Five Frugal Things -- Repair Cafés & Tunaball
1) My husband and I had cheeseburgers for dinner last night, which used up the last of the ground beef I bought earlier in the week for family dinner night. My plan had been to stretch the meat for an entire pan of pasta sauce, but I've been fighting off a cold and didn't have the energy.
We're still working on a $1 16-pack of Franz Outlet sesame buns, which might last indefinitely in our freezer.
2) I'd planned on running some fun errands yesterday, but instead stayed home to fight off a cold and embrace the homebody lifestyle. I lay on the couch drinking tea and watching The Great British Sewing Bee, while getting up periodically to run loads of laundry.
Going nowhere and doing nothing is always the most frugal activity, although it's never going to be my frugal advice.
3) The fun errand I'd planned on running was to go a Repair PDX "Café" for free knife sharpening and to shore up the wiring in the Mr Puppy lamp that I thrifted last month. Luckily there's another café coming up in a few weeks, which'll actually be closer to the house.
4) We still have our daughter's five (six?) month old kitten at the house, which has been enjoyable. All the kitty cuddles without the actual responsibility of pet ownership. She'll be returning in a day or two, but until then you can find me snapping photos of this one-eyed sweetie.
Her name is curently "Tuna," although she also doesn't answer to Tuna Melt, Tuna Casserole, Tunaball, Surf & Turf and "Hey!" when she starts to claw the couches.
5) No one is keeping a chilled bottle of Champagne, hoping to wake to news of my demise.
Now your turn, what frugal things have you been up to?
That Mr. Puppy Lamp is the cutest thing I've seen in a long time! What are your plans for it?
My plan is to sell it!
Pirate kitty is really sweet!
1. Finished 'The second sight of Zachary Cloudesley' (Sean Lusk, library, I would give it an 8/10 rating) and started 'I havent been entirely honest with you' (Miranda hart - ebook on the library BorrowBox app).
2. Spring has finally sprung in Ireland - it's been a very long, cold and wet winter this year. We had some sunshine over the weekend and I finally got to air dry laundry again, I had a huge backlog and am still catching up.
3. Because of the fine weather I was also able to tidy up my raised beds and planted some radishes and spring onions.
4. Still putting up an ad on Vinted every day. I haven't sold all that much lately, one or two things per week, but it all adds up, less clutter in the house and a bit of fun money for me! As Kristen of the Frugal Girl calls it 🙂
5. Continuing to make my own almond milk by blitzing almond butter with water. It's that easy!
GK, thanks for your tip on making your own almond milk. I'm going to give it a try!
Hope you like it! The original recipe that I found adds a date for sweetness but I personally find it doesn’t need it.
I have also been couch surfing. Not fighting off a cold, but fatigue. Yesterday, however, I did go out to pick up a free cold brew at Jewel, and while I was there, I bought the three items on my running grocery list -- popcorn, brown sugar, and coffee. $21. It would have been cheaper at Aldi, but Aldi doesn't carry popcorn kernels, anyway. I did very carefully check the unit price on all three items, and got the lowest.
I found three receipts in the parking lot, but none of them were worth 200 points. I guess that promotion is over.
I returned a book, picked up the one on hold, and got another as well.
I've watched Season 1 of Dark Winds and started Season 2, now that the series is on Netflix.
I made peanut soup for lunch yesterday, but it didn't taste quite right. Which could be because I was winging it, but could be because the chicken broth was off. It may have been a bit too old. I didn't get sick! But I'm thinking I might not use the rest of the broth, because I don't want to get sick.
Today's lunch was cheese quesadillas, pear slices, carrot sticks, and the last of the corn casserole. Using things up, and getting my fiber, too.
Your #5...LOL! I guess most of us don't have to worry about that. However, my bottle of Champagne is waiting for a certain someone to go to that big golf course in the...no, wait...not the sky...well, wherever.
Tuna looks like a love. I have my cat Bear on my lap as I write this. Kitty cuddles are the best.
It should go without say that no matter what time of the day the most welcomed event happens, you will inform your significant other as well as any others who want to celebrate.
Though I have to admit, I want to see him tried for war crimes.
Adorable kitty sitting for the win!
1) Met a friend for a hike. The place we go is walking distance from my house, so it's a perfect free way to get exercise & be social.
2) Reminded DS20 to drive my electric car to work yesterday, so he could avoid paying high gas prices.
3) I've been making various dinners work without much effort, as I'm jet lagged. But, hey, everyone is getting fed. I had higher hopes for dinner tonight, but I'm thinking something very easy is going to happen instead.
4) In a huge win, I've been pricing out flights to Portland for Christmas, and the price of gas means that even the short flights are insane. I used American Airlines miles (from work travel) to cover the cost of three of the flights. I then used DS20's Alasks miles to cover his flight. (We are all on the same flight - it's an Alaska/American code share.) Out of pocket = $44 vs the close to $2200 it would have been out of pocket. I hate work travel (like, dread it), so it felt like a nice reward for all of the hassle of a work trip.
5) Got my expense report completed & promptly submitted, so I can get reimbursed from my company for my trip to London.
Wow, you won the frugal black belt with those plane tickets! Very impressive!
1. I walked an hour around my neighborhood and the local cemetery and then walked home.
2. My car has not moved today so no gas spent.
3. For supper, I baked chicken I had in freezer and continue to eat the large container of potato salad I made yesterday. I also keep a pack of bagels and had a bagel with cream cheese, tomatoes, onions, and mushrooms for lunch.
4. I packed for my plane trip trek across the country to see grandchildren later in the week including an infant I have not met! Packed may be defined loosely. I keep a box of clothes at my daughter’s house even though I only go about once a year. I used a free tote from a conference and put coloring books, and small stuffed animals from Dollar Tree. Grandma does arrive bearing gifts. This tote is easily squished under a plane seat and no great loss if it gets torn up.
5. I am watching the blackbirds outside eat their treats and the sunset from the window in my house that I paid for and that I am determined to enjoy! I had the windows replaced in the house last year with new screens so it is easy to enjoy the sounds of nature when the mosquitoes get a bit frisky!!! I was bitten a couple of times last night sitting outside. As always, I paid for this joint so I am going to enjoy it!! It isn’t a spectacular view but I do not care. The sunset is still beautiful.
Cindy, have a wonderful trip to meet the new little one! And thank you for the reminder to enjoy the homes we've paid for. Sunsets are the best.
You get to visit a new baby! That is so wonderful. Hope the trip is fabulous.
This weekend was anything but frugal...
2 trips to my sister's (70 mile round trip). Saturday was hair appt, bank, and lunch (she buys). When I got her home, she tripped over a piece of carpet on her back porch that was barely hanging over the edge of the step and went down...HARD (and face-first...on concrete). She is 81 and stubborn. I wanted to call an ambulance or at least urgent care. She flat out refused. Talked to her that night and told her DH and I would be up this morning to pull the carpet away from the step; and she was going to urgent care whether she liked it or not. Got to her house this AM and DH and I fixed the carpet. She opened the door and I screamed! She had no idea the left half of her upper lip was bruised and swollen; and her chin was all black-and-blue in the darkest shades. She only complained of pain in her right shin. Fortunately, she didn't break anything; just very serious brusing. She was lucky. At least I will sleep tonight knowing she was at least seen by a doctor and x-rayed.
Bought a used rollator, in excellent condition, for her on our way home for a reasonable price. She'll fight me on using it, but will maybe not so much since she took the fall.
Nephew & family came for dinner last night. We had burgers, broccoli salad, baked beans, and nephew's family brought mandarin orange cake for dessert. I had most everything already and only had to buy hamburger buns, broccoli, and 3 (15.5 oz) cans of beans to make the beans from scratch.
BIL brought us a box of cereal he was given and didn't want...Cap'n Crunch w/ Crunch Berries. One of my favorites! Had a bowl for supper. Didn't want to cook.
Got some free kiddie books from the back room of one thrift store and from the free box outside the used book store. Also bought a bag full of 50 cent books from another store. Collected them for a summer children's book drive the local TV station is sponsoring. They will distribute the reading material in an effort to combat the summer reading slump, where kids who don't have access to reading material get out of practice and therefore their reading grade levels slide down by a grade level or more. Plus, reading keeps 'em out of mischief. (I think I have depleted the house of all kiddie books from earlier such drives.)
Used the library computers and filled out a Better Business Bureau form concerning the tree damage incident. This, after seeing the moving company had ranked A+ in the BBB files. I posted the company's DOT number, DMV number, etc.-- all the other information that is supposed to be on their cards and isn't. Also posted the state DMV and federal motor carrier complaint hotline numbers. Hopefully that will save someone else all the many, many hours of research I had to do.
Snuggles has gone through a 40 pound bag of dry dog food...not in one sitting, of course. But we're saving the dog food bag for a friend who participated in the woodland Park cleanup. (He says those bags are ideal for said purpose, as they hold a lot of brush and litter and yet stay open at the top.) So I guess that means Snuggy is a puppy dog environmentalist!
Not a single frugal thing. Our daughter (26) has been in hospital 4 nights with an infection. No discharge in sight. I came home early from helping with my grandchildren so I'm exhausted.
I’m so sorry, Kara! Please get some rest.
Kara, I'm sending you, your daughter and entire family extra good thoughts during this time.
That sounds exhausting for all of you, but I'm sure your daughter feels so lucky to have a mom to help her take care of her kids while she's in the hospital.
Oh no. Sorry to hear about your daughter. Well wishes sent to her and I hope you get some rest soon. Exhaustion + Stress = Overtired Anxiety. Take care.
Oh dear, Kara! Your poor daughter - infections of any kind are debilitating, and often what they give us to fight them can knock us back for ages.
I know you love those grandkids, but this is a lousy reason to be visiting them. Hang in there and look after yourself, too!
Oh what a cutie. Nothing frugal here. Expensive weekend.
Your grand cat Tuna is SO sweet!! What a cutie pie. So nice of you to petsit for your daughter.
Five frugals, camping edition.
We're at the tail end of a two-week camping vacation. We are mostly camping in free or very cheap sites.
Using our America the beautiful pass for half-price forest service camping and free admission to national parks and monuments.
We've eaten out only once, at a mom and pop place I had heard raves about. Great meal. Friends also treated us to lunch one day. Otherwise, it's all home cooking.
For entertainment we're hiking every day. We've soaked in hot springs, visited friends, and read a lot of books.
That little Tuna noodle casserole kitty is so cute!!!
1. I made cupcakes and frosting for my godson’s birthday.
2. I am enjoying watching my free tulips bulbs bloom this week.
3. Went to an open house at a local coffee roaster down the street. They showed us all the steps they do and how they add flavors to their roasts. It was very cool and they served free coffee samples and bagels.
4. I went to a liquidation store near me called best bargain bins. We’ve been needing another tall lamp for our living room and I was able to score a $180 lamp for $31.
5. I scored a 70% off 3.60lb chuck roast for $8.50! I made it into pot roast and added a $1 package of carrots in with it and then made a 5lb bag of potatoes ($4) into mashed potatoes. It fed the 3 of us twice.
OMGA! I too watched Sewing Bee while drinking tea and fighting a cold!!! It was thanks to you that I discovered it free streaming. It’s so much a good show!