Five Frugal Things -- Splitting a Restaurant Order
1. I haven't sold my $13.49 thrifted bench yet, but there's been a lot of interest which is a good sign. I'm asking $100, which I know is a stretch, but it's a one of a kind artisan created piece and I wouldn't be heartbroken to keep it.
2. I ran out of the house last night to pick up my mother and stepfather from the airport, as I'd looked at the mantle clock and thought I was running late. It turns out that the time was wrong and I'd left almost an hour early. I'd reset the clock for Daylight Savings earlier in the day, but this particular timepiece has a tendency for finickiness.
Luckily Ikea is just a few minutes away from the airport, so I pointed my car in that direction and headed up to their cafeteria. Zero dollars later, I had a cup of free decaffeinated coffee in hand and my sister on the phone for a nice long chat.
3. My husband and I went to the Horse Brass Pub and split an order of their amazing fish and chips. Their portions are enormous, so there was enough to satisfy our appetites. Although my husband enjoyed a beer, I'm always happy to drink water.
My husband is often suspicious when I suggest splitting an order, but most restaurant portions are more than you can eat in a single meal. Plus, we can always order more if it turns out I was wrong.
4. I ran out of of makeshift bin liners for the kitchen garbage, so I used a binder clip to attach a smaller random bag into place.
I save 29¢ each time I use a random free bag to line my kitchen garbage, plus more importantly I'm not supporting the disposable plastics industry. I call that a win!
5. My stepfather stopped at the grocery store on the way home from the airport and I had him grab a few bananas for us. I normally buy bananas at Trader Joe's, but my location is closed due to an asbestos issue. Free bananas!
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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1) I was looking for white dress shoes for my daughter for Easter, I always buy used since they don’t get a ton of use but then I was even feeling buying them used isn’t worth it for 1 day of wear. I was at a formal event the other weekend and noticed a lot of the women were wearing sneakers with their dresses and I realized that would make perfect sense for a child, especially since she’ll be running around outside on egg hunts. She has some gold and white sparkly native brand shoes already, and the great part about them is because they are rubber, they can be cleaned to look new very easily. Problem solved with no money spent (and my daughter will be more comfortable)
2) I was signing the kids up for summer camps and noticed my daughter had the option given her age of staying in the younger group or being placed in the older group. The weekly cost for the camp for the older group is less (because the ratio of adults to kids can be larger), they get to go swimming (the younger group doesn’t) and she’d get to be with her brother. I’m still going to ask her though which she’d prefer, saving money isn’t worth it if she’s uncomfortable being with older kids.
3) I have an abundance of dried beans right now so I’ll be making some chili this week. I can also toss a bunch of vegetables in there that need to be used up.
4) I won a French press in an auction at the kids school, I prefer pour over coffee in the morning but I think I can use the French press to make cold brew which will be nice to keep in the fridge, especially for warm days. It’s also insulated so it might be good to bring camping.
5) I made Irish soda bread last night for an early St Patricks day meal using buttermilk from the freezer.
I haven't finished resetting my clocks, and I know I'd better do it, before I turn up somewhere an hour early!
I am going to start with a bit of a fail. I started a free trial of Starz so I could watch the last season of Outlander. I didn't know that they are only releasing one per week, so the best I can do on the free trial is two episodes. I've watched one, and I can watch another on Friday, and then I have to cancel or pay. Oh well, I caught up on season 7, which I apparently didn't finish watching.
I am in the process of making a cheap lunch, which I think will be good -- leftover rotisserie chicken, Alfredo sauce from the little free pantry, egg noodles, and maybe some sour cream, if it's still good. I'm also going to saute some green beans, which have been frozen since I took them home from Christmas dinner, along with sliced almonds, also from the little free pantry.
I did laundry this morning, which included washing the New Balance sneakers I trash-picked from the alley. They came out great. But they're too big for me, so I'll donate them unless I decide they're worth trying to sell.
I walked in the community center yesterday, and also picked up a book from it's little library branch. I have a lot to read, so I'll get going on that, since I won't be binge-watching like I thought.
I figured out that I have a plastic bowl that fits perfectly in my bathroom sink. This is good, because my bathroom sink (a vintage model) does not hold water. I have a couple of plugs, but neither one makes a water-tight seal. The bowl will serve nicely as sink liner!
That's about it for today!
Sold 3 items over the weekend which I’ll hand deliver on my trip to Oregon and So Cal in a few months.
Mish mash leftovers tonight. Returned two work worthy Tshirts that didn’t work out.
Packed my drink and snack for work
I was so worried that was going to be my Trader Joe’s when I saw the headlines. I’m sorry it’s yours.
I’ve just spent the morning puttering and completing glamorous tasks like washing my bras, cleaning the litter box, pairing up socks in my “lost sock basket”, and planning dinner.
I can’t remember what I paid, but the Costco bin liners (the super flimsy type they use in office buildings) is almost a lifetime supply. If I find a bag I can repurpose for the task, I use it. Otherwise, it’s a Costco bag.
Good luck with the bench, but I think it looks like it belongs in your house!
1. I walked this morning with a friend for free exercise.
2. I washed a load of laundry and hung it to dry on a drying rack.
3. I'm soaking a Aran wool throw I found in the Goodwill bins. I used a capful of Woolite that I borrowed from my mom.
4. It's a beautiful day and unseasonably warm so I did a little weeding and a little dog poop clean up.
5. I'm reading another library book on my Kindle.
1. I've planted some of my flower starts. All grown in free compost using free seeds. I've moved some of my seedlings still in pots to a more sheltered place since it's expected to be warm these next 10 days. I managed to germinate my tomato seeds without using a heat mat or lamp. I seem to have found the perfect spot outdoors and I cover them with a double cover. The covers were free from a friend when she was moving. They are clear so the light gets through and they have mesh at the top. So there is good air circulation. The place I chose for my tomato experiment this year was on top of metal rain barrels that are south facing. They absorb the heat so nicely and my seeds came up the quickest they have ever come.
2. Threw the last couple spoonfuls of homemade pinto beans in the freezer. I didn't think I could eat them in a timely manner. I'm always happy for a single serving of beans in the freezer.
3. Hung a load of washing on the clothes line and it is already almost dry. We are in a spell of no heat needed in the house and I am thankful since energy prices rising as they are.
4. Batching errands with an eye appointment this afternoon. I am being very stingy with my driving right now. I will be glad to drop several bags at the thrift store, things that friends have left with me to donate. Since I get to sell anything sellable, I am very happy to donate the rest for them. I just saw that another friend dropped a couple of basketfuls to be either sold or donated. I'll look through them before donations before I go to the thrift store this afternoon.
5. Really needing some bedside lights in our bedroom and I'm quite tempted to get solar lights. Otherwise it needs to be rechargeable light bulbs. Those are expensive and don't last as long as the Luci solar lights. It would not be as aesthetically pleasing, which is what I'm still pondering. The solar lights would be very useful in an emergency.
5.