Five Frugal Things -- The Perfect Parking Spot!
1) I've been driving around with books in the back of my car from last weekend's garage sale after parties, just waiting until there was a Friday, Saturday or Sunday that coincided with a rare parking spot in front of the Powell's Books on Hawthorne Blvd. (They only buy books on those days.) I figured it would take at least a couple weeks for the stars to align, but there was a parking spot directly in front of the store this afternoon.
I parallel parked my car into that spot so efficiently, you'd think it was an Olympic event!
The employee told me to browse the store while he worked his way through everything. Not exactly a terrible way to kill time.
I took a bunch of photos of books to reserve at the library, including this one. I love time loop books/movies/TV shows, (Star Trek: The Next Generation's Cause and Effect is one of my favorite episodes of TV!) I know nothing about this book, but still put it on hold.
I also photographed some of their recommendation bookmarks.
Powell's is very picky about what they buy, but in the end I got $32 in store credit, which'll be fun for a future shopping trip. The remainder of the books will hit my little free library.
Again, I cannot overemphasize the rarity of such a good parking spot.
2) I grabbed one of Powell's Summer Reading Challenge cards, which'll be fun.
It has a bingo card format and it'll be interesting to see whether or not I complete it, as the categories are super specific.
3) I somehow let my gas tank get frighteningly low, but filled it back up paying only (ha!) $4.23/gallon. I paid cash to get a 25¢/gallon discount, which I did by stopping at the Trader Joe's up the road and grabbing bananas to get cash back.
My discount added up to more than the price of the bananas. So . . . kind of like free bananas?
4) I picked up four of these organizer grid thingies from last weekend's garage sale after party and am thinking I'll use them in our bedroom closet. I do have something that I rigged up a few years ago from curb picked organizer cube pieces, but this'll better as you can choose the width.
Our 1914 house doesn't have a linen cupboard, so sheets live in our bedroom closet. This house does have a twin a few blocks away and we learned that it did originally have one, but it was remodeled away at some point in time.
Taking everything down will force me to make choices about which sheets need to be kept and I'll likely offer a few things up in my Buy Nothing group.
5) I started reading a library copy of The Overdue Life of Amy Byler. It seems like a fun read and not every books needs to be a weighty tome.
Staying on a daily reading routine is moving me towards the thirty days I need to complete my library's adult summer challenge. Gotta get that tote bag!
Now your turn, what frugal things have you been up to?
Your van has gotten a workout lately. A good vehicle for your donating, purging, and cleaning out the storage building. When I get a new (used) vehicle I want a small SUV or car w/ a fold down back seat to haul stuff. I miss my Subaru Forester. A satisfying feeling to get the storage building cleaned out & books offloaded. Now you can relax in your shady backyard w/ a cold drink.
This actually our other car, but yes -- the minivan is pulling her weight lately!
1. I hit a few yard sales today and on the way to the first one a curb alert popped up in my FB group. It was posted five minutes before we got there but I was able to pick up two outdoor chair cushions. I washed them when I got home and they fit two of my free deck chairs from a few years ago.
2. Pickings were slim at the yard sales today but I did take a half full 27 ounce bottle of baby shampoo from a free box. I also bought two strands of battery operated Christmas lights for $2.
3. Frugal for my public library - not me - but on Friday I donated 16 higher quality jigsaw puzzles(mostly Dowdle and Buffalo). People do not want to pay for puzzles on Marketplace and for me, ebay is a lot of work. I do sometimes sell in my Ravensburger FB group.
4. Made two pans of focaccia today - one for us and one for DD30 and BF33. Makes humble pasta and red sauce seem fancier.
5. Decided to start alternating tea and coffee in the morning. I have a Nespresso Vertuo that I really love but the capsules are about $1-$1.50 each. I tried refilling the used capsules with a kit but it’s just not the same.
We get the Nessus foil lids and refill ours. Its 100 for like $12.
Not a frugal week, as I'm just back from an awesome (not even remotely) frugal vacation, and trying to put the pieces back together.
1) Made a menu plan, cleaned the fridge, and had DH run to Costco to pick up supplies.
2) Received a $250 deposit refund for DS19's dorm room. If you could have seen the state of this when I arrived for move out, you would be blown away by what we accomplished by the time we finished. This money was hard earned!
3) Helped DS19 navigate an appeal to a parking ticket when he was visiting a friend at UCLA. He did pay, but didn't move the car in time, which resulted in a $174 ticket. By showing his original payment, they dropped the fine to $20 as a "first time offender".
4) Packed up the things I bought in Greece (trip above) in lots of bubble wrap & managed to avoid breaking anything. I don't usually buy souvenirs on trips, but did buy some hand made pottery from a shop a family has been running for forty years. They gave us a tour& we got to see how things were made. It was really quite fascinating. The pottery will be used as serving dishes & will bring back some fun memories.
5) Paid 15 euros (shared 3 ways) with friends on a trip, which helped us avoid needing to haul around huge bags. This was a particular win, as we had connecting flights, ferry travel, etc.
That was meant to say that I paid 15 euros (split three ways) for an enormous bag of laundry. I left out what it was for.
1. A combination of store sale, manufacturing coupon, and Fetch, meant that I was able to get a 30-ounce jar of Hellman's mayo for $0.80, rather than $6.49 This is one of the few items that I buy store brand, but I always try to get it on deep discount, and as part of a mystery shop.
2. I was planning on buying a bag of frozen edamame, but they were out of the cheapest (store brand). I asked an employee who was restocking frozen veg, but he didn't have any more, so he grabbed a bag of the organic edamame and told the person at the register to just charge me the price that the store brand would have been. The organic bag was also 2 ounces more.
3. I went to a work event (12:30-2) to earn some capital with my boss today, but it also meant that I drank free coffee, got lunch for free, and brought home 2 snickerdoodle cookies.
4. I'll save the snickerdoodle cookies for tomorrow, when I'm hosting a friend at my work apartment for the night. I planned our meal around mystery shop ingredients, so I'm making pork banh mi burgers. The pork and brioche buns were free, and the carrots and radishes were from the free CSA box. Dessert will also be ice cream that was free for the mystery shop (I'll serve with the cookies). I think in all, I spent $10 (edamame, cilantro, cucumbers, basil), but I'll get an additional two dinners from all of the ingredients, or about $2.50 per serving for each meal, which seems reasonable.
5. A friend and I wanted to go out for dinner, and so I was able to find another mystery shop for a steakhouse. In addition to the free meal, I made $6.00, and brought home a salad to eat for tonight's dinner.
I've visited Powells, I know how rare those parking spots are! Hooray for getting it!
1. I'm nearing the end of 2 weeks with no car. It has been quite liberating. I have been creative with food, completed so many things around the house, used my bike even more, and strengthened some friendships through carpooling. I have been able to do all of my usual commitments.
2. I asked on Buy Nothing if anyone in my neighborhood with solar would be willing to let me charge my bike battery a couple times in July. Dh usually charges it at work, but he's a teacher and off for the summer. Someone one street over from me replied that they'd be happy to charge the battery for me. Another social connection strengthened, and some money saved.
3. I made coleslaw with the last bit of elderly cabbage, and filled it out with kale from my garden. It turned out well. I suspect many would have thrown away this last bit of cabbage, but I'm really committed to not throwing dollars in the trash (or the compost in this case). Once in the coleslaw, no one would know that the cabbage was elderly.
4. I've done some organizing in the garage, storing polyfill (for cushions) in bags that compress down. I keep a single tub of "practice fabric" (old sheets), quilt batting, and polyfill. I do not keep anything that won't fit in that one tub.
5. Sold the highchair I listed on fb marketplace on the same day that I listed it. Listed a few more things. Sales are much slower. Has anyone else experienced this?
1. I walked an hour between 5:30 and 6:30 a.m. this morning.
2. It is now 3 pm here and hotter than he$&. Okay, maybe not but you get the drift. I still have managed not to turn the air on today… yet. The day is still young though.
3. I used my new Starlink internet to work a couple of hours this morning. I estimated it already paid for this month’s cost of the Internet so I would say it was worth it. It feels weird to have reliable internet. I also just realized I am using my phone to post this out of sheer habit and hoping it works! Old habits are hard to break!
4. I ate my salmon, cream cheese and bagel again this morning, my cheap take on lox and bagel. Tomato sandwich for lunch with fresh watermelon. I may have eaten ice cream.
5. I have not left town but I did walk to the post office. So I have saved on using any gas today. Although I am so tempted to go swimming at the park several miles up the road. Maybe tomorrow. Did I mention it is really hot?
I also forgot to connect my phone to the WiFi bc I was not sitting where it could be connected. Just moving locations means I have great WiFi for my phone! Living in the boonies can be interesting…. lol. Easy access is awesome!
A parking space like that deserves to be commemorated with a photo.
I stayed home today and gave both my dogs a bath and conditioned their coats. They are fluffy girls so this helps keep them looking good. We are on the cheaper kilowatt rate all weekend, so I also laundered their towels, bed slipcovers and a pillowcase full of grubby stuffed toys.
I bought a few new clothing items, mostly on clearance and including things I cannot thrift like underwear. Everything arrived today and I handwashed three stacks of stuff, squeezed it out in old towels, and have it drying on the energy efficient cycle.
Also received a set of used books today and stuck them in the freezer for 48 hours, just in case.
It's a very hot day, so I went to the garden first thing and added a new stake and string to the big tomato plant and harvested a bowl full of basil.
I know the value of a good parking place! Sometimes I think parking rules my life!
1. I made another run to the library today. I returned two books and picked up two, Buckeye, and My Husband's Wife. It was a train trip. This time I didn't almost lose my purse.
2. I dropped into the little Target that's between the library and the train station. I bought yogurt, and acquired five receipts. Target is a gold mine for discarded receipts, I think because so many of its customers are college students.
3. I assembled a small lasagna casserole, made with penne, not lasagna, and mozzarella, not ricotta. Will pop it in the oven soon.
4. Since we're expecting extreme heat on Monday, I am planning to do laundry tomorrow. The laundry facilities are in my building, but I do have to go outside briefly to get to the right door. The heat will last through Wednesday, so I expect to stay inside those days.
5. I used a small jar and one teabag to make sun tea. It's on my windowsill, as I have no outdoor space. Seems to be darkening nicely.
The extreme heat will last through Friday - you are not all that far away from me. Add in the chances of rain, it will be hot and steamy to say the least.
However good corn growing weather. And after the rain blows through, second cutting of hay. You are in the city, I am rural but our state is diverse (I love that term).
1. I signed up for my library's reading program. It came with a bag of goodies. The candy I am passing onto a friend, the garden shovel I will use. I did it while I was there for a gardening class. I brought the librarian over seeing it some of my garden lettuce. I went today for a poke art class. She told me to stay until the end of the class when everyone was gone. She offered me a few extra arts and crafts that weren't used in past classes. I happily took 2. She was so excited for the lettuce and I have so much of it. She will now be on my list of people that are happy to take excess veggies from the garden.
2. After the library I met my son at a farmer's market in a really nice park. I bought a loaf of sourdough bread, a pastry for my son and pickles for my daughter. My son and I then did a mile walk in the park. We both brought reusable water bottles. My son gave me 2 totes of stuff that I will store in our basement for him. He lives in a tiny apartment. No need for a storage unit. We have an unfinished basement. He gave me a box of books that he no longer wants. I will go through them and take the ones I want. The others will be passed on or put into a free little library. He gave me 2 totes of clothes for his dad to go through otherwise I will list them on my buy nothing group.
3. I met up with 2 friends at a diner that I had never been to. On Friday nights it's free wings for every table. They gave us a dozen. I did not know this. I had ordered a french dip. You can't take the wings to go(their policy) so I happily ate wings and took most of my dinner that I ordered home. My one friend doesn't like wings so it was the 2 of us eating them. We also got a basket of bread that was free so I had 6 wings with some bread and veggies. Tonight I will eat half of my french dip.
4. Hubby is away until middle of next week for work so all of his meals are covered. He is also driving a rental car so no gas used for our cars.
5. I am eating whatever is in the fridge freezer. Cleaning things out as I go.
1. Gave away FOUR very useful things to my local Buy Nothing group that I was afraid would end up in the electronics recycling, so I'm quite thrilled that they all found happy new homes.
2. Found the *exact thing* I wanted at a tiny independent thrift store near me - organizing boxes for embroidery thread. I also really wanted the mending basket they had, the kind that is on legs and sits next to your chair. Definitely a piece from my grandmother's era! But I did not get it because I do not have a chair that I sit in regularly like that.
3. Not exactly frugal, but building relationships - my sister and our two nieces are going to have a little book club together, reading the new book "Obstinate Daughters."
4. Went for a walk with a friend then came home to make lunch instead of going out.
5. Found out during that lunch that my homemade bread would likely sell for $15 a loaf at a farmers market (our area is silly-gentrified), so I am up at least $12 each time I make it!!!!!!
1. I stopped at an estate sale on the way home from visiting my MIL. I found a set of Oneida Twin Star Flatware and a Cutco knife to sell on Ebay.
2. My mom treated me to lunch. We shared a sandwich entree.
3. My youngest is home for the weekend. We spent the day reading on the front porch.
4. We also spent an hour or so floating in the pool.
5. I read the book Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth. I really enjoyed the characters.
My Mom had the Twin Star pattern, and when we sorted out the estate after both parents died, their closest friends mentioned they also had Twin Star silverware. I gave them the matching pie server, which they didn't have. The pieces lasted close to 70 years and still were in good shape!
Today is as a nice frugal day.
1. Bundled errands around picking up two different MP purchases for my vintage booth. So I got three “new”
items to sell, did my grocery shopping, returned a dye pot to a friend, hit a thrift store (got wonderful stuff!) and stopped at the antique market to restock my case.
2. My grocery bill was $107. 31 but I did save $68 off the original total and I now have 50 cents off each gallon of gas next time I fill up.
3. On my travels today I found a free pile. All toys and books. Slightly wet from the rain. I’ll list the toys on MP (at MP prices it’s well over $100 in toys. Little People and Disney stuff). Once the books dry out I’ll put them in our free library. They are all kids board books so they should be OK.
4. Dinner was the second half of a beef tenderloin that I got on sale, roasted veggies and some pasta Alfredo.
5. I’m enjoying a quiet evening on my porch with my two dogs and the dog I am dog sitting. I get $50 a night when she stays. She has been coming since she was a puppy. It’s like coming to camp. lol and easy $. We just love her.
Competent pet sitters are hard to find. When it comes to sitting help aging parents downsize or funerals, I don't expect any compensation. Rarely do I accept cash unless it is a really long stretch (over 7 days) - food/trinket from the trip suffices.
It depends on the relationship with the owner and also what they want. Many are more comfortable to keep it on a business level; would rather not feel they are imposing. I don't charge anything for keeping my son's cat, of course, but he insists on paying for food and litter, and that's okay with me because that's what he wants.
1. Just after I was complaining on this blog about not finding much money for the found change jar, DH found a ten dollar bill on the ground. So now we're up to around $11 for the year.
2. I just got back from the neighborhood potluck pre-July 4th celebration. So much delicious food. I contributed Boston Baked Beans and a Swedish Almond Cake. About 40 people showed up. We had it on a nearby dead end road so no one family got stuck with set-up and take-down. I'm so very lucky to have awesome neighbors.
3. One neighbor suggested we have a game night in the near future and someone else suggested a once-a-season potluck. I said maybe a campfire and potluck this fall. All frugal fun.
4. DH is once again setting out on the Appalachian Trail this week. When he leaves my diet changes to strictly vegetarian. He loves meat so I cook it for him and eat a little for the protein content but when I'm alone I don't cook or eat it.
5. We've had a $50 restaurant gift card since receiving it last Christmas so tomorrow is the day we're using it for a buffet brunch.
lol to your #4 - when my better half is out of town, it is (red) meat protein for me. Better half does eat (red) meat protein but also eats more veggies than I (seriously, he'll snack on Brussels sprouts!).
I am a member of the MA trustees, (there’s a lot of hiking spots I use of theirs and parking is free for the minimal Membership donation), and I had a free entry to the DeCordova sculpture park. So I took a drive today and looked at some amazing sculpture. Had a granola bar in the car on the drive home. Other than gas, the day was free.
I was reading a short book from the library, but was not enjoying it. So like Katy, I brought it back. Because life‘s too short to continue reading a book you’re not enjoying. My son picked up a book called Bad Indians for me that I started reading and I’m reading another type of fantasy book. (the book isn’t in front of me so I can’t remember the author) that is very similar to Lord of the rings and Hunger Games, but with a more adult type writing.
I made a baby sweater for my newest grand niece, and then started a vest for her older brother that has a teddy bear in the design (not obvious teddy bears, but it’s done with cabling stitches so it’s like a teddy bear relief.)
I also take pictures for notes of books in bookstores I want to order from the library. (Which is how I got the idea for the book I’m reading now)
The plants I picked up at Lowes a few weeks ago are surprisingly, growing really well. I hope I didn’t just jinx myself. Because I haven’t had very good luck lately.
On my way home, I passed by a house that had an antique bureau out front. It was beautiful. It’s also a really good thing I no longer have an SUV, because my house would be filled with antique bureaus. I had to keep reminding myself to just keep driving. Just keep going. Someone else will pick it up and enjoy it. I don’t need another bureau. I’m still thinking about it 9 hours later. 8~}
Diana Gabaldon’s OUTLANDER series is a fantastic “time warp and really well researched history” package, and a big series of big fat books, and Sara Donati’s Endless Forest series is about the early days ofBritish settlements inAmerica, with particular reference to relationships with native Americans. Highly recommended both of these
With gas prices what they are, I thought for sure 'the perfect parking spot' would be your driveway and never leaving. 🙂 Powells reading challenge looks fun! Nice to get paid for reading in some way. I'm doing the 52 Book Club's challenge for the second year. My goal starting out each year is to try to first fill as many prompts as possible with books and/or ebooks that I already own and have been lingering on my TBR list toooooo long...second to fill the rest with free books, library books, etc., and third is to find used books. The hubs and I volunteer in our library's used book sale area, so great selection of donated books for extremely little, then I donate them back. 🙂
Hello, This is just my second post and I really enjoy reading this blog. I live in Brisbane, Australia and we don't have access to the thrifting opportunities that many of you speak of. I'm not involved in buying and selling, however the big draw here for me is the 'vibe.' We are all living through very chaotic times and it is just so comforting to read all of your 'down to earth' 'common sense' ways of journeying through our daily lives, with grace and a determined strength. I have picked up many tips from you all and just feel more aware perhaps of how I can improve my life and the lives of my family members in meaningful ways that minimise our footprints on this precious planet. Thank you so much to you all and especially Katy for continuing to nurture this community. Go well.
I agree -- this is my comfort zone in times that are troubled, especially here in the US. I need my fix every day!
Me too! Well said, Nancy!
1) DP and I had a fun daytrip to a local nature preserve. I got a packet of wildflower seeds as a souvenir. We had such a good time hiking and taking pictures that we had a vending machine soda and some glove compartment-stored emergency snacks for lunch. In retelling the story to family, a member mentioned they have a good friend with a cabin there she would let us rent as a good price.
2) Mended a pair of DP's pants, very poorly. Normally I'm a good sewist but these really frustrated my skills. He is perfectly happy with them and glad to have them back in rotation.
3) Cleaned out my closet of items I don't wear to pass on to a friend. She's doing a no-buy year and we have an ongoing swap arrangement. Now I'm focused on the clothes I have and making new outfits.
4) Dragged out my ironing board and ironed every item I've been avoiding for months. That added more clothes back into the work outfit rotation.
5) Made a veggie and dip platter for a weekend get together. Then had the leftover crudite for dinner a few nights later.