Five Frugal Things -- Summer is so Berry Sweet!
1) I had a few unscheduled hours yesterday, so I headed over to my secret spot to forage wild blackberries for the freezer. I probably should've gone during the cooler hours of the morning, but this was a spontaneous decision and logic has no place in many of my choices.
I filled my trusty milk jug twice over. The sound of running water is always so relaxing.
I place the berries in a large bowl under running water to encourage the grassy bits to float to the top, then I drain and freeze them on a single layer. (You can see that I set them on a silicon mat.) Lastly I pour the berries into zip-top freezer bags.
2) I also come across various odd items in my decidedly urban nature spot, such as beer cans and random items such as this golf ball:
Of course I brought the beer can home for the 10¢ deposit and will take the golf ball to the city's public golf course when I next pass it by.
3) I stopped at Trader Joe's on the way home to get cash back for the gas station, as paying in cash earns a 35¢/gallon discount.
I bought a single 23¢ banana.
Oh, minivan -- you do love gasoline!
I also grabbed a water bottle from the top of the garbage next to my car, as well as a seltzer can than someone had thrown from their car. That net me an extra 20¢!
"Watch the pennies and the pounds'll take care of themselves" and all that.
4) Not all berries made it into the freezer, as it would be shame to not enjoy a reward for my efforts. I followed this recipe for "Any Fruit Crisp," but cut everything in half as it was just my husband and I.
That's a miniature pie pan, but the dimensions are hard to convey without a frame of reference. I cooked it a few minutes longer than necessary, as I ran into a friend in front of the house while setting the yard debris can out for pickup. It was still absolutely delicious.
I informed my husband that "dessert is being served in the backyard" as it was a lovely evening and we scraped that pan clean!
5) I wrote that "The sound of running water is always so relaxing," which may have not been completely truthful, as I listened to Jane Austen's Emma while gathering fruit. Not sure how much running water I actually heard.
Of course, the audiobook was from the library's free Libby app.
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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"my husband and me" not "my husband and I."
Anyone who is confused, take the other person out. "It's just I" or "It's just me"? For "my husband and I" or "my husband and me"? For I or for me?
Are you freaking kidding me? Of all the info in the post, this is what you came up with to comment on? Not the great job picking up litter, the yummy looking blackberry crisp, the pretty plant behind the bowl of crisp and ice cream, the good memory to remember to get cash to save on fuel costs, the link (if available to others who subscribe) for that fruit crisp recipe? I can only imagine you're Katy's grammar-teaching relative and this is an inside joke.
Grammar is very important to a lot of people. Like cursive, grammar doesn't get the attention in schools like it should.
So is kindness and consideration.
"harriet," you also corrected me recently, completely unnecessarily. You absolutely do not need to take it upon yourself to correct others here. Add something useful to the conversation or zip it, please. This is an amazingly helpful community. Please help keep it so.
I posted earlier today, but I have a few more to add:
1. While out on our errands, I swung by BJ's to grab a bag of lemons (they are the best price of all of the grocery stores), and I used the BJ credit card to get 3% back. My AmEx gives me back 5% on groceries, but not at big box stores. While there, like Katy, I grabbed an empty seltzer can that was on top of the garbage, but alas, I live in a $.05 state. BUT, I also grabbed a receipt, and it netted me 5,000 SWEET points on Fetch. We rarely buy name-brand items, so I almost never get more than 25 points.
2. Went to the grocery store for our weekly shop ($31.00), and bought baby spinach on markdown (not Taylor Farms or any other subsidiary). Due to mystery shops and free CSA that my partner gets from work means our weekly grocery is usually around $35.
3. Maybe 4x a year, my partner and I like going to our local diner and getting BEC sandwiches with tater tots. With the crazy prices, though, this "treat," with coffee, tax, and tips comes out to about $40. But, we just paid $500 to get a part changed on our oven, so instead, we bought 2 lbs of tots ($2.99), we had bacon in the freezer (on clearance), cheese and eggs are free from mystery shops. We then stopped by our local bakery whose prices are really low, and bought one large sub roll for $50. I have a bag of coffee that a student from Mexico gave me (it is really smooth coffee), so instead, breakfast will cost us about $2, saving about $38.
4. I made a batch of iced tea, using a pack of Harney's & Sons, that I had given to me (I took my students on a tour of their warehouse a couple of years ago - so this tea is far past its "best by" but I'm sure it will be fine.
5. It is a lovely day here in New England - windows are open, and laundry is drying outside. \
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Frugal Fail: cost to fix the oven was almost $500, and it is the 3rd time that we've had to replace this one part. Our Nutribullet also died, and property taxes are due. Sigh....
Also, fruit crisp is one of my FAVORITES (part of my last-meal menu, if we get to choose), and your blackberry version looks DELISH!
What brand is your oven so I will know never to buy one..
Wow - $50 for a sub roll? While far too many complain about food costs (as well as other costs), the cost of living my neck of the Midwest is far, far less than other areas in the US. Most never venture out of our area which explains their complaints.
sorry. $0.50 for the roll
Betty, our house came with a stupidly expensive stove. DH has repaired it several times over the years. When the control board went out late last year, DH discovered the (insanely expensive) part was no longer available. He did what he always does and started looking at secondary markets. He found the same stove free on FBM. They had somehow broken the glass out of the oven door and decided to replace it. We picked it up and DH cannibalized all the parts, including the control board. He recycled the carcass. Our stove is now good as new. Cost: zero dollars and a lot of effort. A replacement would be at least $5k, so totally worth it.
You are so lucky to have found that secret spot. I don't know of any wild Blackberry places but if I did I'd be making crisps on a regular basis.
1. I made a maple custard using some of the eggs my boss gave me and some real maple syrup. Sprinkled with a few dashes of nutmeg on it for a finishing touch.
2. I started a library book A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhirst. Non- fiction. I grabbed it to get another sticker and raffle ticket for my Summer Reading Bingo card at the library because the square I want to cover requires a book with a picture of the ocean on the cover.
3. I'm also reading the two recent New Yorker magazines I borrowed from the library.
4. I hung two loads of laundry outside because the weather is supposed to turn rainy starting tomorrow and lasting a few days.
5. I walked the newspapers I share with a neighbor up to her house on the next street. On the way I stopped and chatted with another neighbor. Socialization and exercise all in one.
I love that other people are enjoying their libraries' adult summer reading programs!
I was watching Emma on Amazon Prime when the storm outside intensified and the power was suddenly cut off. Three hours later it's still off. I have a window open so I don't suffocate!
I will probably lose some food. No estimated time for the power to be restored. The outage is widespread, more than 1300 customers without power in my area alone.
Before this happened, I made a run to the post office and library, and I'm just grateful I didn't get caught in the storm.
With nothing working, and the skies too dark to read, I took a short nap.
I have seen neighbors moving branches to the side of road. I'm glad that as a condo dweller I don't have that responsibility.
I probably won't be able to post this, but I'll give it a try
It worked! I don't understand technology at all.
I'm so sorry you're without power, hopefully you won't lose too much food.
Beth, I hope your power comes on soon. We had a 12-hour outage two years ago and didn't lose any food. The Internet said to toss after four hours. No way! If you don't open your fridge or freezer, you might be better off than you think. Smell everything before tossing anything. We're vegetarian so we didn't have any meat fish, or fowl to contend with.
I always love to see the majestic pines in your photos (like at the gas station). So beautiful!
1. Saturday I got a manicure and a pedicure using a gift certificate I received at Christmas. I then met my husband and brother-in-law at my mom's house where we had a picnic on her back patio. She supplied all the food and we supplied all the work. She's 85 so that's the least we could do. She sent me a text later that night thanking me for doing up all the dishes too, I guess she hadn't expected that.
2. I trash picked an apple from the breakroom trashcan. The top was slightly bruised, but my chickens won't mind.
3. The library director showed me pictures of some display fixtures another library had posted for free. The library is three hours away from mine. The fixtures new would cost around $9,000. I got my husband to agree to drive over with his truck and trailer and get them for my library. I get paid for the day to go with him, and we get paid mileage. Win win all around.
4. Over the weekend I sold 5 items on eBay. Nothing too big, but I enjoy the tiny streams of extra money. I of course reused packaging. I even printed the labels on the backsides of already used paper.
5. Rode my bike to work and back. While cycling I found a box cutter in excellent condition along side the road. I gifted it to my husband. It was heavy metal and made in the USA.
I have an “any fruit coffee cake” in the oven right now. I’m using the last of the sour cherries. I use the recipe from the BHG cookbook, and I’m embellishing with sliced almonds.
You’re lucky to have found berries that aren’t too seedy. I have an endless supply of tasty berries here, but the seeds are huge!
I can’t see or smell smoke from the fires, but my eyes are burning and watering anyway! I guess I’m very sensitive to smoke. I sure hope everything calms down!
I picked blueberries, strawberries and cucumbers. I have enough cucs to make 4 quarts of dill pickles. I will pick beans, kohl rabi and a cabbage for dinner.
Soaked a load of dirty farmer work clothes, washed and hung on the line.
Changed the oil in my lawn mower, gave it a good scrub.
Filled in the claw marks on my back door left by my brothers dog, let it sit for a few hours, sanded and primed. I will paint it tomorrow.
Washed the windows on the road facing side of the house.
Set roomba to vacuum while I worked outside. I steam cleaned the floors when I got in from chores.
Going to attempt a knee blow out mend job on my favorite jeans.
1.This morning, I went to a neighbor's house. She had invited several ladies from around the neighborhood for coffee at 10 a.m. We had a very nice visit. When it was time to go, they asked if anyone would like the little jar of Half and Half; our hostess is allergic to dairy and the person who brought the cream said she has a half gallon at home. No one else wanted it so I accepted. It made me think of you, Katy, because it appears the Half and Half was poured into a Bon Maman jelly jar with the red and white checkerboard lid.
2. Returned the squegee we'd bought to apply the window film with, and didn't need, to Lowe's and got my money back....over $7.
3. A frugal near miss: I need a longer coaxial cord for my indoor TV antenna to stretch over to the front window. Where it will likely pick up more stations (as opposed to staying where it was now that we've put insulation in the west window). Before going to a regular store, I popped in to Salvation Army Thrift Store and found a longer cord for $1.99 ($2.15 once they charged sales tax.). So I happily brought it home, only to discover my antenna has a permanently connected cord. on the antenna end and I cannot unscrew it to connect the new cord. So my cord is useless.All sales are final at Salv. Army, but I can donate it back.
4. Unhooked the antenna in the den and set it up in the bedroom. It's a different kind of indoor antenna, actually has rabbit ears, but it enabled me to watch Jeopardy! this afternoon.
5. Refilled my Rx with a 3 month supply of pills, in anticipation of the Orange Ogre's 100% tariff supposedly being levied on generic drugs in the near future. (Unless he chickens out or a federal court blocks it.)
Our only hope with the drug tariffs is that he T.A.C.O.s again.
Re: your #5: As we chant at our local AAA minor league ballpark when the Taco Bell K-Man comes up to the plate, "TA-CO! TA-CO! TA-CO!"
1. I walked an hour this morning.
2. I went to Aldi. I bought from their freezer the $2.99 cheese pizza, jar of mayo for $2.89, premium sausage for $2.89, hot dogs for 99 cents, 80% lean ground beef (4) patties for $6.69 which was a mistake bc I thought I was getting the $4.99 patties, slice shadow cheddar cheese for sandwiches for $1.49, hamburger buns for $1.39, plain bagels for $1.99, and bistro multigrain bread for $1.99 on sale ($2.00 off).
3. Gas was $3.47 a gallon, nothing to write home about.
4. I paid some bills to avoid a late fee.
5. I will sit inside and enjoy my house and its air bc I am sure at the end of the month I am going to be singing the blues when I get my electric bill.
Free berries...YUM!
1. Our youngest's birthday was Saturday. We had her, her husband, our son, her best friend and best friend's partner. Hubby smoked chicken and ribs as per the birthday girls request. There was also homemade coleslaw and grilled zucchini. We played corn hole and talked a lot. Her gifts were a bar of soap from the farmers market, a brand new thrifted game, Reece's Peanut Butter cups and cash from us. She was very happy.
2. The garden is going strong. I soaked all of my banana peels in water and then water the plants with them. I did Epsom salt on my tomatoes. I also make compost tea and pour it on the plants. I weeded lots and lots. We picked our first cucumbers. We are starting to get the next batch of lettuce. String beans, cherry tomatoes, Swiss chard, zucchini, basil, mint, parsley, cilantro, thyme, rosemary and strawberries are still going strong. I should be getting my first eggplant and peppers any day.
3. All of our cooking is based on what needs to be used or what we want from the garden.
4. I was given lunch at work today. My friend gets the best baked potatoes from her butcher shop. I kept what I brought for tomorrow.
5. Panera sent me a free sandwich, salad or soup from my review of last week's visit with my son. I gave it to my husband. He brought it back to work where they have free drinks and chips.
6. My friend made me a beautiful blanket and gave me a gift card for helping her clean her in laws house out. She also wrote me a lovely note.
7. Hubby and I scrubbed my car inside and out.
8. Hubby was given an unexpected bonus at work. They had a very good 1st half of the year. I love his company.
Your garden sounds fantastic!
Thank you. I was always in the garden with my dad when I was little. My oldest daughter is following in my footsteps. She keeps expanding her garden every year.
1) I’m finishing an audiobook on Libby through my library, The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, I’m really enjoying it. I already have Yesteryear checked out as my next audiobook (it’s our book club read for next month)
2) My birthday is next week and my parents hosted us last weekend for a bbq at their house to celebrate. My moms love language is giving gifts and I’m a bit of a minimalist so it’s always been a sort of conflict, with me telling her not to get me anything and her giving me a pile of things I dont want anyways. This year she asked what I wanted, and I gave her a list of consumables (coffee, dark chocolate, and bread from a local bakery in her town) It worked well, she of course went overboard and bought 2 loaves of bread, 2 lbs of coffee and 10 bars of dark chocolate, but since it can all get eaten, it didn’t stress me out thinking of it cluttering my house forever and it satisfied her urge to shop and gift generously.
Loved Heaven and Earth Grocery Stire and your #2 is a great way to balance your lifestyle and wishes with your mom’s!
Lisa, happy early birthday! I love how your mom stuck to your list and then some.
Suggesting consumables is such a great idea. It was so sweet of your mom to double items on your list. Any kind of chocolate is good love language in my book!
You just bought a single banana? Were there none available that would ripen later (or in my case, get an amount of healthy brown spots as I just *cannot* consume a banana that is not close to having at least one brown spot?)
We had enough at home and they ripen too quickly this time of year.
When I have grapes that are not being eaten I wash them drain then place on paper towels. Freeze if you want sweeter ones dampen your hands rub hand full of grapes put in zip lock bag add some sugarclose and shake.freeze. use small bags one serving size
Just finished listening to "Emma" on Libby! I'm painting my bedroom and the audiobooks are wonderful to listen to while working. Right now, I'm immersed in the world of "David Copperfield"!! Thank you for bringing the Libby app to my attention!
Your blackberries look fabulous! This has convinced me to go picking today. There are blackberries everywhere - so far we’ve only picked for eating fresh but I would like to make jam.
Went through my fabric box and found some flannel pieces that I made dusting cloths with.
On the weekend we went to a community fair that was mainly to promote local businesses. There was one booth that featured what I suppose was Amazon Fresh. Nobody pushed anything but they did fill up a grocery bag to give us: 4 oranges, 2 nectarines, 2 apples, 2 bananas, 2 Kind bars and 2 small bags of some sort of fruit jellies. I will take free food.
Last night I made bean burritos with pinto beans and some grilled chicken I got at the salad bar of our local food coop. All I got at the salad bar was the grilled chicken which made it a pretty cheap purchase.
Our protest group this week was concerned that Patriot Front might turn up. We were instructed to ignore and no contact if it did happen. Apparently they were in town to hear Erica Kirk give a rally/talk at what is known as a nationalist/cult church. Luckily they didn’t disrupt our weekly protest (there were extra security people on hand).
I am reading an excellent mystery from Kindle Unlimited. ‘The Keeper’ - a mystery by Tanya French.
This is a great reminder that I need to make more cobbler/crisps!
1. In the office today enjoying their AC instead of running it at home.
2. Spent yesterday evening cooking basically all the perishable food in our fridge - I had done a big shop last week and was determined to not let anything go bad. Now we have white chicken chili and a turkey scramble-thing to put in tacos or eat with chips.
2a. I also got to use my garden grown bell peppers and jalapenos! I did not realize how much spicier the jalapenos from the backyard would be!
3. Brought coffee, breakfast, and lunch with me today to enjoy the spoils mentioned above.
4. DH is on a work trip and asked if I wanted to come - flight and hotel covered - and while I normally jump on the chance, I declined. I was overwhelmed not by the travel but by the little expenses like meals out and cabs around. I mindfully stayed home and enjoyed our apartment and the chance to watch my reality TV shows all night 🙂
5. Planning a cute friends getaway this weekend. We are staying at a ritzy hotel, which you already know means enjoying every single amenity and bringing as much of our own food and drinks as we can 🙂
1. We went to my husband’s 60th high school reunion over the weekend. Our 2005 Prius got 45 miles to the gallon. Even replacing the big battery has been much cheaper than buying a new or used car.
2. I took along our instant pot and measured packets of breakfast cereal. I chopped some of our Costco dried mango to toss in with the cereal before cooking. Not bad.
3. Spouses were not much noticed as the alums reminisced. While everyone else concentrated on the cupcake bar, I thoroughly enjoyed all the berries and cream.
4. Katy’s last post reminded me of cooking when I had an old-fashioned thrift store corn popper but no stove. I would cook some rice and add tuna and mixed veg near the end of the cooking time. Retrospectively surprised not to have mercury poisoning.
5. The Mister and I are not snappy dressers and occasionally irritated by the other’s ragged duds. Several times in lieu of gifts we have each let the other choose one garment for us to retire.
6. Still subbing vegetables we are growing in favorite recipes. Green beans, cabbage, turnips, and their greens for broccoli.
7. Washed and hung a big load of laundry, harvested two quarts of kraut that had been fermenting for three weeks. It gets mushy if I let it go too long in the summer. Six weeks is a perfect fermentation time in the winter.
8. I have enough food on hand for another five days--but no fruit. I asked a neighbor to pick me up some apples when she went shopping this morning. Saved me a dollar or so on gas. I'll return the favor when I shop next week.