Five Frugal Things -- So Much Bird Poop!
1) I listed my recently acquired sumo wrestler mug on eBay for $30, which is actually a lot less than other sellers, so here's to hoping for a quick sale!
Click HERE to see the listing.
2) We had the kids to the house for our weekly "Family Dinner" which was extra enjoyable as our youngest brought their partner. We served a $35 Whole Foods* salmon, brussel sprouts and green beans "Family Meal." I also cooked a pot of rice to accompany the food.
I noticed that Safeway had their Ben & Jerry's ice cream on sale for $2.99/pint, so texted each person earlier in the day to ask their favorite flavor. This is how each dinner guest got their own bespoke frozen dessert with leftovers to bring home.
Obviously, this was a hit!
3) Portland hit 88 degrees yesterday, so I took advantage of the hot weather to scrub down our outdoor furniture and cushions. The humungous maple tree in our backyard is home to a multitude of birds, which unfortunately means our outdoor furniture is a ripe landing spot for their guano. The hot weather gave me the opportunity to saturate the cushions with a hope that they'd dry in a timely manner, (not a guarantee in mildew-merry Oregon!) so it really was a time to make hay while the sun shone!
So poopy!
There, better!
Mind you, the cushions are mostly mismatched due to their curb picked origins so the best they can hope to look is "clean." I did get an early enough start so the cushions were dry by the time dessert rolled around.
It would look super cute to have new cushions, but I take every rip and stain as an opportunity to up my refurbishing game!
Please enjoy my scrappy fence situation. It ain't pretty.
4) My youngest's partner has a Peacock subscription without commercials, (so fancy!) so they logged into their account so we could watch an episode of The Office after the mosquitos gathered in the backyard.
They said they were happy to share their account, which means I can start to enjoy Peacock content again, as their deluge of brain rotting commercials on our normal account (that comes free with our cell phone service) crosses the line. I rarely watch anything on Peacock for this reason.
5) I talked to a couple different neighbors about hosting a casual evening get together, where everyone simply brings a beverage and hangs out in my backyard. Everyone thought it was a good idea. No one wants the pressure of being hosted by Martha Stewart!
Of course, me being me . . . my adult beverage will be ice water in a thrifted Hydroflask. Perhaps with a lemon wedge if I'm feeling elite.
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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* Fuck you, Schmeff Schmezos!
* This blog post includes an eBay referral link.
Jumping not exactly into June. Discovered a new sight to list items on (Depop) I’ve already sold two items I had listed for weeks on other sites.
Gathered items to take to consignment store as I’ll be up that way tomorrow
Dropping a few items off at my dog rescue club annual garage sale.
Organized sort of my closet for a capsule wardrobe.
My chair outside is sooooo bird poopy! I have to wash it almost every day… ugh.
1. I made breakfast and lunch and will make dinner at the house.
2. Bought gas in University town for $3.33 and I was thrilled!
3. I have the windows up and the air off. Luckily it is only in the 80’s today.
4. I walked an hour while washing my clothes at the laundromat.
5. I plan to enjoy the sunset out my windows bc I pay taxes on this place!
I took a walk to the lake this morning. I found some sealed packets of soy sauce that someone had left behind.
I went by a little free library and picked up a book, The Perfect Paragon, by MC Beaton.
I brought up a manageable bag of my sister's clothes from the car. The big bags are way too heavy to move alone. I put some of the clothes in the hamper -- they aren't dirty, but need freshening. One sweater is soaking in the sink. I noticed a small snag, so I may not sell that one.
I made a childhood favorite for lunch -- cut-up hot dogs in a "barbecue sauce" of chili sauce and grape jelly, over rice.
I have been double-charged on one of the hotel rooms I stayed in. I called, and the person I spoke to said it has been corrected and it will show up on my Visa account soon. I'll be watching.
Custom ice cream for guests sounds very deluxe! Good luck with selling that cute mug.
At our previous house, we inherited a lot of outdoor chairs with sun-damaged cushions. I recovered them with slipcovers sewn from polyester shower curtains bought super cheap at a salvage store. It was a bit time consuming sewing giant rectangles, but they looked really nice when it was done.
ooo. that shower curtain idea is awesome!
I second that!
--Found a Walgreens receipt in the parking lot and scanned it into Fetch.
--Rinsed out and dried a couple of ziploc bags. We don't use these a lot, but it's nice to reuse them as much as I can.
--Nabbed two good books (The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2025, Best American Mystery and Suspense 2025) from a little free library while out on a walk.
--Made some truly awful (but edible) granola, and held my nose and ate it rather than toss it. Lesson learned: stick with oatmeal. Easier and harder to mess up.
--Rode my bicycle to get some produce at the store, and stuck to my list (with the exception on an on-sale Ollipop, as I was very thirsty and, well, it sounded great. It was great.)
I love the little tables next to each chaise lounge. So pretty!
1. I washed two large loads of laundry in cold water and hung them to dry outside on the umbrella clothesline.
2. I'm soaking all the hairbrushes and combs in cleaning vinegar. I usually soak them in ammonia but I ran out of it. Ammonia works really well for this task but I'm hoping the vinegar works as well.
3. I indulged myself with an afternoon of reading my library book When I Was a Child on the deck all afternoon because as Cindy says above: I pay taxes on this place. In my case I pay a mortgage too. I also miss sitting on my deck in the cold months so much every year, I try to enjoy it as much as I possibly can.
4. I made a big pitcher of lemon iced tea and enjoyed a glass of it while reading outside.
5. I have plans to go to a free "Elvis Concert" at the library tomorrow night. This Elvis impersonator reportedly gives an excellent show.
We have crows at my house. The (indoor) cat cowers behind the sofa, but keeps his eyes on the drama outside. Luckily, the crows’ favorite roost is a branch hanging over the side of the street designated as “no parking”, so no cars or lawn chairs get the poopy treatment.
1. I dropped by Costco to purchase a rotisserie chicken. I bought just the chicken.
2. I found $1 in the parking lot.
3. Since I was out in the ‘burbs, I stopped at a suburban Fred Meyer, where I hit the jackpot on scratch and dent produce. I got two half pints of raspberries for $1.50, two pounds of strawberries for $1.50, five lemons for $1.50, and three mangos for $1.50!
4. I also found half a pound of mozzarella for $2.50.
5. I found a receipt in the parking lot that was worth 1000 fetch points.
I love crows! They are my favorite bird. I put out stale bread & veg scraps for them. Crows are very smart. They use twigs are implements, they learn traffic patterns to crush nuts, and they remember people who are kind or mean to them. A flock of crows is called a murder.
-Sold a couple of things on eBay
-Hosted a lunch making session for my summer eaters (DS19 & DS20), where I got out various leftovers, fruit, veggies & snacks & helped them come up with packed lunch options.
-Picked up fruit from a neighbor who was going on vacation. She had bananas & peaches, which were appreciated. The peaches were the perfect level of ripeness.
-Boss asked me to wear a blazer to a work event that is described as business casual. I have lots of business casual clothes. Mentioned that I as planning to wear my standard uniform of black dress pants, heels & a dressy top. She approved, thus saving the need for me to scramble to find a blazer that I will never wear again.
-Will attend workout class today. Got off the wait list pretty late & considered skipping due to work demands, but shuffled things around, got super productive, & now I will go - getting what I've already paid for.
Love the meet up, no pressure idea
Didn’t drive care for 2 days
Walked to gym daily, workout before workout.
Attended free concert. Walked there and took my own water.
Cooked all my meals at home and kept them healthy.
Used left over parsley to make chimichurri for the pork tenderloin I made tonight. Served with roasted carrots and rice. Served 4 of us tonight with leftovers that will feed 5 for dinner tomorrow.
1. I walked three times this week with a friend for free exercise and amateur therapy.
2. I combined errands which included dropping off packages at the post office and going to my favorite cheap DIY car wash.
3. I scrubbed my tile floors with my estate sale lavender scented all purpose cleaner and scrub brush on a stick.
4. I sold several items on Ebay this week.
5. I returned pop cans to Meijer and purchased the items on my list. I also used a $2 reward coupon..my groceries were free and I got $5.85 back plus an additional 7 cents that was in the coin return.
Absolutely love your eclectic outdoor space!!!
Katy if you got new cushions for your outdoor chairs the birds would poop on them. IMHO, better for them to poop on the thrifted ones. I like the cushion w/ the green floral pattern.
1. I removed an upholstered bar stool from a dumpster & tried my hand at cleaning the cushion. It came out pretty good. I plan to take it to Restore in the hopes that they can sell it.
2. I have been sick the last 2 days w/ some kind of GI virus. Very little food eaten so that saves money. My misery is finally resolving. I left the house to go on a long walk. The ocean breeze & fresh air revived me somewhat.
3. My free mangos are ripening on the windowsill.
4. I have a new load of things to take to Restore. Their prices have gone up. The cost of building materials has gone up so I guess they had to raise their prices.
5. I won a $50 GC on the Marlboro website where I enter my cigarette codes. I don't smoke but I will take their free stuff. I used part of my Uber GC I got from them to get from the train station to my condo. Planes, trains, and automobiles. After ER visit, having to put my sweet cat down, and now GI dysentery the GC was the one bright spot in the last 2 weeks.
I'm so sorry about the loss of your cat. Sending hugs.
Love the personalized dessert hack.cool.literally.
I have bird poop problems, too. We use old fitted sheets and pop 'em off and toss under the chair. Beats bird Shtuff.
Invited neighbors over for sunrise yoga on the front porch, ended up rain yoga, but still enjoyable.
Made a batch of sour dough waffles for the freezer. The kids love them.
Took Eggs in Purgatory for community dinner, served over lazy egg noodles (meaning I cut them extra wide). Lots of eggs, happy chickens. Made sourdough baguettes to sop up the sauce. Such a yummy frugal meal.
I weeded and deeply mulched the trees in the orchard.
I made two more habitats for garter snakes to keep the slugs under control.
Replanted the sunflowers as the last seedlings got munched up by the 28 quail that also murdered my second planting of corn.
Using fitted sheets is a great idea!
“When I was young”… cushions would be stored in garage overnight. Fear of mildew if cushions were wet. Depression era parents, so learned to take care of what we had.
Every night? That's an attention to detail that I simply do not possess. Although I absolutely admire the dedication!
My grandparents did too and all we had on them was cat hair because we had a Persian. Well she loved to lay on the cushions when they were inside. She was an indoor cat.
1) We took an entire inventory of our pantry, so now I know what I need to preserve from the garden/orchard/woods this summer and fall. Since we live in an area where volcanos/earthquakes/tsunamis/windstorms are a risk that could cut off our supply chain for several months, we try to keep a rolling one year of food on hand, so keeping inventory is a must to ensure we are rotating and staying properly stocked.
2) We cleaned up the orchard so that the trees will hopefully be fruitful. Lots of blossoms this spring and no late frost, so fingers crossed! We took out two dead trees, which I hope to replace with cherry trees if I can find a deal or someone that will let me take a graft.
3) Turned last summer’s compost pile and started the new one. We now have a batch of finished compost for top dressing the garden! Yay, free nutrients!
4) Continued to work on the embroidered wall clock I am making for my mom’s birthday next month. I actually have two months to finish it, because I will give it to her when we visit in August.
5) A friend of mine is returning home to France in a few days, after living in the US for the last two years. I made her a card and an embroidered bookmark. She’s an avid reader and we met in a writing workshop, so I figured a bookmark was a fitting gift and it is small enough to take up no space in her luggage.
Wow to all your weather risks! You have a good plan for keeping food on hand.
We took our recycling to the center in the town where we do all our shopping. Over a year ago we switched to a trash service that does not offer curbside recycling -- saving $45 a month. It's easy enough to take the recycling once every month or so with us on errand day. I find it very satisfying to visit the center with all the other people who are also sorting their recycling.
I purchased two new-to-me pairs of pants on Poshmark for a great price, then faced the task of hemming them. (I am 5'2" short -- I have hemmed clothing my entire adult life). I watched a video on hemming flared pants and successfully completed the job. Again, very satisfying.
I'm wearing my new pants tonight out with friends. We're car-pooling to a free concert, taking picnic dinners with us. Great free fun.
I was supposed to pick up my friend at the airport at 9 pm the other night. I was not feeling well and dreading it. She called to say that while waiting for her flight she ran into a couple from our same small town and they kindly offered to take her home. Saved me a 45-minutes each-way drive and a late night out. (This kind of thing happens all the time around here -- I wasn't surprised.)
Your backyard looks like a lovely place to relax and enjoy good company!
Well done on scrubbing the cushions - I'd be tempted to just toss them as bird guano is definitely not my favorite thing.
Have a wonderful day,
Lea
Not my favorite thing either, although I'm cheap enough to get through the ick.
I love hearing about a nice family evening..those weekly or whenever they can happen family dinners are the best!!!!
Your backyard looks comfy and cozy, perfect for those breezy evenings when we do get them. I love taking my morning coffee outside in the mornings whenever I can.
That sumo mug is could adorable..so many “collectable” things out there..I wish I could get the hang of reselling but am too lazy! But I DO get totally excited when I find a pair of not too worn Vionics at my consignment store!! I get almost ALL my clothes at local thrifts and often find the “ortho “ shoes I have to have, like Vionics, there.They are hard to get used to (high arch support) and many people buy them and sell them almost new, hardly worn!!
Here’s an idea to help avoid poopy outdoor cushions: After enjoying outdoor time, just flip the cushions over. If they get hit with a bird bomb, it’s no big deal. Then just flip back to the good side next time you are out for a bit of relaxation. Might need to clean them once a season, but this beats sitting in perpetual !