Five Frugal Things — My Last Hanna Andersson
1) My friend texted to let me know about a tasty free pile in the neighborhood. Let’s just say that she did not exaggerate. I’d actually go so far as to call this a “Free Store,” instead of “pile” as things were neatly labeled, organized and mostly off the ground!
Well done, neighbor! Well done.
Here’s what I brought home:
- Two mini carabiner clips — these are infinitely handy.
- Five stick-on cord winder organizer thingies. I have multiple kitchen appliances that put me in a state of frustration with their poorly designed cord management. I’ve wanted these for ages!
- A Pampered Chef pizza stone. Someone once gifted me one, but it was unwieldy and weighed at least 700 pounds, so I gave it away on Buy Nothing. Unlike the other one, this stone can be lifted with a single hand and should fit into the oven broiler for storage.
- A dozen cherry tomatoes.
My friend and I had a nice chat with the homeowner and learned that he’d recently married and the two of them had subsequent multiples of many items.
I may have to switch from saying “Everything that’s ever been manufactured will eventually show up at Goodwill” to “Everything that’s ever been manufactured will eventually show up in a free pile!”
2) Dinner last night was the last of some salad mix (from my neighbor,) which included the newly procured free store tomatoes and last week’s free box tomatoes. Plenty of canned garbanzo beans and feta to complete the meal.
I dressed the salad with a lazy version of my famous Tea Towel Salad Dressing by adding the ingredients directly into the bowl.
Entertainment was provided by Ken Jennings and my friend’s Peacock subscription. What is . . . a hearty salad?
3) I scrubbed down the outside of my rice cooker before attaching the cord winder thingy. Yes, this may seem like I’m just repeating my first “frugal thing,” but I’m categorizing this is an Appliance Makeover.
So satisfying. Making old stuff seem new to ward off the urge to replace perfectly good belongings.
4) I motored through my library Lucky Day copy of Yesteryear in under 24 hours, as this book was Gripping with a capital “G!” I know it’s been a divisive read for many people, but I knew going in that the protagonist was going to be unlikeable. There are a million books with enjoyable main characters and if that’s what you currently need in your books, this one is not for you.
I’m relieved that I got to read this book before I was accidentally exposed to the plot twist. Yesteryear will be swirling through my head for years to come.
I may or may not have started following Ballerina Farms on Instagram.
5) I sold a Hanna Andersson infant dress on eBay that I listed at least ten (fifteen?) years ago! This is one of the items that I deleted and relisted as “sell similar” last week. I also dropped the price as it was obviously priced too high.
I started selling on eBay in 2003 and mostly sold Hanna Andersson children’s clothing. They’re a local company and I repeatedly found it for a buck or so when thrifting. eBay buyers eagerly bid up my auctions and it was a nice side hustle. (People were paying $30 for used Hanna sweatpants and $50+ for a used Hanna coat!) Her clothing is found outside the catalog these days, (I’ve seen it at Costco!) and styles change through the years. This is my last item from that era.
It’s the reason why my sister designed my eBay avatar in a striped dress.
Click HERE to see the dress listing.
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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This blog post contains an eBay referral link.
I thought it must be a moving free pile but a got married one is even better! When my husband and I first moved in together 47 years ago we were poor graduate students so nothing was really duplicate. I am amazed that we are still using our combined set of silverware which together made one set!
My mostly frugal for others list:
1. We hosted son’s family of 4 for 4 nights while work required them to be out of our house and between the food they brought and what we supplied we ate all meals at home (or the kids took to school). It was a luxury to have our son and DIL cook 2 dinners too. I finished the leftovers today. They were in an AirB&B for 15 nights first but the work wasn’t finished when planned.
2. We helped our son clean their upstairs/bedrooms of dust from floor sanding before they moved back in. They didn’t need to hire a cleaning crew.
3. On their moving back in day we babysat our 3 year old granddaughter which was fun and tiring. She was very good! We also took a load in our car of the stuff they had used while being out of their house
4. It has been very hot for here (East Bay of CA) so we are working to stay cool enough by selectively opening windows and closing shades. The pup gets his own fan pointed at his sleeping spot though.
5. We are not planning to turn the White House press briefing room into a golden swimming pool at taxpayer expense!
Several years ago, I found a Hannah Andersson shirt in a park, underneath some bushes, very dirty. I lovingly worked it back into wearable condition. I recognized the name, but at that time I wasn’t reselling, so I just donated it to Goodwill.
Today I finished making the beef stew, and other than it being too fatty, it’s delicious. The recipe I was using didn’t mention cutting off the fat or skimming it off. Next time I will be more mindful about that.
I made a trip to Walmart, mainly because I needed milk. I bought a few other groceries as well, and they were free because I used my Healthy Living gift card. I also bought candy for my grandson’s Halloween bucket. It was $13. I passed on chocolate bars, as even at Walmart they were super expensive. I settled on movie candy — Milk Duds, Junior Mints, Mike & Ike, Reese’s, Hot Tamales. My other grandchildren will just get cash, as they are all far away.
Yesterday afternoon I used the free OTC meds program though our health insurance to order $55 worth of first aid and OTC med items. Did this after making a shopping list so as not to accidentally order something we did not need.
Today I took a 30 percent off coupon to Ollie’s Outlet and bought a large bag of Halloween lollipops and a package of puppy pads, as our younger dog with the finicky digestion has been unwell again. Did the weekly grocery shopping and clicked on a few digital coupons beforehand, which saved us 50 cents on cat food and $1.50 on pepperoni.
DH mentioned that he did not like the peaches bought last week, so I peeled, sliced and froze them for a future peach and blueberry cobbler.
1. I made an apple pie as a surprise for Hubby. He has been working a lot of extra hours. He is salaried so he doesn’t get overtime but his company is very good.
2. We needed Sensodyne toothpaste. So I went to Walmart as they have the cheapest price. I used a coupon my dentist gave me. I always look at the clearance sections. I found work pants for my son for $7. I got him 3 pairs that I will put away for Christmas. They are usually $40. The garden section was mostly Christmas but some was clearance still. I got bone meal, fertilizer and worm casings for 75% off for my garden next year. I was looking at pots and garden accessories but I didn’t get any. That is a win in my book because I love garden stuff.
3. I submitted the next Christmas project at the library, 9 sublimation ornaments. I got them for 90% off in January at Michaels. I just have to drop the ornaments off tomorrow. I have a class then.
4. Saturday we helped at a fundraiser that my husband’s company did for our local children’s hospital. It is very near to my heart as my oldest daughter had meningitis and sepsis when she was 13 and they took such good care of her. As we were cleaning us I discover 3 cases of snacks under a table. I was given 1 to take home. 50 packs of Doritos. I will be sharing them with my kids.
5. I have been saving all of our apple peels and cores. I have several quarts of apple cider vinegar going. I also am making basil vinegar for the first time. We will see how it comes out.
1. Whenever life feels too big, I declutter in response. Gave away wine glasses, tablecloth, gift bags, mason jar zipper bags, Pyrex pie plate (from before we were married almost 45 years ago), Pyrex 9×13 covered pan, Pyrex casserole carrier, and eyeglass cleaning cloths. For the cloths, I said to my husband, “We have 18; how many do you want to keep?” which is way easier for him than “How many can we get rid of?” He answered “four” to the keep question. Victory! Â
2. Bought a lightweight zip-up jacket to use over my workout wear. Spent $5.50 at the thrift store. This is my first clothing purchase since March when I bought tights ($10 new). Other than new sneakers every year, I rarely buy clothing. I have a small but plentiful wardrobe and dislike shopping.
3. Husband went to the dentist and instead of taking the usual toothbrush, floss and toothpaste, I suggested that he ask for two toothbrushes instead. We have plenty of floss and toothpaste. He is quite pleased (as am I) that he remembered!
4. Used a watch battery and installation coupon, saving $10. While at the local jewelry store, I learned that I could get $180 for my long-deceased mother’s silver engagement ring. The jeweler doesn’t want the smallish diamond; not sure what I’d do with it. Will see what another jeweler has to say.
5. Received from Buy Nothing: a weekly planner, calcium tablets (250, which will last me 125 days) and four pull-out cabinet drawers. Two of the drawers will be used in the pantry and the other two will be used to make it easier to retrieve things from the base cabinet shelves closest to the floor (I can’t always bend down that far because of my knee and sometimes I get lightheaded bending over for too long).
Diamonds have plummeted in price in the past few years because of lab diamonds. Small, unexciting diamonds are worth little.
About 12 years ago I was able to sell inherited lower quality small diamonds to a jeweler who did business in SE Asia where they would be marketable. I think I was referred to him by another jeweler.
I love how you put it- when life feels too big I declutter in response. That is exactly what I have been doing. Hospice for my mother has felt like the biggest big.
My daughter and nieces wore many of that version of Hanna dresses. Come to think of it, I also bought them for friends’ kids. Such a soft, sustainable, pretty and practical outfit with the matching leggings.
Finished my latest book. It is so good–so excited to send it to my agent as a proposal.
I don’t follow Mormon tradwives and their nonsense.
Be nice to see if they get traded in 10+ years in the future. Ever notice that most “trad wives” (I am a but judgy but some women just don’t want to work) are rarely over 35 be it TV, streaming, or social media?
My mantra has always been don’t have kids if you can’t afford to support them on your salary.
I love reading this blog and all the comments!
1. My husband has finally started seriously working on renovating his workshop! He built out shelving and cabinets using a lot of materials that my dad had an no longer needs.
2. My son is disclosing the garbage picked skateboard we got four years ago. He wants to get a new one, but I strongly recommended he ride it to school for a couple of weeks to make sure.
3. I thrifted a vintage stereo receiver so we could use my old thrifted turntable. I have hundreds of record albums from cleaning out my dad’s basement that my son wants to sample for his music composing. Fun!
4. I just found a massive deal on ground beef and use 1.5 kilos to make an enormous pot of chili and a gigantic pot of bolognese. I bulked up both with red lentils, mushrooms and tons of veggies and we will eat one batch per week probably until the end of the year. So nice to have on hand!
5. I continue to hustle at my business and meticulously track our spending. Making more money and holding on to it is frugal as heck!
You are doing a massive favor to your future self with that chili!
Isn’t “Ballerina Farm†one of those accounts where everything looks perfect because there’s a secret crew behind the scenes curating every post?
Maybe Katy has a secret crew who painstakingly design fake neighborhood free piles and exciting free libraries? Haha.
We went away for the weekend, which was fun. We stayed with friends, so I don’t have any hotel shampoos or teabags to talk about. We brought produce and homemade jam as a hostess gift, which was much appreciated. I’m surprised that there are so many people who have never canned food!
We stopped for Chipotle kids meals on the way home. Chipotle is the only fast food we will stop at anymore! For $5.70, I leave feeling full. I don’t know how much that would cost at the other fast food joints.
Yes, you got me! I have teams of people behind the scenes who falsely place free things in boxes around the neighborhood. They also stock my library and the clearance produce shelves at Fred Meyer.
Dag nab it! Rarely do I want something, but those cord minder thingies I want! I will put them on my Christmas list.
That was a very organized fun give away.
Made a double batch of copy cat yoshidas gourmet sauce. Making Asian cabbage salad with spicy filberts for a topping.
Made a batch of crispy garlic chili oil. It’s just as easy to watch two simmering pots instead of 1.
I washed 2 Summer weight down comforters, dried on the line and will store in vac bags. Put the fall wreath on the door. When the littlest neighbors come tomorrow, I’ll have them make cheesecloth ghosts to decorate it.
What a lovely free selection! I’m jealous of the cord organizers!
1. I’ve been deeply down in the dumps in the second week of a lingering cold. Plus we’ve had a steady stream of visitors for the last 6+ weeks which has totally thrown me off my rhythm. Today, visitor free, I took a bag to Plato’s (they didn’t take anything) and then to the thrift store. Mailed 2 Vinted sales (and then came home to see I’d made another sale). Made English flapjacks for my neighbor who has written a novel and it debuts in the US tomorrow. So it felt like a decent day.
2. I’ve sorted my e-gift cards and ascertained the balance of each. Use it or lose it these days. Printed out the one with money on it and put it in my purse.
3. Roasted all the free over-ripe tomatoes that dh’s friend gave us. Baked the flapjacks at the same time as well as the last of the free apples (getting a bit soft now). Satisfying use of the oven being on.
4. Ate leftovers for dinner. Hardboiled 4 eggs that were past their sell by date, but still good by the float test. Made egg salad dh will put in his work sandwiches.
5. Made some decisions on some items that were in a pile. One of the tidying people online says something along the lines of ‘clutter is just unmade decisions’. I find it to be quite accurate for me. The pile I need to list went into my “sell cupboard” to be listed later. I just can’t get to it now. Sent a picture of the fabric from a free pile that I though DIL would like. She wanted it, so now it’s in the bag for her. Took pictures of one length of fabric to list on FB marketplace and Vinted. Now that fabric is in the sell cupboard. Put another length of nice-weight-but-ugly fabric into my ‘practice fabric’ bin. So useful for when trying out/practicing a pattern. It felt good to have a clearer space. Clear space, clear mind. I’m making a list of house things I need to get to but probably can’t be done for a bit. It keeps them from going around and around in my head.
I recall something else you had listed for a long time sold and you couldn’t locate it. A lamp or lampshade maybe? Did you ever find it?
Ugh, it was a Rejuevation Lighting hanging light fixture that actually even been listed for a couple months. And no, I haven’t found it!
Well, for some reason I’ve never seen a cord winder before. Now I want them for my appliances, those being two crock pots, my Kitchen Aid Mixer, my iced tea maker and my electric can opener.
1. I successfully repaired my Banned Books bracelet using the stretchy cord I bought at Walmart.
2. On the sidewalk outside of Walmart I found a card for store credit. Whether there is anything on it remains to be seen. I pick plastic cards up whenever I see one. I found a Dunkin Donuts card with $10 on it a few years back. DH found one on his mail route with $16 on it for a local restaurant. By far the best one I’ve found was one with over $130 on it for a book store.
3. I received an email from the library letting me know a book I had on hold came in, the newest in the Mma Romatswe series by Alexander McCall Smith, my favorite cozy mystery writer. I’ll batch going to pick it up with other errands.
4. Beth W mentioned the high price of Halloween candy this year at Walmart. I noticed it too, especially the chocolate. Chocolate is supposedly one of those items that went way up due in part to the tariffs. We get up to 60 Trick or Treaters at our house every year so it won’t be frugal.
5. I made egg salad bulked up with celery.
I used to work at a movie theatre and I would find so many gift cards in the parking lot. Best one was $200 to Target.
I retired a year ago, and I just went through my closet and did a big purge. Pants (my workplace was non-denim casual dress) that I will never wear again nor have a need to, and don’t fit, and shorts that don’t fit. It’s a great feeling to donate all, and my closet is so roomy now I can actually see things!
I just love those stick on cord wranglers!!!
Within the span of a month I had to trash both my crockpot (heat control knob no longer worked) as well as my no longer functioning rice cooker. I found an upgraded, practically brand new Crock Pot brand on the curb after a local estate sale (it has a removable insert and and a locking lid for transport, both serious upgraded features from my previous one). Then I found a brand new in box rice cooker at a church flea market.
It was a great week to inexpensively replace needed appliances, as I refuse to buy them new!
I found a tow strap with both hooks in tact on the side of the road.
Took some butternut squash to a friend. Dropped off the recycling while in town.
Glued the knob back on a dish.
Harvested chickens. One less chore and no more factory farm cluckers.
Our hens have started laying again. I have no idea what’s prompted this because 1) they’re elderly 2) the days are getting shorter….regardless, thanks girls!
Moved the pig into the empty chicken shelter. It’s bigger and can be moved to give her fresh grass to destroy. She’s mad and not at all grateful… what a pig!!! Slowly transitioning her to solid food.
Trying yo reduce our on demand electricity use. Trying to make the most out of each drop of diesel. Batching errands and hauling full loads whenever possible.
Your hens saw what was happening during the meat bird’s ‘one bad day’ – and figured they better get back on the nest, LOL. I am glad you got that harvest day finished, it was always something I dreaded if we did it ourselves or took them somewhere else.. but so nice to open the freezer to later.
Went to town with a list to accomplish.
Needed a mini blind for an odd sized window. Home Depot for the win. Had a gift card for them, so less expensive than I thought.
Went to our small town thrift store. Monday is buy one, get one. Purchased a denim shirt, and a fall wreath. $4. Mentioned I was looking for a shower curtain in a solid color, they checked in the back, found a blue one, and sold it to me for $1.
Stopped at grocery outlet for lettuce. Half rotted, nope.
Still picking tomatoes, so another batch of sauce this weekend..
It’s the end of an era, with your icon dress being sold 🙂
1) Leftovers for lunch & dinner. Made DS20 a yogurt parfait with some garden berries & granola/yogurt I’m trying to use up. Both of my kids make their own food, and they know if I make it, it’s something I’m trying to get rid of. 😉
2) Booked three one way flights to Athens with miles for a cruise I’m taking my mom & sister on. I paid cash for the return flights, as I didn’t have enough miles for the full itinerary. It was not a round trip journey anyway, as the arrival & departure cities are different, so there was no cost advantage for booking as a round trip.
3) Booked two nights in Athens (x2 rooms) using Hyatt points, and used two Suite Upgrade Awards to secure a nicer room. My upgrade awards regularly expire, so I’m happy to use them up.
4) Continued to work on the very lengthy process of removing hard water stains from our shower. We’ve installed a full house water softener in the last few we, but the decade+ stains are incredibly difficult to remove. I’m making tiny progress, but it’s very visible & feels good to see.
5) Researched a few benefits for 2027, and coming up with my plan to minimize costs and maximize value on things like insurance coverage, etc.
I have that same round baking stone and I absolutely love it! I use it several times a week.
1. I was running out of bay leaves and remembered there was a bush growing about a block away at an abandoned house. So now I have several bunches drying on my indoor clothes line.
2. Had to take my daughter to urgent care for an infected cut. They had hot tea in the waiting room. Yes, please!
3. Used my 7/Eleven app to get a free large drink while I was out running errands
4. Discovered my dogs will take their pills if I put them in a little bit of butter (the pills, not the dogs). Saves wasted soggy pills that they spit out. And makes my life easier
5. Went to Olive Garden after a karate tournament with my daughter’s doja. The portions are HUGE. My daughter’s entree fed her for three meals.
Hee hee! I envisioned you over the bathtub full of butter dipping the dogs who were
smacking their lips!