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.
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.