Five Lil' Frugal Things -- Christmas Edition
1. My husband filled my stocking with heavy treats, to the point that he had to enlist a clamp from the basement to hold it on place!
Oy vey!
Here are the contents:
Everything got set aside, except of course for the milk chocolate digestive biscuits which served as a post-breakfast snack. He and I don't exchange Christmas gifts, although we do fill one another's stockings.
2. We watched a couple of Christmas movies through streaming services we already have. "Elf" through HBO, which is $2.99 per month through a Black Friday deal; and "Krampus" on Peacock, which is free with our cell phone service.
They're completely different movies, but both scratched that "Christmas movie" itch!
I went into my Frndly TV account setting and turned off "auto renew" for my 99¢/month subscription, which allowed me access to some Hallmark TV content. No need for it now that the the holidays are over. I'd added a free one week Hallmark+ trial, which would renew at $7.99. I also cancelled that auto renew.
3. My mother gifted me a $100 Goodwill gift card, which I'll work to stretch as far as humanly possible! Maybe I should use it for items to resell and see how much I can earn from an initial $100 start point? That would be fun.
4. I baked up a Christmas morning frittata to balance out the plethora of anticipated treats. It turns out I was the only person who wanted to eat sensibly, which gifted me some perfect leftovers. My husband would've loved the meal, but he worked Christmas.
Boo!
The frittat really was chock full of deliciousness, as I'd added spinach, sautéed mini peppers, artichoke hearts, cottage cheese, Tillamook colby jack cheese and bacon. More for me!
Click HERE to read my "Hakuna Frittata" blog post from 2009!
5. I didn't give a single freaking dime to Schmeff Schmezos while shopping for Christmas gifts!
How was your Christmas? Please share in the comments section below.
I'd have been happy to have leftover frittata as well. Yours sounds delicious.
1. DD and SIL came for dinner at noon. The Sparkling Blush was $1.99 from Grocery Outlet. We really liked it, it was less sweet than some. Leftovers were eaten today and will be eaten tomorrow.
2. I didn't support Schmeff Schmezos either. Most of our gifts were consumables or cash with a Pet Smart gift card thrown in (I used reward points from Discover for that).
3. DH and I do not give each other gifts. DH did a lot of cleaning on Wednesday and Thursday which feels like a gift to me.
4. I listed some items on Freecycle on the 23rd which I suspect became small gifts for others. They were things we didn't need and were still in factory wrapping.
5. We walked to the library as I had a book due. They don't charge fines but I know there is a waiting list for the book. I had two books on the Hold shelf ready for pick up and DH picked up a book and a few DVDs. It's hard to beat the library. It's easier to walk when it is cold and gray when there is a destination.
I saw my oldest son, briefly, in the northern part of the state on Christmas Eve. It was a beautiful drive up and I managed a thirty minute walk at the lovely park in my hometown! Ex said he was not going so I dropped off our middle son’s gift for ex to take to middle son, and ex’s gift on the way up to see the oldest. Oldest was disappointed not to see his dad but was very happy to see me! I will see the youngest son and his girlfriend tomorrow. He is feeling much better. I FaceTimed on Christmas with my daughter and grandkids who live across the country while sitting outside my house in a T shirt bc it was so hot. My thermostat said 80 degrees! But it is going to turn cold next week! Really, I just want to see my kids and I am happy with that. All my kids live in different places and have differing work schedules so I am just happy to be able to talk to them.
One of the great gifts my mom gave me when I split with the father of my two youngest kids was to say "the DATE doesn't matter, let's just get together on a day of OUR CHOOSING!" There is bitter manipulation on the 'other side' but my kids are adults now, they see through it, and they make clear what THEY want to do (after consulting with me and us all finding a DAY that fits in to their busy lives.
I am so glad you, too, see the importance of getting together rather than fuss about the date that it happens.
1. Went to WalMart to check for holiday candy on clearance, (only 25% off, not the 50% off for the rest of the stuff). Took the last bags of a few things and gloried in shopping in the QUIET! I didn't know they leave the sound system off from 8-10 am, for sensitive shoppers the checker told me. She found it boring; I thought it was wonderful.
Over the past decade or so, the amount of holiday clearance at local major chain stores has gone way down, because they just don't seem to order as much. That's a good move. (Some years ago, I saw a woman at WalMart loudly telling everyone that she had completed her holiday shopping on the 26th for /next/ year. She had three full carts bungy corded end-to-end. I found that perhaps practical but also un-Christmasy, especially as she would have to store the stuff somewhere and would forget what she had).
2. Found various clearance granolas at the grocery store for the husband.
3. Applied cash back bonus on credit card-- we usually don't charge much, because we usually don't shop much, but had dental appointments this month. Dentist does not have a discount for cash/check. His loss.
4. Working through an old book series again from the library.
5. Moving slowly, especially on cleaning, but making slow progress!
I went to the frittata recipe page and the recipes at the bottom had no content.
I'm curious about the black bean recipe.
Crap! Sorry about that!
Katy, I remember you saying your household is part Jewish. Do you celebrate Hanukkah, too?
We were invited to our niece and her girlfriend's house. DH's S & BIL (who are separated after 62 years of marriage - they're the parents of that niece) were there also. Although she's 57, our niece still wants time with both her parents at the same time. She doesn't want to feel like she has to choose between them. Our niece's girlfriend cooked a wonderful meal of smoked salmon, sweet potatoes, veggies and bread. DH and I took homemade vanilla ice cream and 2 homemade toppings to choose from: peanut butter fudge sauce or warm cinnamon apples. We all had a good time. (BTW, our niece isn't much younger than us. Her parents got married in 1965. My DH was only 9 months old at the time. While DH is #9 of 9 kids, this S is #2.)
Happy Friday! We had 16 stockings for Christmas morning. I pick up cute things in free boxes, my cousin finds me clearance Dollar Tree things in the store she manages. We use the clamps to hold 4 stockings each. I made everyone an ornament, they got gum, chocolate, lip balm, homemade soap and facial scrubby, family calendar and pet treats where applicable and fabric journal cover with pen holder (it holds a composition notebook).
They each added one item to my mom's stocking and mine.
I got Andes mints, lip balm, crack cream, homemade socks, saddle soap and flower seeds. My mom got all gum as she is a gumaholic.
10 of the girls decided to go after sale shopping and I spent the late morning working in the garden. Rain has come and I am snuggled into a book, quilt and tea. I win!
Did the weight of your bounty cause the run in your stocking?
I see a Katy mend coming on.
The family rule is thrifted, homemade or scrounged. One of my most treasured gifts was a child who travels quite a bit for work gave me a collection of heart shaped rocks found on hikes, walks or in the wild. He dated and labeled each one with a silver sharpie. I began my collection when I was 6 well over 50 yrs ago.
10 of the kids commissioned a beautiful walnut cutting board to fit Half of my Great Enisi's Hoosier that acts as a rolling island. they scored a free marble island top and cut it down to size for the other half of the Hoosier. Priceless!
Santa put "code names" group game in the game cabinet. I also see a rousing bracketed scrabble tournament in our future this weekend.
Katy
Add my vote for spending the gift card on resell able stuff! What a fun challenge.
I think it would be fascinating to see how you could grow that $100 by buying things to resell!
Katy … you might want to consider darning your stocking 🙂
My friend came for Christmas Eve dinner and we exchanged gifts. I had found the cutest red (her color!) mugs with a cable knit design (she knits!) at Goodwill, which I bought and set aside. I then got stitch holders (local, woman-owned business), a fabric pen, and some cocoa packets (Winco), which I put in the mugs. She loved all of it. When she asked where I got the mugs, I hesitated half a second and said, “Goodwill.” I think it kind of surprised her, but they looked brand new and the price point was definitely just right.
Casey,
You can always say the "GW Boutique" if you think admitting to Goodwill would offend someone.
What a lovely stocking full. Your husband did well!
1. I have spent some time today, Boxing Day, sewing a leaf applique on a free dress. It turned out quite nicely. Who needs expensive hobbies when there are free clothes to alter!
2. I've told my husband I'm taking the week off from cooking, starting today. I produced dinners for Christmas Eve (at home) and Christmas Day (after driving one and three quarter hours each way to cook dinner for my elderly parents at their house). I am done! Thankfully there are leftovers. My husband and I also each picked up the free 12 oz lasagna at Lucky supermarket which was the freebie on December 24. I can't eat them, so that's 2 nights dinner for him.
3. I've sold 2 things on FB marketplace today.
4. I bought my husband a puzzle board for Christmas and it is the best. We have a very small house and to have a puzzle on our only table used to be a serious inconvenience. Now the board goes under the couch and I wish I'd bought one for him 10 years ago!
5. I'm soaking some stained tea towels, downgrading 2 bathroom hand towels to the rag bag, and I ordered new hand towels with a gift card my husband received from a student.
1. Snagged a free play kitchen on marketplace for my toddler . The off loading of toys post Christmas has begun! It was a 250 dollar kitchen new. I gave it a good scrub with a magic eraser and recovered the “backsplash” with two sheets of dollar tree contact paper. It looked great!
2. Grabbed a few Christmas books at arcs 1/2 off Christmas sale for next year.
3. Sold multiple lots of little people on fb marketplace today that I have gathered at the bins.
4. We have been enjoying warm weather in CO which means we haven’t turned on the heat in well over a week.
5. Enjoyed Christmas morning with many of our gifts thrifted, from our BN group or handed down from friends for my toddler. Hoping to score some play food , pots pans and dishes at the goodwill outlet over the next few weeks to complete our kitchen set
Merry Christmas to all!
1) We hosted my family for Christmas Day dinner. My husband smoked a turkey, which we’d purchased for $4 before thanksgiving and had kept in the freezer. I roasted a butternut squash that had come in my produce box and cooked pierogis (purchased from Costco, not made from scratch!) I also made a spinach salad and some buttermilk rolls. I setup a mocktail bar, with cranberry and cherry juices, ginger beer, sparkling water and pomegranates arils, sugared cranberries (that my neighbor had given me), mint leaves and rosemary for garnish and frozen cranberries to act as ice cubes. I also had sugar crystals for those who wanted a sugar rim on their glass. It was cheaper than buying alcohol, better for our health and inclusive of those who don’t drink (my young kids and my sister who is 20+ years sober).
2) My mom put scratchers in my stocking. Not generally a frugal purchase except that I won about $40 across all of them. Better than the $0 I usually win when she’s given them to me in the past.
3) My neighbor asked if I’d like to look through a bag of girls clothes for my daughter. The clothes are size 10-12 and my daughter is a size 6 but I do have a bin to store next size up clothes for her so I figured I could at least look and put some in there. The greatest find was 4 plain white t-shirts. Related to your post on last minute holiday gifts and their costs, I have gotten caught in last minute tye-dye situations with my kids! The camp or after care they are at announces tye dye for the next day and to bring in a white piece of clothing and I’ve found myself scrambling, since I know my kids would be upset to not participate. So now I have 4 plain white shirts set aside should it happen again.
4) Staying at home today, enjoying our gifts and relaxing. It’s also raining so makes it extra nice to not have to go anywhere.
5) Leftovers for dinner tonight and then my aunt is hosting a belated Christmas dinner tomorrow night so no cooking for me for 2 nights!
Knit stockings are nice because they stretch to accommodate bulky items! If you hadn’t posted about it, I’d never guess that “Blake” was hidden on one of the stockings.
1. We came to an agreement not to exchange gifts with part of the family. Not only was it a frugal choice, but also less aggravating, because there have been some truly useless gifts over the years.
2. There were many thrifted items exchanged within our immediate family, and those were some of the most popular items! I keep my eyes open for potential gifts every time I visit a thrift store, garage sale or free pile.
3. I found $20 in the Fred Meyer parking lot on Christmas Eve. This will be my best found money year EVER.
4. My snobbish sister-in-law lavished praise on the blazer I wore at Christmas dinner. I didn’t tell her it was a bins find. It was a red blazer appropriate for a republican convention, so maybe that’s why she admired it?
5. I went out for a post-Christmas walk and found enough redeemable cans to fill my last bag of cans for the year. I’ll have to report my total for the year!
Li, I rejoice in being able to celebrate the holidays in my own way, having spent many years groaning under my MIL's and SIL's "Our way or the highway" approach. (DH didn't want to make waves, and I didn't want to make things more difficult for him by making waves.) I only wish that DH could have survived them by a few more years to enjoy the new and improved system.
And I too am looking forward to Katy's annual post on found change and bottlepicking totals.
That’s exactly it. “My way or the highway.” Our needs are dismissed. I hope my kids don’t grow up to be so self-absorbed.
I didn't buy anything on Amazon, though I did have a wish list and family members did gift me practical things from my list.
My grandsons got quite a few duplicate gifts because Amazon apparently didn't remove items from their lists once they had been purchased. I was glad I wasn't part of that mess! They got cash and stocking stuffers from me.
I was an uncomfortable witness to a blowout Christmas at my son's house. They have been swept up in the materialistic lifestyle of my ex's family. I bite my tongue.
Here are the frugal bits from my Christmas Day:
1. I was the happy recipient of a prime rib dinner. Afterwards, I took home the vegetables that nobody wanted.
2. As I stated above, the gifts I received were practical, mainly kitchen items. I am replacing plastic things with wood and glass, and I'm glad others are helping me out with that.
3. The Christmas meal came from a grocery that packaged the food in amazing sturdy totes, and my kids let me have one of them.
4. I rescued several gift bags that my kids were going to throw away.
5. I didn't do any traveling, and I took a walk on Christmas Day, maintaining my fitness schedule.
I am glad when Christmas is over. It has become a holiday I no longer recognize. When I was little, my family had lots of financial troubles, and I remember Christmases when my gift was a box of tangerines, Hershey bars, and peanuts. Yet those celebrations were so joyous. I'm glad I had experiences like that, when Christmas was not really about gifts.
I hear you on no longer recognizing Christmas. We used to live far from family, and everything was so simple and relaxing, and we had nothing to prove. Now that we are near family, things seem out of control and stressful. There is way too much angst about who is hosting what and who they are inviting. We have decided to opt out of most of it next year!
Li and Beth W. and everyone,
I also distress over the over-the-top, secular, materialistic, shop-til-you-drop, free-for-all, noisy, stressful, and mostly meaningless extravaganza that this holiday season has become. (Have I missed any adjectives?) Good to know we're not alone. (I hope I don't sound too much like a Grinch or a Scrooge.)
1. I worked at a friend's gift shop to make some extra pin (actually Roth) money. They gave me a VERY generous bonus, as I only worked the month of December. I make homemade cinnamon buns as a thank you, and gave them on Christmas Eve so that they could have them on Christmas morning. They work crazy hours the last week before the holiday and figure that would be useful/tasty treat. I doubled the recipe to bring the other batch to my sister's house, who always hosts Christmas brunch. Would have been great, except my BIL forgot that he was heating them up and burnt the entire pan! I also make it the entire month and did not purchase anything at the store, and brought my coffee and lunch every day.
2. Also make 4x batch of beef, mustard, and Cognac stew for 20 (Christmas Eve at my mom's house). The coarse-ground mustard was free from Ocean State Job Lot, and the carrots and mushrooms were free. I also roasted squash that we mistakenly grew in our garden (my dad had given me mislabeled seeds!), so that was all free, too. I think the brandy (we substituted!) was given to us from FIL when they were downsizing.
3. My partner and I don't exchange gifts, and my mom got me 2 items of clothing from Goodwill, and $ (for Roth). In-laws gave us tea towels (always welcome!) and $ for a new storm door. We gave both sets of parents food/drink/soap from our travels to the Baltics and France this fall, and very fancy jam (that sells for $20 per jar !!!) that I got free from a work event.
4. Today, picked up expensive rib roast for when hosting my in-laws this week. The store had discounted pork chops and "dented" lemons, which helped balance it out a [tiny] little bit.
5. We did splurge and go out for British pork pies (Boxing day!) but they were $3.55 each, and we both got a can of Coke for $1.05, which made for a very cheap date.
1. I had a new Ikea bar stool (was discounted as it was a return) that got ruined due to a water leak from the upstairs condo. I unscrewed the seat & will get the husband to make a new seat out of real wood. I can paint it & the bar stool can go back in use. The seat is the only part that was ruined. I claimed the bar stool as one of personal goods loss. I can use the insurance $ for something else.
2. I found a nice bouquet of carnations still in the cello wrap in a trash can as the local shopping center. Publix is across the street, so they probably came from there. My neighbor invited me for Xmas dinner. I had a nice vase & plant food already. I arranged the flowers & I had a nice hostess gift to take.
3. I found a nice coffee mug w/ some coffee still in it on my Xmas day walk. I took it home & sanitized it w/ bleach. I will take home to Texas as my husband has broken many of the current mug inventory.
4. I found a quarter and a penny on my walk.
5. My generous neighbor made a take home box for me of Xmas leftovers. She was having car trouble, so I told her to use my car last week to get to work. I am always happy to help her when needed. I don't need to go anywhere. I still have boxes to unpack & dusty dishes to wash from the repairs due to the water leak.
The tortie cat is beautiful with her malevolent stare. Her green eyes are lovely & I bet her coat is fluffy for winter. (It's a female, right?)
Tis extremely rare for a Tortie or Calico to be male. And if so, usually sterile. But Tortie's rule in my book.
Christmas has been good and continues today!
We live in 45 min north of Boston and don't do much for the holiday ourselves. I decorate for winter, so no changes needed until March'ish'.
We buy gift cards for nieces/nephews and they are appreciative of that.
We traveled further south in New England and had a lovely brunch with one brother & family, my elderly parents, too. Other brother and family live in VA so we all made the trip on Friday and will gather at this brother's today for some food and games.
The frugal parts of this for us are:
*we travel with breakfast and lunch fixings and snacks to minimize eating out- healthier, too
*we are on a relative's hotel 'friends & family' plan for hotels so extremely low prices for lodging
*we brought homemade consumable gifts
We'll start driving home this afternoon after the party and either stop at a hotel or possibly make it to my parent's house and stay there. Really depends on how we feel. While we love being frugal, when it is time to stop for the night, we stop. There is no sense pushing it to save a buck.
Beth,
Re: your "While we love being frugal, when it is time to stop for the night, we stop."
Stopping for the night when you (and/or other drivers) are tired IS frugal. And safer, too. A hotel stay is much, much cheaper than a hospital stay resulting from a vehicle accident!
Thanks! We stopped for the night and it felt good to rest! Will be home later today. Also feels good to know that because we are frugal, the have many choices.
https://www.baltimoresun.com/2025/12/26/climate-choices-holiday-returns/?share=2os5rhmoywthp6t5s66o
Here's an interesting article on the additional environmental costs of returning items purchased online.
Hope everyone had a lovely Christmas time!
Lots of goodies in that picture - I am intrigued by the smoked oysters.
1. We lit a fire in the fireplace several times over the holidays, the wood we used was windfall wood from the garden.
2. Christmas dinner leftovers for lunch of course 🙂
3. Put away the Christmas gift bags we received this year to be re-used next year.
4. Recharged our rechargeable batteries for the umpteenth time. The investment of getting the charger and the rechargeable batteries is so worth it.
5. Recent favourite library read: Elizabeth is missing (Emma Healey). Lots of reading by the fireplace over Christmas, my favourite part!
Not so frugal: We had some car repairs in the run up to Christmas. While my children are in school/college we are paying for all repairs for their cars. I also had a flat tire on my own car.
I had to work 2-6 on Christmas Eve, and it was a hot mess until about 5:15-ish. Then it slowed down, and we actually got out of there on time. A Christmas miracle! (There is a word we have for customers who wait until the VERY last minute to come buy perfumes for Christmas giving: They are called men! LOL!) Whew! Thank goodness I don't work at Walmart!
Anyway, our church had its Midnight Mass starting at 10:30. I thought they'd said 10, so I got there at 9:45....but had a lovely visit with the pastor and several others. I had invited B., the lady who played a portable piano on the drugstore porch -- she worked for Salvation Army and instead of the usual bell, she played music from 9 or 10 a.m. until 6 or 7 p.m. five days a week (yes, she took lunch and some breaks, but still it was a marathon!). B. came to the service and really liked it; indeed, it was a lovely candlelight service. Afterward, the music director let her play (at her request) the antique Steinway that someone bequeathed our congregation -- B. thought that was a treat, just to sit at the old instrument!
Christmas Day morning, the church had a communion service (no music, just the readings) and it was quiet and lovely. Again, B. attended and said she was happy to have a service to go to on Christmas Day. It was very warm, and I could not wear my Christmas sweater. So instead I wore my Easter dress! I paired it with a red chiffon jacket to make it look more Christmas-y. These were things I already had in my closet, so no money was spent on holiday outfits. But dressing up was optional: the pastor's wife and children wore their PJs.
Our pastor gave a good sermon: without naming the occupant/destroyer of the White House, he talked about what a dark time the past year has been. He said that had been the case on that first Christmas in Bethlehem, when there was so much evil and darkness, the world seemed to be "unraveling." But God sent a Messiah, and He is our hope today. (I hope that does not offend those who are of other faiths. But the bottom line is we need to look to God.)
Anyway, after that service, I got to go to an open house put on by some friends. They had just bought a house in June, and their new home was lovely. The previous owner had built a little gazebo type shelter in the back yard. There, the husband used some empty blue-colored water bottles we sell at our store (the water costs $1.79 but the containers look like wine bottles) to put a decorative border on the edge of its roof. He just nailed the bottle caps to the wood and then screwed in the bottles. They said when the sun goes down, the light reflects on the blue glass and looks really amazing. Since it is a frugal decoration, I am passing along that information. Meanwhile, I got to visit with several friends, and it was an enjoyable afternoon.
When I got home, I relaxed in front of the Christmas tree, played seasonal music on the radio, and opened some presents. The neighbors' children across the street made me a tree ornament; B. gave me a little fish made out of gift wrap ribbon; and I got candy, a coffee cup, a calendar, some toiletries and knick-knacks, among other items. Everyone is doing frugal gifts, but these items were very meaningful to me.
At 5, I went to another neighbor's house for Christmas dinner along with another single neighbor, who lives in the condos down the street. Found out our carpetbagger Congressman, a Trump-loving Republican/career politician who was voted out of two other Congressional seats before coming to our town, bought the penthouse unit so he could have a local address. Monday, I'm calling the Democrat party and telling them to get me some more and bigger campaign signs for my back fence, which runs along the road you have to take to get to the condo, so the carpetbagger can't help but see them before the '26 elections. (For those in other countries, a "carpetbagger" is an insult, dating back to our Civil War, and means a crooked politician who comes to your town from another place. Someone who doesn't belong in your area, like the Yankees who came down to govern the South during Reconstruction, the time after the Civil War when the defeated South was having to rebuild.)
After supper and a nice visit, I walked home with some leftovers, including BBQ turkey that was so delicious. The phone was ringing when I came through the door, so I set down my food and went to answer. It was my friend from Colorado; we had a nice long chat. After about an hour, I started smelling BBQ turkey. Frugal fail: Snuggles had gotten into the leftovers, and ate all the turkey for his second Christmas dinner. (I'd already fed him before leaving for supper.) Naughty dog!
Friday, my Trump-supporting out-of-town friend came to see me. She didn't say anything about my yard signs, which she disagrees with, and we had a nice little visit. She gave me some homemade cookies, and I made sure to put them on top of the refrigerator so that a certain Rottweiler cannot reach them, LOL! I gave her a giant-sized bottle of scented body wash from Ollie's Outlet, $3.79.
My lunch was the rest of the Christmas Day leftovers, sans the turkey. I added some leftover pot roast and had yet another feast.
I worked the evening shift at the store. It was fairly busy in the afternoon, but nothing like the lead up to Christmas. After sunset, things slowed down and we had very few customers. We closed at 8, and when I got home, I went right to bed and slept!
I'm glad that you had a much more festive Christmas than you've had the last couple of years, Lisa (if I remember your previous posts correctly). But naughty Snuggles! Bad boy!
A. Marie,
Yes, you recall correctly. This Christmas was a happy one!
Oh, and I forgot to report that not a single gift I bought this year came from Amazon, Wal-mart, Target, or shopping malls.
I am not so sure a carpetbagger is necessarily a politician but more so an "opportunist". Check your Funk and Wagnalls.
Katy, your stocking reminds me of a song my mom used to sing to me as a child about a little Christmas stocking with a hole in the toe, though of course ... Not the toe . I miss us not doing stockings. That is my favorite.
Our Christmas is pretty low key as my husband doesn't really want to engage in much of the gifts (just consumerism to him) and we have done stockings, no stockings, gifts, no gifts, trip on Christmas, etc. This year I said I wanted us to gift books and I gave him a short list so I didn't end up with what he thinks I read vs what I truly wanted haha. I curated a long list for him and had him go through to see what he'd like as I knew if I didn't, I'd be scrambling at the last minute. We each did five books from used bookstores except a couple that we couldn't find used but often they have new at used sites which I don't really understand but am fine to support regardless.
I received a watercolor tutorial: creative abstract watercolors which I am happy to receive as I've checked it out of the library many times. Another book I really wanted and received was Eating for Victory - Healthy Home Front Cooking on War Rations, which is reproductions of official second World War instruction leaflets from Britain.
Had a very quick turnaround to drive to his daughter's home with our food prepared and celebrate with the grandkids, 8 and 2. Brought our IKEA plant balls with sides to share and she made a ham for them. Brought dessert and left it there as we had enough here, too. It will not be a frugal-ish winter when I grow out of my pants. Need to rein it in.
Our grandson started asking to come home with us as soon as we got there and that's fine but what kid doesn't want to stay with their toys? He was excited to come and had another day with us until tomorrow afternoon.
I have lunch or meet up plans on different days with three friends I used to work with. Tomorrow will likely be a day of board games which I'm looking forward to. I'll make a vegan soup and bring over if that's the plan as she's vegan. She also mentioned maybe a drive to IKEA which is fine. She doesn't drive to it as she is uncomfortable with the many roundabouts and I'm fine to drive. Either plan is good!
Sold two small items on eBay and got those shipped out. Hopefully I can focus on listing more this week. Changing from items I need to box up to solely paper products I think. I'm tired of looking at a stack of boxed-up stuff in our small/no basement home. It's not bringing in enough cash to build a case for the eyesore. haha.
I have the book it's good. I also have another book that I got on Kindle. I bought it On amazon years ago. The author also has make do and mend. Someday I'll try the recipes from eating for victory.
Years ago we were at the War Museum in London. We arrived, without planning, just before a talk and cooking demonstration by Marguerite Patton. Her job during the war was teaching wealthy women how to cook now that their cooks and maids were off in munitions factories to support the war effort (and make more money). Some of these middle aged women had literally never boiled so much as tea water and were hopeless in the kitchen. This was in about 2000, so she would have been close to 85, she died at 99 and about 8 months if I recall correctly. Despite a slow gait, she stood for the entire time, talking and whipping up foods served during the height of war rationing. Mock apple pie, mock meat stew...she also had written a cook book that was for sale. It was so informative! All these years later I think of it on occasion. The museum has themes and this time it was food during WWII, so there were tons of booklets to buy and collections of newspaper articles. I was happy to see that the place was packed and many were young. (Well, I was young(er) back then too!) Anyway, I think you would have enjoyed it.
Oh wow what a wonderful opportunity to hear her. I would definitely have loved that! Thanks for sharing that memory!
A fine jumble of Chanukah and Christmas on your mantel, Katy. (The Bestest Neighbors' house is much the same; Dr. BN is Jewish and Ms. BN is, like me, a lapsed Episcopalian.) And, along with others, I too look forward to (a) the darning tutorial on your stocking, and (b) an experiment with using the Goodwill card to buy resaleable items.
Now, FFT, The Holidays Chez A. Marie Edition:
(1) I took a bottle of wine that someone gifted me (a type I don't care for, but someone else must have, because it was empty by the time I left) to Dr. Bestest Neighbor's latke party on the 21st. I wouldn't have believed before tasting them that gluten-free latkes would be good, but these were, due to extensive testing by Dr. BN and his assistants. (Enough of the guests reported being GF beforehand that they decided to go GF altogether.)
(2) Xmas Eve dinner here had a hiccup: The power went out for about 10 seconds, with about an hour and a half to go on my bread machine bread–and my 15-year-old machine doesn’t seem to understand the concept of picking up where it left off. So I put the dough ball on a cookie sheet (with parchment paper) and put it in the oven alongside the Two Fat Ladies lamb. I managed to scorch the bottom of the ball, but I salvaged enough of the bread for the equivalent of about 2/3 of a loaf. In hindsight, I should have put the ball into a loaf pan, but I wasn't thinking that clearly at the time. Anyway, all’s well that ends well.
(3) Xmas morning prezzies with the BNs were another in the series of our fine exchanges. The BNs seemed delighted with the Martha Stewart/Edward Gorey mashup calendar and their other gifts, all of which were either thrifted, donations, or consumables. (To paraphrase something Amy Dacyczyn once said, you always hope you can keep pulling the rabbit out of the hat on these things--and so far, my touch doesn't appear to have deserted me.) And I'm in turn delighted with my prezzies, especially the $50 Ollie's gift card. @Ruby, I hope someone was equally thoughtful on your behalf.
(4) I then took NDN1 to the Xmas Day 1 pm buffet at CF's and CF's husband's house. CF and CFH gave NDN1 several of her beloved word puzzle books (NDN1 thinks these are going to stave off dementia, but I just let her dream), and gave me the BBC DVD set of North and South (the one from about 20 years ago with the swoon-worthy Richard Armitage as John Thornton). Unfortunately, the number of guests plus the King Charles spaniel that one ill-advised guest had brought resulted in an even earlier fade-out than usual by NDN1, and I got her home by 3 pm.
(5) And after about 8-9" of snow overnight, I'm happily kicking back at home, starting to read North and South (I prefer to read a book *before* I watch a video based on it), and toasting my tootsies in front of a fire in the woodburner. The BNs and I debated on Xmas Eve whether Betty is more mesmerized by the fire itself or the flickering of the flames, but I vote for the fire itself: She's now sound asleep and stretched out at full length, toasting her tiger tummy in the warmth.
A. Marie, I had to look that North and South up. I immediately went back 40 years to the American miniseries when I first met “Patrick Swayze!” Definitely, swoon-worthy. The BBC version looks very interesting as well. I’m glad you had a good week and are safe at home.
Best part of the day was a big Italian buffet dinner, outdoors (I live in Phoenix) with friends and family. One of the elders in our friendship circle said a heartfelt prayer over the food before we dug in, we heard all the stories,from young and from old..I am full of love and joy today,still. A few of our son’s married friends have had “oops “ babies so there are teens ,20-somethings, AND toddlers at all events.. We all Ate a lot of reallly goood food:Meatballs, lemon garlic chicken,salad, maple glazed carrots, broccoli with citrus butter, penne, pasta alfredo.. rolls,cookies.. ohh my!!
I am counting on your blog and Katy’s to keep me in line with NON CONSUMING in 2026.I have a thrift store habit. I doubt I can get my husband off amazon, but I can work on ME. I do not need clothes,shoes, hats, serving dishes,books,or ANYThing AT ALL.My needs are met.
All i need in 2026 is more love, good food in my pantry, and gratitude.Soo.. I am working hard to stay out of thrift stores. Cause I buy clothes every time. Or serving dishes. Which I don't need. I will use my time on art,music,poetry, and exercise. And maybe more NAPS!!
Happy Holidays and new year!!
What a positive post! Thrift stores and garage sales are tough! The prices make it so tempting to buy, buy, buy! I try to avoid them too. The temptation is so great.
If you're interested in poetry, check out the Emily Dickinson Museum website. They have wonderful, FREE, online events. Charitable contributions are optional. I have been an online spectator this year and it feeds my soul. They are closed for winter, but things start up again in the spring.
We had a peaceful, very low-key Christmas, with no hosting or traveling. My original menu got scrapped because on the 20th, we had plumbing problems and could not use water in the kitchen end of the house. The bathroom at the other end of the house was still usable, thank heavens. So there was a quick trip to the grocery store for heat and eat items, which my family actually likes because they don't get much that's not cooked from scratch, along with ice cream and wine, because!
Very late in the day on the 23rd, a team of plumbers showed up and fixed the problem. I was very glad to see them and to not be washing and rinsing stuff at the spigot in the back yard.
Your son's kitty is such a pretty girl. Torties rock!
Hm, what if you attached all your stocking holders to 1 board (painted black or silver) - would that help them stay up better? And darning that one stocking might be a fun decorative project!
The frittata sounds fabulous!
My son, daughter & SIL visited us the weekend *before* Christmas which worked well since we all like to eat out (which is our present to them) & restaurants were open then. Everyone received candy & bags of fancy coffee in their stockings. I had lots of snacks at home for grazing. We played a couple card games. And instead of going out to a movie (what my husband likes to do), our SIL suggested we watch The Thursday Murder Club movie on Netflix - that was a great idea! Very relaxed, snacks we already had, pause button for potty breaks & closed captioning!
Katy, that stocking you repaired with the green trees is adorable.
We have had a very frugal Christmas. We hosted my husband's work party (not frugal at all) on Friday, Dec 19th. By Sun, the 21st I we were both sick. Our youngest son arrived on Tues. We had to cancel all of our plans and I have not left the house in 9 days. Husband has a bad virus and I have a terrible case of Influenza A. Son is healthy and husband is much better. I have a way to go. This too shall pass but what a mess! Looking forward to 2026.