Five Frugal Things -- Nothing But Happiness!
I've noticed that my blog posts have been a bit grumpy lately, so I'm taking a moment to show off the sunnier side of frugal life.
1) Like this loaf of homemade bread, which I used for last night's Family Dinner grilled cheese sandwiches. Sure, I look deranged in this photo, but it a happy sort of derangement, as the bread turned out perfectly!
2) I discovered that I really like the author Rainbow Rowell, and am especially happy that this library book turned out to be a collection of short stories. I'd already been on the lookout for some short stories for my Powell's bingo card!
I'll have that center box filled in before bedtime!
I really appreciate the thoughtful book design, especially as it comes with a ribbon bookmark, which is extremely rare for a library book. It's like book jewelry.
3) My kiddo dropped their cats off at the house last night, so I'm in kitty cat heaven at the moment. "Myr" and "Mama's Little Meatball" are fast friends, and I even caught Meatball grooming her little sister!
Grandma is very proud.
4) I may have sold just a single item in July for the $100 Goodwill Gift Card Challenge. (A waterproof "dry bag" for $20.) But it sold on Facebook Marketplace, which means that the entire amount got donated to the Oregon Food Bank. Hooray for zero seller fees!
I'm now up to $825.63 in donations from my single $100 gift card, and still have around twenty listed items that'll sell in due time.
5) My friend gave me these tubes of Trader Joe's hand cream, but they're simply too scented for my taste. However, I didn't want them to languish and eventually get thrown away, so I listed them in my Buy Nothing group. They're now waiting to be picked up and I can be happy that they won't go to waste.
Hooray for Buy Nothing groups!
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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I love my buy nothing group so much. Thankfully all my gifts have been picked up. I'm currently waiting to see if I get picked for the perfect wing back chair for ds's therapy office.
Things that are making me happy:
- hand-me-down IKEA drawer organizers from my mother. A couple times a day I open the 2 drawers just to admire how tidy they are.
-Wunderbrow eyebrow gel. Recommended to me because it doesn't run, even with sweat or swimming. My eyebrows are part gray, part blonde and it's not a good look. This gel makes them look great. This is literally the only makeup I wear. You can get $10 off a purchase of $30+ with this code https://prz.io/RvVvkGXtB
-fb marketplace items that sell same day as listing (2 today)
-my electric bike
-donating cucumbers to the food bank
-my first online Spanish class
-this blog, and the commentariat!
The deranged baker in the photo is showing off her beautiful bread.
The hot smoky weather is forcing me to clean my house before it gets too warm.
Working on a fiddle quilt, a lap quilt with rescued Goodwill bin embroideries, special appliques and buttons to button, Velcro to rip apart and zippers to zip.
Happily listening to an audio book while stitching away.
Tonight's community meal is street tacos, watermelon and brownies from the freezer.
What I wouldn't give to take a stroll on the beach today!
I dejunked the junk drawers and have a plethora of pens to take to work (front desk at church) We never have one when I need one
Have a sale in the mail along with a return. I’m having a heck of a time finding bras for less than $78 at the department store
I’ve tried TJMaxx, Marshalls, Ross, Walmart, etc. I have 3 bras that I’m rotating and babying
Five happy frugal things:
1. My mom gave me a HUGE box of postcards. I have been sorting them. I have listed a few on eBay, and sold one within 24 hours. Researching them has been very educational and enjoyable. I found one folded tightly three times like it was carried in a pocket or wallet. It was from 1942, addressed to Mom and Pop, from Camp Grant Recruit Reception Center. Brought a tear to my eye. I can't help but wonder what became of the sender
2. The weather has been great so I rode my bike to work, and took advantage of a free yoga class held in the gazebo on the lawn where I work.
3. I have a trip to Oregon wine country coming up. I asked the library to purchase Fodor's latest Oregon travel book, and it has arrived. All I have to do it catalog it, and check it out.
4. Made zoodles out of zucchini from my garden. Which were delicious. Also enjoying potatoes and tomatoes from the garden.
5. Signed up for a free class to learn hour to make you own paper from flyers and junk mail. I have purchased cards from the person putting on the class. They are lovely. I can't wait.
Love the pretty kitties, I miss my cat and dog. Your bread looks delicious, hope everyone enjoyed it. Hope you have a good evening.
The photos of the deranged baker and the friendly cat sisters are heartwarming!
Things making me happy today:
I took my 2010 Honda Element to my local Goodyear shop today for her state inspection, an oil change, an alignment (for which I bought the 3-year package, given our Central NY potholes), and a check of the rattle underneath (which turned out to be only a loose heat shield, also courtesy of our Central NY potholes). So dear old Nellybelle will live to fight another day--and, I'm hoping, many more days. Long may she wave.
And I got back from Goodyear in time for a clam feast with Dr. Bestest Neighbor and his visiting niece and her husband. (Ms. BN, who does not care for bare naked clams, abstained.) Dr. BN got two bags of 50 pre-steamed Maine clams from Price Chopper (which excels in seafood), and the four of us ate till we could hold no more. Because the BNs are heading out tomorrow for a visit to their Lake Erie house, I was awarded custody of the leftover clams, which I have promised to make into a clam chowder before their return. (Ms. BN will eat chowder.)
Also, I'm starting to put stuff aside for the annual garage sale to be held by our local activist Catholic church in September. I'm completely done with having garage sales on my own behalf, and very happy to be able to donate to the sale at this church, which does excellent work in and for the immigrant community here.
1) I was admiring the beautiful weeds on the side of the road today while DS was driving. Yellow and purple wildflowers make me happy.
2) Large zucchinis for shredding and freezing make me very happy. The farmer who runs the CSA we participate in saved me three big ones this week.
3) Pond swimming with our friends and dogs today was a big happy win.
4) Library books – enough said
5) Ice cream bought on super sale!
You don't seem grumpy to me at all!
I wish I could look that happy with my homemade bread; I can't seem to bake a decent loaf.
All mine are about my Buy Nothing group:
1. Received many useful things over the last couple weeks: set of 5-lb. weights, coffee in a box (unused from a meeting), acrylic bathroom organizer, protein powder, hose nozzle and wooden flutes for my great-nephews.
2. Fulfilled others' requests for corn cob holders and a wrist brace.
3. Gave away a single 5-lb. weight after receiving a matching set.
4. Thought I could fix a large, cracked ceramic flowerpot I got. Turns out I couldn't but I was able to use it anyway by placing a smaller plastic pot inside and turning the pot so that the crack can't be seen. Saved it from the landfill.
5. Picked up seven Stella D'Oro daylilies from a curb alert. Saved them from the compost pile.
I am feeling overwhelmed at work, so I am very thankful that I live just a few minutes away so that I can leave the office to come home for lunch. I ate most of a bologna sandwich for lunch. It wasn’t delicious, but it filled a hole and kept me from buying something.
My husband also works for our town and has to stop by my office every day to drop money off. He brought me some beautiful hydrangeas flowers in a Coke bottle. That made me smile.
He also made some pigs in a blanket from some questionable li’l smokies that had been in the freezer and a slightly expired can of crescent rolls.
I’m still slurping on leftover tea from last night. We got it from Arby’s, and we couldn’t drink it all last night so I put it in the fridge then filled up a go cup twice today. So.much.tea!
I was so cranky that I started to make a list of things were bugging me (I’m big on making lists), but I pulled out my neglected gratitude journal and wrote some things in that instead.
Frugality and Happiness Edition. Sorry A. Marie...I had to borrow your "edition" theme.
1. I stripped two beds, washed the sheets in cold water and hung them out to dry. My umbrella clothesline makes me happy because it not only does a great job, it fits in perfectly in my small yard.
2. I boiled five ears of corn in plain water for supper. The next day I poured the water on my one tomato plant and the pot of flowers next to it. I try to use as little water as possible since we pay for every drop. Over $200 every three months even with the senior discount. The bill doesn't make me happy but having clean and healthy municipal water does.
3. My Black Eyed Susans are out in full force. They just keep spreading. I love perennials. Buy once and done.
4. My sweet neighbor has a large vegetable garden. Today she brought us tomatoes of varying sizes in an egg container that holds a dozen eggs. It looked so cute. Having good neighbors is priceless.
5. I'm looking forward to another free library concert tomorrow night.
1. I gave my invited talk last night at a museum. The ED took my partner and me out to dinner, so that was a free meal. It was super early (at 4:30!), so we brought snacks from home as I thought I might get hungry around 10.
2. After the talk, we walked downtown and almost got ice cream, but the lines at both ice cream stands were far longer than we wanted to wait in, so we headed back to the hotel room and I just had one of the snacks.
3. The hotel room was covered by the museum, so it was a lovely night getaway. There was no honorarium, but they did for milage, which covered the cost of a full tank of gas (round-trip was only half-tank), breakfast, and $50 left to bank.
4. Because we have cats, and not dogs, we could leave them overnight with extra food and not have to pay for a sitter. (The amount of Churu they eat, though, not frugal!)
5. Waze was going to take us home by an entirely different route, one that took us equidistant between our home and the inlaws. So we called them up to see if they wanted to meet us for lunch. MIL insisted on paying for our lunch, and I had the leftovers for dinner (partner had a frozen pizza from the freezer).
*Almost frugal fail: for lunch, we had to pay for metered parking, and I thought I put in enough time, but it took a really long time to get our food, and we were 20 minutes past our meter. Walking back to our car, my partner noticed a parking enforcement officer about a block from our car. We sped up our pace, so that we could overtake him, and we ended up walking and having a nice chat with him the last part of the walk, and saved ourselved from getting a $35.
I have some of that TJ hand cream, and I like it! I would have answered your Buy Nothing offer.
I got out of the house today, after my day of rest yesterday, since I had to mail an eBay package. I opted to take the train to the post office, even though it is not a bad walk. I wasn't sure how steady I would be on my feet. Getting to the post office went okay, so I caught the train again and went on to the library to pick up two books on hold.
Once home, I ran a load of laundry, took out the garbage, and baked some zucchini bread, which I made with a zucchini I got for free.
I cancelled a haircut appointment, because I knew that would be too much, energy-wise, even though I'm feeling so much better today.
I spoke with my son, who is still job-hunting. He is actually working, but not at a job he wants to keep. He has had a series of phone interviews with a company in his field, and things look promising, but he has had so many disappointments. It's a hard market out there. I will send him some cash after I reconcile my accounts.
I made a new listing on eBay. The pile of things to list is getting small.