Five Frugal Things -- Used Toothbrushes for the Global Elite
1) I sold a lot of six heavy duty carabiners on eBay, just a couple hours after listing them. I pulled these out of a Goodwill bin, so I paid for them by the pound. My only thought was that they'd be handy to have on hand, but I looked them up through Google Lens after getting home and learned they're kind of pricey to buy new.
I'll take cash in hand over "they'd be handy to have on hand" any day of the week!
Click HERE to see the listing.
2) My daughter's childhood bedroom has this doorless closet, which I've always meant to cover up. I thrifted an adjustable tension rod at the bins a couple months ago and then picked up a velvet curtain panel a couple weeks later. (Again, from Goodwill.)
The width with right, but the length was just a touch too long. I set the curtain aside and got on with my life.
That was until the bins provided me with an unopened package of Stitch Witchery, which is essentially fabric glue. A lazy hack for people who want to avoid actual sewing. <-- me.
You just iron it into place. Why is my iron resting on a sheet of paper? My husband used our iron to wax his skis a couple years ago, so I just iron through paper now. Luckily I rarely iron anything.
There, that's better!
I'd estimate that I spent $7.50 to buy the curtain, Stitch Witchery and the tension rod. Not only does this hide the clutter, but it also covers the window, so my house guests can choose whether or not they wish to wake with the sun.
3) I saw an Instagram reel about how "money trees" are tied together below the soil's surface and should be cut apart. This "tree" was already on my vague I-should-transplant-that list, so I grabbed a bigger flowerpot and shook off the soil to discover that it was indeed being garroted.
Now not only is my plant now able to grow without strangulation, but should enjoy its larger accommodations. I'm looking forward to a growth spurt!
Needless to say, that's a curb picked flowerpot.
4) I stopped by the Goodwill bins and spent $5.05 to buy the following items:
A completely sealed Sonicare toothbrush head. This alone costs $5 to buy new. Again, it's completely sealed!
This Sterilite mini-organizer bin. I'm fiendishly devoted to this specific design and use them in multiple ways throughout the house. They click together perfectly and can be used horizontally, vertically, sideways, right side up and deserve a place in the Museum of Modern Art.
You think I'm kidding, but I'm not!
This kids' Daniel Boone cap with a genuine raccoon fur tail. I've listed it on eBay for $15.
Of course I also bought the heavy-duty carabiners.
I didn't buy this board game.
Nor did I buy this offensive vintage ashtray.
5) I didn't have my taxes raised due to owning a Pied-à-Terre in New York City. I guess I'm neither "ultrawealthy" nor a "global elite." Drat!
Now your turn, what frugal things have you been up to?
I didn't know Portland was such a randy city! Wonder if those two items came from the same home?
I took an early morning walk and picked up a book at a LFL. Also a receipt which I scanned to Fetch.
I made corn pone pie, which is cornbread baked on top of a baking dish of chili. I forgot a pretty essential step, which was to reduce the chili first, so it was too wet and sloppy -- but it still tasted good!
I finished reading a library book -- Go, Gentle, by Maria Semple. Very entertaining!
I didn't drive today. Tomorrow I probably will, as I have to go to PetSmart, and I'll probably get gas, too, at Sam's.
The new closet curtain looks great!
Today I mended two little holes in my son's t-shirt. I looked in the pantry and freezer and came up with red beans and rice with Italian sausage for lunch, which used up two long-frozen sausages, a single cup of microwaveable Minute rice, a can of red beans, leftover chopped onion, sweet peppers and cherry tomatoes from the freezer, a cup of rather icy frozen spinach, and a tiny can of mushrooms. It was delicious and made four servings.
Used the last of a quartr of reconstituted powdered milk to make another batch of chocolate pudding.
1. Divided a Gollum jade to share with BFF who plants my outdoor flowers.
2. Switched to a less expensive tea DH brews for me.
3.Cabinet shopped a hand painted ceramic planter found on the street and planted an aloe Vera, which I use instead of the ointment I used to buy at drug store.
4. DH baked a home made pizza (our first attempt). Not too bad for a first try.
5. Had my physician give me an allergy injection (insurance covered) instead of buying over the counter remedy.
Awesome finds & home decor project! I do have one question. In the photo showing the closet without any covering, there is something to the left, hanging from the ceiling. An art project? Something else? I couldn't figure it out.
1) Went on a date with DH to a place where we get 2x a year $150 credit card cash back. It is an expensive place, and we still managed to not spend the full $150 (no alcohol, thanks to some health problems), so the remainder went for the tip & then we spent a bit out of pocket to tip the full amount. I also came home with a huge amount of chicken parmesan, which undoubtedly one of the kids will want.
2) Vacuumed & steam mopped the floors today, which is a bit of a project because we have no carpeting in our house, so it's a lot of space.
3) DS19 carpooled with a friend to work at a soccer tournament, so he can earn a bit of extra money.
4) Downloaded free library books to my kindle
5) Made a scrappy lunch, using the last of a pack of provolone, a couple of pieces of chicken & an apple.
A credit union opened a branch in my community a few months ago. I took advantage of their promotion and deposited $500. Today I received $200!
1. I don't think I ever listed this frugal hack (apologies if I did), but years ago I bought a king sized mattress and kept its heavy plastic wrapper. The mattress came in a gigantic sack to keep it clean. I used the wrapper/sack for a drop cloth when we painted the living room. It worked great! But I no longer need it.
2. Cleaning out the back storage room of the garage, I found #1. Instead of throwing it in the garbage, I wanted to recycle it. So I cut the plastic into more managable pieces and stuffed them into 2 plastic garbage bags, tall kitchen size. Which I then took to HEB's (big supermarket chain) plastic bag recycling bin in the front of their store. They collected plastic wrappers and bags and say that they make their recycled garbage bags from them. During the school year, this is a big thing: a lot of schools have their kids bring in plastic for a recycling drive, and I think HEB gives the winning schools some kind of prize or something. Anyway, the plastic mattress sack got recycled and, most importantly, kept out of the landfill. That's a lot of plastic!
3. Glued and taped some broken rods to the clothes drying racks. Now I can use them some more.
4. Working jigsaw puzzles online. Free. Don't have to buy the puzzles and no pieces get lost this way.
5. I registered my disgust about CBS cancelling The Late Show With Stephen Colbert by signing a petition with change.org. It was free to do this! They will send this to the powers that be over at CBS and Paramount and Skydance. I believe this is the link to the petition (or at least to info about it) should anyone else want to sign up:
https://www.change.org/p/boycott-cbs-and-paramount-for-canceling-the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert?source_location=psf_petitions
Thank you. I signed the petition
I also sign online petitions at the move on petitions website click on the the other petitions to see petitions. I did not find any petitions for CBS though. I do not know how to post direct links on my cheap android phone.
JCP,
You can also call your local CBS affiliate. I suggest calling at the usual time when Colbert would come on, only now it is that stupid Byron Allen "Comics Unleashed" program. When someone answers, politely tell them that "Comics Unleashed" is un-funny and un-entertaining and that you are switching to one of the Jimmy's talk show -- Jimmy Fallon or Jimmy Kimmel -- since you can't see Colbert anymore. Ask that they pass your message on to the network, and say you wish Colbert would return. You might also tell them you're going to (a) boycott CBS and Paramount Plus and all the other CBS-owned companies, and/or (b) watch the other local station's late night news since you wouldn't want to miss the beginning of the other/Jimmy talk show you are going to watch. If no one at your local station answers the phone, you can drop a postcard expressing your displeasure in the mail. The public got Kimmel back on the air; maybe this will work as well. Let's not let Trump win this round either.
1. Got a trim at local beauty school for 10.80 plus 3$ tip. I got a 10% senior discount. My hair had not been cut since late Feb. It was time.
2. Got a free book at LFL.
3. While out walking I saw peaches on a tree. I asked the family sitting out in the yard if I could have one. They said I could have all of them. I got 10 med size peaches. At the grocery here they are 2.99$ a lb.
4. Used my Taco Bell points to get a free bean burrito.
5. It has been a hard week for me. First, I had to go to the ER for an infected hand from a cat bite. Then my 3-yr old cat fell ill. I took her to an animal ER which was a large expense. Her labs said she was in liver failure cause unknown. I had to have her put down. My heart has been broken. I still have my older male cat, so I didn't have to come home to no pet at all. I thought of Katy finding Zelda deceased which must have been hard. I know other people have far worse problems that me. I am not complaining, only sad.
So sorry for the loss of your dear kitty. It's hard and leaves a big hole in our lives. We will have you in our prayers.
I'm so sorry about your cat. It's so hard to lose a pet.
I commiserate. It is so hard to put down a beloved pet, even though they are sick and it's the best thing to do. I still miss my cat, and it's been years. I haven't replaced him because I travel and also pet-sit for my kids.
Yes, I lost m Zelda cat to cancer in 2015. Still not ready for a new kitty
What a week you've had. I'm sorry for the sadness of losing your cat so young.
I am so sorry about your kittycat. I know your heart is broken. Sending you lots of love. Here's hoping your cat comes back in the next of her 9 lives real soon and finds you again!
I join everyone else in sympathy about all of your #5, especially the unexpected loss of your too-young cat. I had a similar shock when we lost our 7-year-old Dizzy to surprise lymphoma (which was probably secondary to something he caught from the ferals my then next-door neighbor was feeding). Losing a pet is never easy, but when there's a sucker punch involved...wow. I feel for you.
@texassilver, so sorry for the loss of your beloved pet.
Today is the day! My work puts on an “Trading Treasures” event. I believe all of the readers here would enjoy this!! The concept is that you donate items, pick out any items you want and make a monetary donation.
This keeps items in circulation and raises $$ for some local charities.
(Kids programs, Rails to Trails, food banks etc). Any items that are left over are given to the local Fire Company and are sold at their Summer fundraiser. All $$ raised goes back into the community, one way or another. Unfortunately the weather today is not the best.
Will keep you posted on how much will be raised.
$440 on a rainy cold day.
@JuJU, WOW! That is awesome!
Love the color in your daughter’s room and the curtain. Also, lost my earlier comment…. lol.
1. Ate homemade potato salad for breakfast bc I can.
2. Rearranged my living room for home office and will work on that today.
3 Will walk in neighborhood for an hour as soon as I locate my shoes in my reorganization… lol.
4. Still eating today my homemade baked beans, coleslaw, hot dogs, and watermelon along with the potato salad.
5. Went to the DG three blocks away for office supplies and used $5 off $25 coupon yesterday.
1. I listed a few more items on Ebay.
2. My mom invited me over for dinner. She made a delicious copycat version of Cracker Barrel meatloaf. I provided a bread side. I also did the dishes as a thank you. She sent me home with leftovers which will be dinner tonight.
3. I priced garage sale items for a sale we're having in June. Now that I've decided to sell my house I'm realizing how much crap I have and how much storage my house has.
4. My daughter and son-in-law agreed to take a picnic basket that was a wedding gift. It's just been sitting in a closet. Hopefully this generation will get more use out of it.
The thing in the picture is a hanging shoe bag!
I think you might have been responding to my question (thank you, if so!),but I'm referring to whatever is star shaped in the very top left corner of the photo... I also see the shoe rack, inside the closet.
This does not have anything to do with NCA topics, but is anyone else getting flooded, and I mean FLOODED with Concentyx ads on the side and bottom of your feed? I keep clicking on the Google feedback saying the ad is "not appropriate" (I'm not a doctor and I don't have whatever disease Concentyx cures), "seen this ad multiple times"( Hundreds of times in fact, no exaggeration), "not interested" (which is putting it mildly!, I could care less about seeing the older woman in her maroon swimsuit -- can't she drown already?!?-- or the closeup of diseased skin) and "ad covers content" (which it often does.) I estimate I've seen well over 100 Concentyx ads, different poses o f the swimsuit woman and her surf board and other photos, and that is all I'm getting. I have gone on the other pages for Google and begged them to stop doing Concentyx. At this point, if I had terminal cancer and Concentyx was the only way to save my life, I would refuse the drug because I am so disgusted at seeing their stupid ads. This just started up this week and I can't get any satisfaction from anyone. Katy, did you enter into some kind of deal with Concentyx and Google? Or am I just unlucky? Hopefully someone will see this and stop those stupid drug ads!!!!
Just install an ad blocker. ublock Origin Lite is great.
each reader's ads are specific to them, so I do not get those medicine ads. I actually turned *off* my ad blocker for this site, as I know such ads help to keep things going. Heck, I sometimes even open NCA first before running to another room on an errand, just to let more ads run in my absence, because I really appreciate Katy's efforts on here. Her posts and all the wonderful comments often spur me to get up and cook or take some other frugal action. Thanks, Katy!
I'm so sorry that's happening when you when you're on the blog. I checked and I currently have ads for GoodRx, Botox, Southwest airlines, Lego, Dove, McDonald's and Adobe cycling over my blog view.
FFT, "Shellfish" Behavior Edition:
(1) Price Chopper has had several seafood specials for the holiday weekend, and will steam clams and lobsters for free. So Dr. Bestest Neighbor and I have been indulging ourselves in "shellfish" behavior. (Ms. BN, who had bad experiences with overcooked seafood as a child, doesn't participate.) On Thursday, Dr. BN came over at lunchtime with a bag of 50 steamed clams ($20). I melted some butter, and we happily and "shellfishly" scarfed down the whole bag, standing over my kitchen sink!
(2) Since turn about is fair play, I bought a steamed lobster for each of us on Friday ($8.99/lb.). Dr. BN dissected mine for me at my request (his secret weapon is a sharp little pair of Joyce Chen kitchen scissors). I watched closely, and I think I can do my own from now on. He took his home and made New England-style lobster rolls for himself.
(3) With the shells from our two lobsters, I made a vast amount of lobster stock yesterday. A perfect project for a dull, cold, rainy Saturday.
(4) And I've just used 4 cups of the lobster stock (in place of the 2 cups of chicken stock and 2 cups of fish stock in the recipe) to make a nice batch of Leah Chase's Gumbo. Given the source material, I hope that the late Ms. Chase would forgive me.
(5) In non-seafood-related activity, I got 4 kale and 12 zinnia seedlings into the ground before it started raining yesterday. Everybody is now happily situated and enjoying a good long drink (and I do mean long).
Oh my! You can't eat better than lobster and steamers IMHO. Now you've unleashed a craving A. Marie! The deli I fill in at now and then has an awesome lobster roll with potato salad and cole slaw on Fridays during Lent and all summer. Hmmm...DH and I have no dinner plans for next Friday...
1. DH and I went to the Salvation Army Store yesterday. He found two Hawaiian shirts and I found two pairs of Capris, one being an Eddie Bauer brand. All for $21.
2. I had an empty plastic bag which had contained 12 rolls of store brand toilet paper. I cut it down to fit my bathroom trash can. I love to see things, especially plastic, get more than one use.
3. We had leftover American Chop Suey for supper last night and we're having it again tonight.
4. Our dads were both Army Air Corps Veterans of WWII. We used a 30% off coupon for a local hardware store's grand opening to buy a flag and pole for the front porch to honor them and in memory of the others who made the ultimate sacrifice.
4. Rainy, cool weather here in Massachusetts for today and part of the day tomorrow so no plans. It seems like no one wants to have Memorial Day cook-outs in the rain this year, including me. Saves us buying gas to get anywhere.
5. Taking advantage of the solitude to read library books.
Dang, Christine, I sometimes wonder whether we're separated-at-birth twins. I do your #2 with plastic wrappers all the time. And re: your #4, my dad was another WWII Army Air Corps vet. His height and an eye problem kept him out of the cockpit, but he went to AAC Officer Candidate School in Miami (Clark Gable was in the class ahead of him!) and rose to the rank of Captain. Whenever it stops raining tomorrow, I'll be hoisting my Stars and Stripes in his and all other vets' honor. (Not including, of course, General Bone Spurs in the White House.)
We do have a lot in common A. Marie! I've noticed it too by reading your posts. Well, here's to the joy of eating lobsters and steamers!