Five Frugal Things -- Too Much Stuff!
1) My husband and I spent the afternoon going through his late parents' storage unit, which was sadly mostly garbage due to the combination of insects and it not being climate controlled. This is an especially tragic combination for books and upholstered furniture.
We removed the back seats from the minivan and drove two full loads to Portland's transfer station for a grand total of 1560 pounds of Stuff. We spent $182.46, which is A-Ok with me as we've been spending $137 per month to store this Stuff.
Our goal is to empty it out by the end of the month, which is a reasonable goal as it's now mostly kitchenware and unused remodeling supplies. These can be donated to the Habitat ReStore.
There are still some difficult decisions to make, but at least we can can now physically reach everything.
2) We also dropped off some huge chunks of styrofoam to be recycled, as the facilities are on the same street. It cost $5, but we got to watch how they break down the styrofoam and extrude it out.
I didn't take a photo, as there was an employee working the machine, but it essentially looked like a larger version of the Play-Doh Fun Factory. But much much more toxic.
3) We didn't let our physically demanding day deter us from Tuesday being our family dinner night, stopping at Whole Foods for a pair of their $35 "Family Meal" trays. Even though we were filthy and smelled terrible. (Among all the pretty people.) One tray for dinner and the other for my husband's work lunches.
We chose one tray with beef, fingerling potatoes and string beans and the other with salmon, beet salad and more string beans.
I showered before putting the food in the fridge.
It turned out to be a relaxing evening as we chose to eat our food cozied up on the couch to watch a couple episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. I remember the kids' preschool making a big deal about "family culture" and avoiding the whole subject at the time. I worked as full time labor and delivery nurse and had no room in my brain for navel gazing.
I now have the answer. My family culture is cuddling up with the kids, a tasty plate of food and some Star Trek library DVDs. Heaven . . . .
4) I told my daughter to bring a couple loads of laundry over, as she has to pay for laundry at her apartment complex. No reason for her to overpay for something she can do here for free.
Kids, don't waste your money!
5) I started reading a library copy of Actress of a Certain Age. The HBO series Somebody, Somewhere is in my top five (three?) favorite TV shows of all times and Jeff Hiller is big part of that.
I've probably watched it four times at this point and will never stop feeling sad that HBO cancelled it prematurely.
Now your turn, what frugal things have you been up to?
I'm frequently doing Swedish Death Cleaning precisely for what happened to you and Mr. NCA.
1. DH received a check for $4.80 from our dental insurance agency due to overpayment. It's not much but I'd rather have it in our bank account than theirs.
2. I worked my volunteer shift at the library putting away materials that patrons have returned and locating materials on the "requested list". It's fun to see what others are reading, watching and listening to and seeing if I'd be interested in that particular item.
3. I made a large pitcher of peach iced tea for the upcoming predicted couple of days of heat and humidity.
4. We meet up with my cousin and her significant other halfway between our homes, every couple of months. It's about 15 miles for each couple. We meet at a coffee shop so no paying for a meal, just coffee and pastry and each couple pays the bill every other time. Today we talked about relatives, gone long ago but still thought of fondly...except one great aunt with a nasty little dog who sat on her lap at the dinner table!
5. I have a tiny flower on my tomato plant and many small, green raspberries on the bushes. Looking forward to fresh fruit I don't have to pay for.
It's referred to as the "Millennial Inheritance," although in our case it's the "Gen X Inheritance."
My husband and I will not be doing this to our kids!
That is sad that the books became un-readable.
I also decluttered a bunch of books, including some old Weight Watchers guidebooks from one of their many, many new programs. They were always coming out with something new, which to me is a corporate admission that the old plan didn't work.
I took all the how-to books to the thrift store that specializes in DIY stuff; children's and teens books to Goodwill for their summertime Free Friday book giveaways; and most other books and magazines to the library bins for its annual book sale and ongoing used magazine sale.
I tried pawning off some Cliff Notes and other books to the suburban used bookstore for credit, but was turned down. No matter; I just got some books from their outside freebie bin to go with my sack of books, and took 'em right over to 2 older Goodwill stores, both located in the slums. I collected the 20% coupons from each Goodwill, so I am happy. If I don't use the coupons for myself, I "tip" the cleaning lady with a coupon (in addition to her regular payment and cash tip), so everyone is happy.
Went to Aldi for my groceries. Aldi is often not cheaper than the drugstore/general store where I work, but some of its items are. Today's bargains included a gallon jug of milk (under $3 whereas ours cost over $5) and store brand Cheerios-type cereal for $1.47. I also got items not available at my store such as cheese calzones, guacamole, and spreadable butter, the kind with canola oil mixed in. Aldi did not beat us on our 89cent dozen eggs, so I'll get that from our store.
Katy, I'm curious about the recycling of styrofoam...was it melted and made into hard blocks or something? I know that heated stryofoam smells (thinking of experience with a kids' church program).
And Fru-Gal Lisa, NPR aired a program on recent diet info, and why the new meds work when calorie counting doesn't. Maybe our future does hold the consumption of capsules which provide all our nutrients and fiber as well as inhibit hunger, so we need never eat again. (sobbing quietly to myself about possibly losing one of life's joys).
It looked like it was broken into chunks, which were then heated back into a solid. Not quite melted though.
I would have liked to have seen the styrofoam recycling process. Our town does not have such a facility.
However, when I belonged to a country-town church, they bought an old church building that was about 100 years old. It was a clapboard building and not insulated, and we, the congregation, were doing a lot of DIY remodeling. It was discovered that there was an inner wall and and outer clapboard-siding wall, and an empty space in between. The pastor's husband came up with a brilliant idea: use Styrofoam packing peanuts and broken-up packaging chunks in between the two walls.
We put out the word and they even featured it in an ad in the community newspaper. People saved their styrofoam packaging for us, and also styrofoam peanuts. We found that the Christmas holidays and early January was the best season for collecting these materials, as anyone who ordered via Amazon got a bunch of Styrofoam packaging they didn't need to keep.
After rewiring the building, we were ready to insulate it with the styrofoam. The men got on tall scaffolds and ladders outside the building and took off one of the clapboard boards that was right under the roofline. They poured the peanuts, and chunks of larger packaging (that we'd broken up ourselves into little bitty pieces), into the space between the interior and exterior walls, packed it full, and then replaced the board. It took a LOT of Styrofoam to "do" a wall from top to bottom, and we had many exterior walls to do.
This process went on for more than 2 years, every time we had a work Saturday, but when we were finished we had a very well-insulated building. It didn't cost us anything! The church congregation even got a recycling award for keeping that much Styrofoam out of the landfill.
If you can't recycle, then reuse!!!!!
This is an amazing story of incredible recoursefullness!!!!!
Sounds like you and your husband accomplished a lot, Katy. With my desire to downsize to a smaller home in a year and a half when husband finally retires, downsizing now from within by purging, selling, donating, and my wish to not leave my kids with a lot of stuff, I think I have taken it to the extreme. I'm a bit obsessed with getting rid of stuff. Trying to reach a balance!
I agree, for us any time with our grown kids and 2 grandsons is the best time!
I have never heard the term, naval gazing, before. Thank you for introducing me to a new term.
1. My son is signed up for Driver's ed through the school district. This will save on private instruction and still hopefully get us a discount on insurance in the future.
2. My coworker ordered Chinese food for a late dinner last night and I picked up. She sent me home with the left overs which my son happily enjoyed. Thanks coworker!
3. In the last post I have been given items or curb picked them and resold several all on Facebook Marketplace with a quick turn around. Thought of you!! It was nice to have the extra cash for my budget.
4. I went to the recycling center in my town and scored several cans of spray paint, a half used Windex, half used ammonia bottle (which I then make surface cleaner with), and an almost full gallon of paint, and a partially used bottle of shave gel. The shave gel is not a typical find there... The one black spray paint I went home and immediately used it to brush up an outdoor patio set. Still need more spray paint but slow progress works.
5. A Facebook page I created 8 years ago became monetized this past year and I have started getting monthly payments for it's viewership. This month I made $44 and change!!! Not too shabby.
Could you tell me about the Facebook page that got monetized?
It's a Facebook page connected to a group I made for my neighborhood about 8 years ago. I run several programs in my neighborhood including a neighborhood yard sale with over 100 homes and advertisers, I also run a book bag drive and giveaway, as well as a plant and tree giveaway. The group is private, the Facebook page is public. On the page we do a topical array of posts like nature posts, local news and weather, and of course try to tie most things back into the neighborhood. We have amassed a steady following and have had three posts go viral which pushed the page into a monetized status. Fortunately or unfortunately the posts that go viral are usually crime related. The rest of the posts get looked at but not hit as heavy. Some of the viral posts were also shared to other groups that create a heavy hitter group, groups that then spam/like/comment/view your post and push all the number, for instance a group with a name to the effect of, the comment section isnt going how you thought it would, grabbed hold of one of the posts and the post got over 150k views in less than a day. The news also got ahold of two of the posts and made them more viral, of course they didn't properly credit me for my work, so I went to their posts and repeatedly linked back to my page for people to see more and original content. One news story I also wrote pretty salaciously...and added photos of mug shots, arrest reports, and court documents. It's interesting. I have all the local news channels following me for information in my neighborhood!
Now that I’m spending all this time out in the country with the sick relative, I’ve become very disinterested in thrifting. Things are headed in a direction where, one day soon, I will have a storage unit or two full of stuff I’ll need to process. There’s a barn, so it will be a lot. Hopefully, we will get going before the useful things disintegrate!
Good on you for making that big dent in the storage unit. I have a friend who rents three or four of them. Her house is packed, too. What a waste of money! She can't make decisions about the stuff, and so she pays.
1. Rainy, stormy day is keeping me inside. Very thankful there has been no power outage. But we're not done yet, there's more to come.
2. I sold a pair of my sister's pants. They are packed up and ready to drop off at the post office, but I won't do that until tomorrow, if the weather permits.
3. I called Chase this morning and asked them to delete the duplicate charge on my credit card for my recent hotel stay. They said it will be done, but as today is the closing date, it won't be reflected on the bill that will be generated tomorrow. I tried to work with Hampton Inn, but I just didn't get through to them. Now I have to remember not to pay the bill in full.
4. I had a simple lunch of baked beans and a cucumber-tomato salad.
5. I listed three more of my sister's clothing items on eBay. I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Kudos on emptying out the storage unit and good luck with the difficult decisions that remain. That's a hard job under the best of circumstances.
I have such an aversion to extra stuff, even more so after clearing out other people's homes (relatives and parents of friends) and hearing of A. Marie's neighbor's situation, that I'm continually evaluating necessities. I don't want to be a burden on anyone, even in death - maybe especially in death - as I want my legacy to be a positive one. One night at the dinner table, I must have had a certain look in my eye when my husband said, "I like this glass I'm using, please don't give it away just yet." We still laugh about that one, he's such a good sport. If my husband dies first, my plan (if I still have all my marbles) is to move to a studio apartment rental with "just enough" stuff.
My parents made it easy on me and my siblings when, over 20 years, they sold the four bedroom family home, bought a smaller townhouse, then sold that and moved to an apartment, followed by the final move to a small assisted living unit. Each move required downsizing and was manageable. It was such a gift and in stark contrast to the burden left by my husband's parents. At times, he and his siblings were tempted to light a match, but everyone came together and got the job done without resorting to arson.
Agree Somebody Somewhere was awesome, Jeff Hiller and Bridget Everett are awesome, why was it cancelled??
Katy were your in-laws art lovers? I am seeing a couple of books about artists....
I know it had to be done but I hate having to get rid of books.... I had to get rid of some books that DD stored in my garage for a "minute". The musty smell from the dampness was awful.
1. scored marked down fruit mangos for about 22 cents each, peeled chopped and froze for future smoothies. Peels and pits were a special treat for my hens.
2.waited till gas dropped a few cents before filling up.
3. skinned and deboned marked down chicken thighs myself. They were from flash foods and for that price I can do it myself.
4.chicken skins and bones into crockpot with seasonings and made broth...froze it.
5. found some summer tops I had in an out of the way closet (stored last year). I will admit to having forgotten them.....out for wearing now.
* didn't go on tv and brag about ruining the economy and peoples lives because it was intentional. I cannot stomach him.
JC, "I love the inflation" said no sane person, ever, much less a U.S. president. Just one of eleventy billion examples.
I have taken five of my WV shirts to a local store where she will sell them in consignment. I will make a little less, but these shirts were bought in a pack of 6 for $13, so it almost comes out even. I have one more order to make that I sold via social media. I’m putting all my money in making towards a quick trip to my daughter’s best friend’s baby shower. We are staying over night. This is the first trip we’ve made together with my granddaughter, and I am really looking forward to it.
I had library board meeting tonight, and I really hoped that my husband would either cook or offer to order something. He didn’t, so I broke down and cooked some ham steaks that were in the fridge with some instant mashed potatoes. Probably not the healthiest dinner but it filled the hole in our belly, and we had already paid for this food.
My husband’s coworker gave us a very nice couch and loveseat set. It is only about six months old, but his wife didn’t like it. Our furniture was at least six years old and stained from our old dog, so I was happy for this.
Finally stopped procrastinating on buying tires for my farm truck. They were on sale, waiting saved me $400.
I bought smallish avocados for 4/$1. Yum.
A friend is upgrading their traeger smoker and offered it to me, it will be delivered tomorrow.
I made a batch of bbq rub and shared 1/2 with my cousin. He needed a quart of strawberries, so I picked mine to share.
I took starts and they are growing between the fruit trees in the orchard.
Confession: I hoard fabric. As the boomers quit sewing or pass on, I receive their fabric collections. I don't turn down fabric, it gets used by the 4 H kids, the senior center and my group that makes quilts for veterans and foster kids.
Is it hoarding if you use it everyday?
I don't think it's hoarding if it's genuinely useful AND it's actually being used. As the mom of a veteran, thank you for making the quilts for veterans.
It's not hoarding if you're using it!
I used to have a big tub of fabric remnants that I was going to use someday. I finally got real with myself and donated it all!
Hoarding is a dead end. This sounds more like a detour!
Sandy, love this!
BGF, I'd say you collect fabric rather than hoard it, with extra bonus points for using it in such a generous way.
Somebody somewhere was my Must watch tv. Brigette Everette is the best.
I'm at my parents (both 80 years old) and they have too much stuff. My dad has clothes going back to high school.
I'm constantly evaluating my possessions. I have a car full of crap I'm taking away from here tomorrow.
Mum let me throw my 2 Trader Joe's purchases in with her shopping, I drove her there. And patiently read all the food labels.
Two items sold on eBay. Woohoo!
Chasing 2 refunds.
I've been wanting a spanish immersion experience and I found a week-long summer spanish intensive within 4 hours drive. So I signed up. It's at a community college and is only $124 tuition. Waaaaaay cheaper than overseas experiences. I'm excited about the week.
A.Marie, I hope you are ok.
Patricia
Thank you for the concern, Patricia--and, yes, I'm OK. I've been out of the loop for a while because last week was the anniversary of DH's death (which always hits me hard), plus I've had a lot of gardening and NDN1 business to take care of.
And because of NDN1, as MB in MN has noted, I can sympathize with Katy and Mr. NCA as they continue the process of cleaning up after his parents. I put out full trash and recycling carts every time there's a collection, and I've still barely made a dent in it. We'll be calling in a junk removal service soon.
Just let me say you are so kind to be doing all this for your neighbor. It gives me hope when I see people so generously helping others.
A. Marie, you are going above and beyond to help your neighbor. Mr. Rogers would be so proud.
Thinking of you A. Marie. The anniversary dates are always hard. It's better to listen to our bodies and minds and say: "This is a tough week and I need to step away from everything for a bit." You were missed but I'm glad you gave yourself a breather.
Im glad you are ok. Those anniversary dates are very difficult. This March was 10 years for me since my beloved passed, I spent mine quietly also.
Sending you love.
Patricia
Frugal wins...
#1 - My grandfather and great-uncle installed my new kitchen ceiling light. Now I can see in my kitchen, and the giant (18"x40") hole is covered!
#2 - I added another book to my consignment bag. I have a big HomeGoods bag full of books to sell. I will donate what the bookstore doesn't want.
#3 - Covered all of the curtainless windows with towels/blankets to block light and help keep things a little cooler during our heatwave.
Frugal fails...
#1 - I forgot to pack my lunch to take to work.
I found an error on a medical bill and called to have it corrected. Polite persistence yielded a $101 savings.
We're leaving town for a long weekend so lunch and dinner today is clean-out-the-fridge meals.
Hanging laundry out to dry in the sunshine.
Cleaning my own house, doing our own yardwork, cooking our own meals -- grateful we are physically able to do so.
1. Went to a baseball game theme night last night - Stitch n Pitch! We all got stadium bags and yarn as the giveaway. Both items that I will definitely use. I was jazzed!
2. I brought my own hot dog, water bottle, and snacks from home. Stadium food hurts my stomach (exhibit a: chicken tenders sunday almost took me out) so this was a nice way to enjoy the evening and my food.
3. Took the train there and back.
4. Knicks in Five, baby! On my walk back from the train, I stopped outside a sports bar that was playing the game on a big screen facing the street. I watched the last 5 minutes with a crowd of neighbors, all who had the same idea I did. I'm not the biggest basketball fan, but I was not about to pass up the opportunity to celebrate!
5. I did not shut down midtown manhattan to take a nap in a billionaire's box seats.
Stitch and pitch!!!! Was this the Mets?
1) Have been at a work event & spent $0 on myself/out of pocket.
2) Dutifully jumping through first round of hoops to get new medicine covered by insurance. *why is this necessary when I have a disease, and this is the recommended best option from a medical professional? I will never know*
3) Used every item but one that I brought on a trip, and of course, didn't need to check a bag. I'm a really good business traveler, and have an incredibly boring wardrobe of appropriate clothes that all fit together for different outfits.
4) My sister is loaning me a jacket that I need for an upcoming work trip to Japan. We are close to the same size, but it doesn't matter, I'm not buying a single use jacket.
5) Bringing the expensive freebie I received at work event home & will pass on to someone who will use it, so it doesn't end up in a landfill.
Bet it felt good to start emptying. I would have to use the end of the month as a motivator!
1. I met my sister for lunch and chose a value menu item and it was just enough and $6.00.
2. Had my parents, son, DIL, and Grandson over for dinner last eve. My husband made really pretty salads in pie plates with many ingredients. Mom and I had grilled chicken on our salads and the guys had trout that was caught in WY at my OTHER son's So much more relaxing than rushing at a restaurant, plus my Dad can't hear with all the clattering at a restaurant.
3. I took a 2 week summer school RN job- with a week off in-between for a planned vacation. Yesterday I was reminded why I retired. Got to see many old friends, which is nice.
4. Headed on a week trip in The Smokies and will bring some food, as my husband likes to cook. Will go out for few meals at old favorites. We are traveling with friends and have divided our shopping list. Will get most at Aldi before trip.
5. Have been on a real library kick. Also got 3 paperbacks at a thrift for 1.00 today. I get nervous about library books on trips!
I've also been cleaning out a parent's badly stored items. So frustrating to see the amount of $$$ spent on "collectibles" that are worthless.
Loved the book, and came to appreciate Hiller's "overnight success!"
1) I garbage picked a REALLY nice big sturdy hand truck. The kind that can also be laid flat for larger items.
2) I also go what I thought was an orbital sander, but it’s a car buffer. I’ll give it to a neighbor.
3) Lastly, I got a decent hack saw.
4) In a miracle of nature, I have a gazillion volunteer tomatoes. I’m really not sure what happened because I *thought* I was planting marigold seeds (and yes, I know the difference in seeds). Anyway I have many happy juvenile tomatoes and I look forward to lots of late tomatoes!
5) we are finishing up the school year in NYC and my Earth Science students are creating ADORABLE dioramas of megafauna in Altoid tins, using mostly recycled materials. These are so stinking’ cute and my high schoolers are having fun and showing off their creativity!
Been working 6 days a week for at least a month. That's frugal for two reasons: 1) more money in the paychecks and 2) too damn tired to go anywhere unless it's the grocery store on my way home from work.
Have been shopping my closet for at least 3 weeks since I don't even have time to do laundry. Wore a dress to work one day (first time in the 6 years at this job), shorts and t-shirts two other days, blouses and shirts that haven't seen the light of day for literally years ROFLMBO, I have lost about 60 pounds over the last few years and am now able to wear the smaller sizes that were in my closets. On the other hand the 4x and 5x pairs of pants are being dealt with because one pair actually fell down clear to the floor while I was at work!!
Now that I know you loved Somebody Somewhere as much as I did, I want to know your other favorites.
I couldn't agree more about the disappointment in the canceling of Somebody, Somewhere. I loved it so much! Hope the book is a good read! I'm adding it to my list.