Aldi 30 miles from my house just before closing ( barely made it) and got grape tomatoes $1.99, an avocado 59 cents, chips 1.79 for 9 oz, organic spinach $1.79 for 8 oz, sourdough bread $3.29, pack of six bagels&1.99, pbj $1.99 for 18 oz, and 12 oz honey$3.35,
one large cucumber for 69 cents, and carton of mushrooms for $1.59. The total with $1.52 tax was $20.58. Supposedly our grocery tax with not happen next month and I sure hope so bc groceries are high! I go through a tremendous amount of peanut butter and I will sometimes pick up an extra container when in the vicinity of Aldi bc it is fairly cheap there, even though I already have lots of peanut butter.
5. I intend to sleep well tonight.
Don't forget to count the exercise of carrying a tote or suitcase while looking for your car!
Having such a grandma visit would have been really cool to me when I was little. Or big, too, I guess.
lol! Yes!
I made lunch today for my sons and their dad. I opted for stir fry, since I had all the ingredients already, and it turned out well. My ex brought egg rolls. I also made trail mix for snacking afterwards, again from food I already had.
My boys leveled my refrigerator for me, a job that has needed doing for some time.
I ended up with a lot of dishes to wash, but I filled the dishwasher and waited till after 9 pm to run it, taking advantage of off-hour rates.
Cooler weather has made running the fan unnecessary, and has pushed back installation of the air conditioners.
That was so neat that you were able to use your free pass to gift a stranger. I probably wouldn't have thought of that.
Our neighbor whose wife works at a local boutique hotel passed on a brand-new appearing pair of sheepskin slippers for my husband from the hotel's lost and found. Employees are allowed to take anything that hasn't been claimed after two weeks. We have been the beneficiaries of so many nice things people have left behind.
Over a couple of days I mended or altered several garments to make them look and fit better. I'm short and simply taking up the hems of shirts and dresses makes them look so much better on me.
I harvested lettuce and arrugula (rocket) and a very large cabbage from my greenhouse. We've been enjoying fresh salads. These were grown from seed left over from last year. I am eagerly keeping watch over the asparagus patch, as spears will soon be ready to pick.
I finished knitting a linen sweater, utillizing yarn I already owned. It turned out great.
I packed away my winter sweaters. To deter moths, I asked my husband to chip up some aromatic cedar from our yard. He trimmed a dead branch and chipped it up, and I made a mesh bag to put it in and tucked it in with the sweaters. Much better smelling that moth balls.
Everything I’m wearing $1.69 a pound. Some jean shorts, a liberty of London blue print cotton shirt, Hoka recovery slides, some blue Peepers readers, a blue hair tie thing, my blue Baggallini multi pocketed cross body bag, some kinda running socks. A purple silicon sleeve I put on my water bottle, a silicon thing I attach to the bottle neck and clip to my purse strap. I love the Goodwill Outlet bins.
Whenever I find good stuff that I don’t want I put it on the table near the electric outlets… like a new in box with keys titanium padlock, German made vintage drafting and art tools, an adorable blendjet that worked perfectly, and other cool stuff that disappears quickly. I found a like new men’s Burberry shirt that looked authentic but I don’t sell online so I hope someone made a penny on that.
What a find with the Baggallini crossbody bag! I thought I got a good deal with finding one at a thrift store for $17 at a charity shop several months ago as it would normally retail for around $80. I have a quite old Baggallini bag that I just threw in the washing machine and that worked out perfectly.