Five Frugal Things -- S'mores & Garage Organization
1) I added a significantly more strawberries to my oatmeal than normal, as the they were starting look a bit peaked and there will be no wasted strawberries on my watch!
Even though I only spent $1.28/pound on them.
Am I on trend? Am I "fibermaxxing?"
2) We had the kids and their partners over for dinner last night, which culminated in a backyard s'mores session. Unfortunately Portland is under a strict burn ban, even for backyard fire pits. My first thought was to roast our marshmallows over the gas stove in the kitchen, but then realized that we could just use our propane grill.
Not as photo worthy as the six of us gathered around a classic golden fire, but it worked just fine and there were no complaints! Gathered together in the backyard on a lovely summer evening.
3) We Portlanders are enjoying the loveliest balmy weather, which I feel zero guilt about as I feel we're owed this as an apology for the 116 degree "heat dome" we experienced five years ago. I talked to my sister in NYC this morning and she's experiencing periodic electrical outages, running her fans and making sure her phone is fully charged.
Keep in mind that most Oregonians don't have air conditioning. This used to include us, but we've gathered random window units through the years.
4) My youngest adopted a kitten in order to help with Mama's Little Meatball loneliness issues. Her name is "Myr" and I'm already in love.
This means I have Meatball at the house for a few days as the little one heals from her spay and acclimates to her new home.
It's no sacrifice as she's mellowest kitty.
Such a lovable fluffball!
5) My husband is slowly reconfiguring our cluttered garage and working to re-home some of the things he no longer needs. Specifically items related to coaching kids' soccer. He has two expandable insta-benches and is donating them to a nonprofit that'll put them back in use.
He got them as "thank you, coach" gifts and they were super useful for a specific period of time.
This project is prompted by the recent acquisition of his parents' storage unit shelving, (which fit perfect onto the back wall of our garage!) He's spent a few hours here and there, mostly assembling the shelves, but is starting to get things organized and off the floor Let's just agree that this project is in the early stage.
Next up is to donate a couple of usable but stagnant bicycles. I'm super duper looking forward to this space not being a chaotic mess.
I'm being a bit vulnerable by sharing these photos, but this area of the house is my husband's world and while I'm happy to help with organization, it's ultimately his responsibility.
I may have sent him a few links to inspiring garage organization articles to get the ball rolling.
Now your turn, what frugal things have you been up to?
There are a lot of rentals in my neighborhood, and it’s pretty common for window unit air conditioners to appear in free piles. This probably happens when people move to an air conditioned place. Works for me! I sure wish running them was a frugal endeavor.
My husband’s family is in the throes of memorial planning. There’s nothing like a death in the family to make old grievances reappear. I shall remain a fly on the wall!
The garden is starting to churn out produce and I’m trying to keep up. I turned my back for a moment and the next thing I knew, a zucchini the size of a watermelon appeared!
I’m enjoying the cooler weather.
Tell your DH I'm sorry for his loss. Hope things work out ok.
Myr is just too adorable. I think I'd cuddle her all day if I could.
1. I returned a jar of jam (unopened) to Ocean State Job Lot. We feed the Orioles and the Catbirds jelly, jam or applesauce in the summer. We have a specific feeder for this. DH brought home a jar of sugar free jam but I was afraid of the birds getting sick from aspartame thus the return. While there I found a jar of fig preserves which was cheaper anyway.
2. I had a free jasmine green tea iced tea at Kiva today.
3. I picked up my free medication today at CVS. For some reason my insurance gives this stuff away. DH and I are both on it. Staying on it probably keeps us out of the hospital so it's cheaper for the insurance company.
4. I rinsed my recycling container outside and used the water to water my plants.
5. CVS and Ocean State Job Lot are in the same plaza as the Salvation Army Store and I was tempted to go poke around in there but I don't need anything at present so I walked on by.
1. My cleaning lady/ friend called and wanted to work today so she could get the $37 more than she'd budgeted for; it's for the electric bill at her new larger rental unit. She had no idea how much she'd be charged because she just moved there. So I let her come over and do a little work indoors and paid her $40 plus gave her some Goodwill coupons and her favorite soda pop as a "tip." She lives mere blocks from a Goodwill store and outlet bin place.
2. She brought me a plate lunch of chicken and fries. Col. Sanders has nothing on her! She keeps old fastfood plastic containers (washed out, of course) to bring food over in. That is a frugal hack I hadn't thought of!
3. My laziest, least dependable coworker called in "sick", no surprise there, as she often does this before holidays and on the weekend; so I said yes when asked if I'd work her shift. Four extra hours pay-- her pay-- and not having to listen to this mean old woman's rude sarcasm? You betcha!
4. Leftover coffee, cooled down of course, was used to water plants.
5. Free over the air TV shows. Watching lots more TV now that it is so hot outside . Very thankful for all the subchannels they have these days. Did I mention it's all free?!?!
Our bonus guest hungry eater has returned home, but we enjoyed having him. My fridge, freezer & pantry are a little sparse! Who doesn't love a teen who helps with the dishes, cleans up after himself & strips the bed before he leaves?
1) Fed 7 people for dinner last night, when our 3 teen dinner party expanded to 5 teens. We had grilled chicken (freezer), rice, salad & fruit. DH grilled up 8 lbs of chicken not too long ago, so this was perfect timing. He also made a double batch of rice last night.
2) I helped DS19 find a packed lunch option this morning, as there was a conflict over shower timing & he was running late to work. Put two sandwiches on the panini maker, dumped some fruit in a bowl, and veggies in another. Not perfect, but everyone is fed.
3) DS20 is picking up an extra shift at work tonight, so more money in his pocket. He also gave DS19's hungry friend a ride to the airport for his flight home, which was nice.
4) I manage the finances for my special need's aunt. At her request (and due to her needs) she doesn't have access to credit without a secondary signer. Called her yesterday to check in on her budget with the cost of groceries, and if we need to redistribute more money to her grocery budget. Found out that someone had come to her house to try & get her to sign a contract on new windows, and got that shut down & sorted. It was a bit of a project to unwind.
5) DH showed DS20 how to do some additional maintenance on his car. DH is super handy, as as car issues come up, he is teaching both DS19 & DS20 how to do much of the maintenance on their own.
It's still pretty hot here so I've been spending most of my time indoors.
1. I listed several more items on Ebay.
2. I reorganized the Ebay packing materials in the office. It's a hot mess. I will have to do a little more to make it easier to find things and to use some things up.
3. I sorted through my linen closet upstairs and it looks much better. I reused the clear zippered bags leftover from previous purchased linens. I took note of Katy's closet and stacked items sideways and it's much easier to find things. I'm going to donate some items that I don't need.
4. I used some clear shoulder protectors to cover my dresses that I don't often wear. I found two packages of them at an estate sale for $1 each after I'd previously bought some from that guy I don't like.
5. I also had oatmeal for breakfast. I did not have strawberries as the one's at the store looked kind of sad.
Our electric company is asking folks to reduce energy use until 9 pm. I turned off the air and so far I'm okay. It's still way hot out there but coolness has built up inside. We will have thunderstorms tonight and then cooler weather tomorrow.
I'm under a ceiling fan, which will help, and use less energy than the AC.
Still staying inside with all the shades drawn.
I got to use a couple of my thrifted tiny jars today -- one for the last bit of taco sauce, and one for the last bit of chopped green peppers. They are so cute, with red and white checkered lids!
Two items sold on eBay today -- a pair of shorts and a pair of leggings. I listed another pair of leggings. The pile is getting smaller. Soon I will be back to listing my own things. Not clothing!
I made cheesy scrambled eggs, peppers, and tortillas for breakfast today, and I have not been hungry since. I may have a light supper, but I may not! No doubt it's the weather.
I finished Buckeye today and I have another non-renewable book to read. They aren't due until July 7, so I'm doing good.
It used to drive my mom nuts that dad and I seemed to be even hungrier during hot weather. Not sure if dad is still that way but I am. Kristen's post on Panera's Asiago steak sandwich peaked my interest. Tried it the other night and while good, I don't think I'll crave it. But if it wasn't so hot, the size of the sandwich would be too much for me.
Our A/C is off as the power went out this morning. And estimated restoration time is tomorrow afternoon. The generator runs the well, frig, and freezer but not a lot more.
Myr is giving MLM a run for her money in the "adorable" CATegory!
1. I was able to snag 2 party-sized bags of chips for $1.64 each + 1 pound of bacon for $3.07 via FlashFoods app
2. One great mystery shop (at a grocery store) seems to either be stopped or on hiatus, which is a total shame as it was easy and I could purchase whatever I wanted. BUT, one of my other standard (2x a month) mystery shop has added a salad, a pound of strawberries, a watermelon, and baby formula to the required items. My cousin & his wife just had a baby, so they told me the brand that they use, so I'll order that and hand it over to them.
3. I'm now drinking the free crappy coffee at work, but they've also put out giant coolers of Gatorade to help keep students (including those who have class in the kitchens that don't have any ac) cool, as it has hit 100+ in the Hudson Valley. So I fill up my coffee mug with Gatorade as I leave work.
4. I let my PBS subscription lapse until September, saving $14. My mom added Acorn & BritBox to her account, and I've been spending 2 nights a week at their house to help with my dad, so I'll just binge while I'm there.
5. I had a meeting with a financial advisor via work. I already work with one personally, but meeting with the work one gives me 20 points toward my "wellness" program. If I don't reach 200 points, I'm charged an extra 10% on my health insurance. This was the last 20 points that I needed, so I'm set for the next year.
PS: I think your garage just looks most of American garages - although I don't even have a driveway, so I'm jealous of anyone who has a garage no matter the state of its organization!
Katy, your garage actually looks pretty good! Some things, like the ladders one needs for a tall house, just are necessary but not easy to store.
We are under an extreme heat advisory, so DH and I have been getting up early to do outside chores when it's slightly cooler. I also have a daily deadline of being done with using the washer, dryer and dishwasher by 3 pm, after which the rate per kilowatt hour nearly doubles. Today I was only 5 minutes past 3 pm finishing the laundry.
Picked up my new glasses today, which were half what they used to cost. I switched to an optical shop this year that accepts our insurance, after the one we used for years stopped accepting most insurance.
Mended two shirts today. Made a huge and delicious sandwich from leftover salmon patties with lots of mustard and pickles. Cleaned my house with a stack of cotton rags and reusable mop pads, which were line-dried after laundering them. Made another batch of bite-size cookies from discounted cookie mix.
As far as I'm concerned, Katy, your before looks like my after-after. Pretty sure my basement looks like whatever HOUSE OF HORRORS tabloid media is on about lately.
My mother is clearing her house and I told her I'll take everything she doesn't want. So far I've acquired 3 Life is Good tshirts, a couple of books I kept, a box of books I sold to thriftbooks, my hated violin (sold today to the local violin shop for $400), coconut sugar, and pens. I've listed 2 more Life is Good tshirts and a Prana denim shirt on eBay and FB. marketplace. She gave me 2 pillowcases that I would not want as pillowcases, but the fabric was nice. I unpicked them and now will use the fabric to make cloth bapkins to give to my cousin's daughter as a wedding gift.
I'm currently waiting outside jewelers for a valuation on an antique ring. Already sold a terribly ugly bracelet for the current price per ounce for gold.
I got free lunch and coffee at the retirement community barbecue. My mother is moving in there next week and they invited me to come today.
I soaked the 2 pairs of "messy work" shorts that my husband has been wearing for 18 days of bathroom remodel. He has washed them during that time but they needed an extra soak. I was tempted to throw them away, but he was right, a good soak and they'll serve their purpose for a bit longer.
Generally eating lean and keeping all the time can out of the landfill.
This maxxing trend cracks me up! Your berry bowl with a side of oatmeal is mouth watering.
I took advantage of the calm winds and sprayed weeds to my hearts content. Happy overcast day! We used to have a whole house a/c, but it has aged out, so we live in the one room that has a split unit. Make do!
Your so called mess looks like a corner of my dad's shop i am slowly organizing. 2 bikes, 3 hoes, 4 shovels and a broom or 2.
I was gifted a table top solo stove that burns pellets, we use it this time of year. It is placed on a slate tile to protect the wood table. The kids really love smores.
Cooking beef marrow bones for a batch of Pho. Smells so good!
Cooked up my dried navy beans for baked beans for July 4th picnic. We will be going to the matinee of the local rodeo. We picnic in the park adjacent to the rodeo grounds. This is our family's 85th year of participating.
1. It's ridiculously hot here in Ohio. I only work 4 days this week because of the holiday, and I crazily biked to and from work all four days for a total of 56 miles. Saved on gas and got my exercise in too.
2. The garden is supplementing a majority of our meals. I am currently harvesting lettuce, squash, peas, and new potatoes. We also have plenty of eggs courtesy of our hens. This is keeping my grocery bill pretty low.
3. Yesterday day I passed a free pile as I was riding home from work. A vintage coffee pot caught my eye as I am looking for "wacky" containers for a gardening class I am doing at the library. I didn't want to stop on my bike as it was buried at the bottom of a tote and it was blazing hot out!!! Luckily as I went by this morning it was still there and just a block from my work, so I parked my bike and walked and carried the whole tote to work. It turns out it was a garage sale after party. No great prizes but I saved so many things from the landfill. A co-worker took a brand new curling iron, another co-worker took an essential oil diffuser, I put a very new looking coffee maker in our break room, there was also a nice looking electric mixer that I put in our break room free box, and there were 3 items I can use for wacky containers. I am not someone that feels comfortable curb picking, I always feel self-conscious, but I might have turned a page. It was exciting.
4. We are hosting a July 4th party at our house. There will just be four of us. One person has volunteered to bring a bottle of sangria and strawberry pie, and the other person we told to just bring whatever he wanted. We are going to make burgers with a couple sides and just keep it low-key and enjoy our time together.
5. My husband mentioned I might want to check out Depop. I had heard of it, but had never visited the site. It's like Poshmark but currently it is offering free shipping. I got a pair of new Skechers in a style I prefer for $5.00!! It came to $6.30 after tax and their transaction fee. I am going to look for a few specific gifts before the free shipping promo goes away.
Cute kitties!
1. Holiday gas in University town went up to $3.15 a gallon.
2. I bought $5 worth of homegrown tomatoes at the local farmer’s market today. Not exactly frugal but healthy. I have already eaten one tomato and mayo sandwich for supper.
3. We have upper 90’s with a 110 heat index. My air has been on for the past couple of hours. I anticipate I will run it three hours today so that is the frugal part I guess, considering the temp.
4. I managed to walk this morning for just 30 minutes and it was just too hot so I know when to knock it off. Common sense is frugal.
5. I do not intend to leave the house until Monday morning unless it is to watch the town fireworks a block away (I will walk of course) or to walk EARLY in the mornings in the neighborhood. I suppose that is frugal for several days.
1. Picked up a Walmart order (that included mostly rollback items and/or additional pantry items that I am stocking in case of emergency or inflation) instead of ordering delivery. I saved the tip money and swooped up my kids from summer camp on the way to combine trips.
2. Sleeping with a fan and no AC, despite the heat. It's tolerable for now.
3. Posted an old large whiteboard on Marketplace and received a bazillion "Is this still available?" messages - mostly bots, I'm sure.
4. Meal-planned for the next week prior to taking the kids on vacation. I'd like to eat down the fridge while still leaving some essentials to tide us over upon our return.
5. My son is nurturing a tomato plant that somehow ended up sprouting in a random pot on our patio. We did not have any tomato plants, so I'm not sure how it got there! He read somewhere that if a tomato plant is startled, it will send all of its energy toward producing fruit. So, he snuck up and yelled at it to see if that would do the trick 🙂
I hope Meatball will like the kitten. I found a 6-month-old stray kitten & my cat hated her. She would try to play & chase him & he would swat & hiss at her. Sometimes when he just saw her, he would hiss. I sadly had to have her put down last month.
Like Ruby I think your garage looks pretty good. The shelves are a good addition to organize things.
1. I put up my red, white, and blue July 4th themed windsock on my door. I found it w/ some other decor last year. It looks bright & cheerful.
2. I have a red, white, and blue tee shirt from a blood donation last year. I'll wear that w/ white shorts when I attend the July 4th cookout, I was invited too.
3. The 2 lb of dry navy beans I got from the senior center were sorted & soaked. They are cooking in my largest crockpot. I am making a ginormous amount of baked beans for July 4.
4. I found a huge amount of Easter decor along w/ some kid's costumes, and tropical type decorations. I will take the kids stuff to Restore. I am going to ask the Senior Center if they want the decorations as they decorate for holidays. If they don't want them then off to Restore, they go.
5. American Airlines called me to see if I wanted to reenroll in their Business Extra program. We got booted out last year as we didn't have enough employees for husband's business to qualify. There is a 10K signing bonus, so I'll investigate to see If his business will qualify. No cost involved so I will check it out.
OMG Myr is a little heart-melter, for sure! Just too cute!! Congrats on your darling new grand cat added to the family. Hope the integration with Mama's Little Meatball will go well. My sister is going to be fostering a couple of kittens for a rescue soon and I can't wait to live vicariously through her. Love those kittens!!
The boundaries of what we are responsible for are so important! And if something is messy - it is what it is. As the messy one in my partnership, this is something we've both had to work on.
However, I am also the deep cleaner - so it's an interesting dynamic. Frugal things related to a very gross fruit fly infestation:
1. Found flies in the cat litter. Dumped the cat litter and scrubbed the litter box before refilling. Let the heat wave, UV 10 sun do some sanitizing as well.
2. Found flies in the trash can/recycling bin. Threw liners out, scrubbed bins and their holder. Drying in the sun now. Continuously grateful to have a hose outside our apartment for dirty jobs.
3. Stayed the F home yesterday and cleaned my entire apartment to feel better about the fruit flies. Our nieces are visiting this weekend and while at 5 and 8 they will not care about a few flies, I sure do!
4. DH pulled bananas out of the fridge to eat one and didn't put them back right away. Immediately 5 fruit flies descended. I shook them off and put the bananas back in the fridge.
5. Made my own tried and true fruit fly trap out of a piece of paper, mason jar, and some vinegar/dish soap. Very satisfied (and grossed out) by the results already.
If the Fruit flies are really driving you mad, start up your vacuum and suck the beasties out of the air. a satisfying activity when you are up to HERE with them. You can sneak up on 'resting' fruit flies with your vacuum, too!
They like liquid, so keep your sink cleared (run the tap through both sinks, if you have two, to flush them down a couple of times a day)
Good luck! In my experience, once I get them, they are here for the season, but I do bring a lot of garden produce and fruit in many days of the week...
"116 degree "heat dome" we experienced five years ago."
We are right in the middle of it, 115 degrees were I live. Viva AC!!
Katy, just in case you haven't heard:
A kid from Portland found a Wilt Chamberlain training jackets in Goodwill bins. Bought it for $3.07 -- it's expected to auction for millions!
Now THAT would sure expand your Food Bank donation...
https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15950691/quinn-brown-wilt-chamberlain-lakers-jacket-goodwill-oregon.html
Oh yes, I'm following that new story closely! Luckily they found it at the Hillsboro location, which is very far away from my house, so it's not something that I missed out on as I never would've been at that location. No FOMO for me!
Options for ladder storage:
1 - there are "hangers" your can buy to use in the garage. We have a couple of them that keep the ladders snug to the wall
2 - outside brackets on the garage wall - our long ladder resides there. YMMV as I don't know how visible/accessible your garage is from the street. Ours is on a side wall that isn't visible.
I like having “his and her” areas too.. The garage is NOT my area! The KITCHEN IS, by my choice.My husband does not cook and when he tries, it isn’t pretty.I prefer everyone stay out of my kitchen thank you, it’s set up for MY convenience and joy. I LIKE to cook.on the other hand, there is NOTHING in the garage I like to do.Hammers,nails,screwdrivers, tree trimmers,all in my husband’s area. It works for us.
Frugal week: Made one of our favorite meals:Lentil Fatoosh.The local Mediterranean restaurant makes it for $19 per entree and I figured I could find a recipe..I did! It is a bit labor intensive but soooo yummy and I probably spend around $3.00 -$4.00 on ingredients!! We grow the fresh mint and parsley that it requires! YUM!It is a festive meal for us, with a table set the way we like and the music WE like on spotify! DATE NIGHT!
Reviewing all my “FREE” entertainment coming up this week: Book club, Art group, and GAMES day..with different social groups I belong to. Nice times together,everyone packs their own lunches, and we enjoy social time together, good for the mind and the spirit! For FREE!