Five Frugal Things -- Rusty Fixture, Begone!

1) We've been living with the above light fixture since I thrifted it back in 2014. (Click HERE to read that blog post!) It wasn't rusty when I shelled out $2.99 to Goodwill, but 12 years in a steamy bathroom did some damage.

Sure, I was able to sand down the surface rust, but that never going to be more than a temporary solution.

Random $3.50 light fixture to the rescue!

It did have the smallest amount of superficial rust, but I gave it a quick scrub with Barkeeper's Friend powder and then my husband sprayed it with a sealant.

Hopefully this version will last more than twelve years!

2) My youngest is still vacationing in Montana, which means my husband and I get to enjoy cat cuddles without the responsibility (or expense) of pet ownership.

"Myr" and "Mama's Little Meatball" really are the most enjoyable kitties, even though they're hard to photograph due to their coloration:

Okay, one more!

Kittens can't leave anything unexamined.

3) Our daughter has been spending her evenings at the house, as we've been making our way through Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. (Through a free Paramount+ trial.) She also took full advantage of our free laundry facilities and I'm pretty sure that our washer and dryer ran seven extra loads of laundry this week! If you're wondering why so much laundry -- she brought four full sized blankets to be washed!

Hey, I'm happy to help her save money any way that I can.

4) My husband and I stopped for a deli lunch while out and about and split an entree, which was good as our Italian sandwich was fairly mediocre. Hate to have bought two of them!

My husband is often hesitant to split entrees, but I've finally broken through after 33 years of marriage with the line "We can always order more if it isn't enough."

I feel like that line works in a number of ways in a number of situations.

5) My sister might be back in NYC, but her two week visit left me with hand knit socks and a hand crafted basket, perfectly sized for remote controls.

This is what happens when you have crafty people in the family!

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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2 Comments

  1. 1. I picked up a mystery shop yesterday, which netted me a free lunch and an additional $18 for my bank account.
    2. I'm currently making homemade chicken-veg stock, with which I will make cauliflower and white bean soup, as we were given a ginormous cauliflower in the free CSA. I'll portion it and freeze it in work apartment freezer for those weeks when I don't quite get to making meals to bring. I'm also canning tomato sauce and pickling jalepeños with CSA produce. My partner also brought home an extra "corn and fruit" share, so I froze some corn off the cob, and planning tonight's and tomorrow's dinner on that.
    3. I just got my bonus from Chase (for having a checking account with them for 3 months - this covered all of the lodging for 7 nights in Quebec province). I got another one of these offers from a different bank, so I just spent the last 15 minutes moving money around, as I'll close the Chase and open the new one, which will get me another nice chunk of free money.
    4. I just figured out that it costs me about $3.30 to drive to work every day, and so I will make an extra effort to try to coordinate with colleagues to carpool 2 a week. I think I'm set for Wednesdays and Thursdays.
    5. I did a free trial of Britbox and then canceled until they dropped the price with an offer for $4 a month, for 2 months. I used my credit card that gives me 6% back on streaming services.

  2. New bathroom fixture looks incredible! What a refresh in there, and you sure can't beat the price of $3.50 that's for sure. LOL to your grand kitty Myr staring so intently at the "Birdie" book chapter! Both those grand kitties are so much fun to see popping up on your blog. 🙂