Five More Frugal Things
by Katy on December 12, 2024 · 50 comments
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I stopped by Fred Meyer (Kroger) customer service and was refunded $1.55 by presenting a coupon that could’ve been used with something my husband bought yesterday. I was there for powdered dishwasher detergent anyway, so it wasn’t an extra trip.
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My friend Rosalie treated me to breakfast after having fed her at my house during our last get together. However I wanted to make sure she got the most for her money, so I looked over the restaurant’s online menu the night before and figured out that that it would be cheaper to order a few things à la carte than to order a pre-set plate of food. Cheesy grits, poached eggs and a biscuit added up to $12, as opposed to $14 for a “two eggs breakfast” that included things I didn’t want.
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My friend Lise and I teamed up to do our grocery shop, although we did sneak in a bit of 55+ senior discount day thrifting. Lise bought herself a brand new looking Saks Fifth Avenue merino wool sweater for $9 and I grabbed a $1.50 organizer bin and two $2.69 Royal Dutch Airlines KLM Delft ceramic houses to sell — which were still filled with gin! So yeah, I bought booze at Goodwill.
I then brought home four bags of groceries for just $65, because Winco is amazing that way.
Winco and Goodwill, not a bad afternoon.
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• Rosalie gifted me with a batch of her homemade lumpia and a container of pancit noodles.
• I gathered up all my library books and pulled out the overdue ones. I’m normally responsible about returning books on time, but life has been really busy and upside down lately. Luckily Portland no longer charges late fees, but that doesn’t mean I should take advantage of their lax policies. I then stopped by the library to return books and even picked up a couple new “Lucky Day” books.
• Powdered-effing-dishwasher-detergent! Just say “no” to gimmicky and expensive pods, which easily cost ten times what I spend on the powdered stuff. I buy a $5.99 box that’ll last for ages. I simply decant the powder into a container and then scoop out a tablespoon’s worth for each load. Works great! Save your money for something more interesting.
• The restaurant, library and Fred Meyer were all in the same neighborhood, so I saved gas by batching these errands.
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I didn’t buy a vulgar gold plated apartment in the sky.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
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1. I made tomato soup, cream cheese and olive sandwich, pbj sandwich, ham sandwich, biscuits with cheese, a soup with greens, carrots and potatoes, and a salad topped with chicken. No, I did not eat out and yes, I packed my lunch every day.
2. I walked at parks and in my neighborhood.
3. Although chilly for here, I have just used one of those plug in radiator looking heaters that I bought at WM for $50. Cold here usually is not really cold although it did plunge down to 25 degrees a couple of nights. It is usually above freezing. I did shut off the bedrooms and slept in the living room.
4. I took a nap.
5. I wrap up mummy style at night. quilt underneath me, mummy sleeping bag rated for 10 degrees, 30 degree sleeping bag over mummy sleeping bag but that one was unzipped, and a quilt over the second sleeping bag, until I got too hot. I managed to kick off the 30-degree unzipped sleeping bag and the quilt over that and was just covered with the 10-degree mummy sleeping bag. I had on a knit cap also until I threw that off also. My nose tends to get stuffy if it is too warm in the house at night. I also had on what passes for Christmas pjs but is really just a sweat suit.
Hooray for free gin. I agree with the powdered detergent. I have soft water and I only need a small amount and bonus is it comes in cardboard and not plastic.
1. I went for a walk yesterday with a friend before the snow storm hit. Free exercise for me and the dog and time spent with one of my favorite people.
2. I made more dog ice cream with the leftover yogurt I made a couple weeks ago. It’s my dogs favorite treat and homemade yogurt is so cheap and the dog ice cream treats from the store are crazy expensive.
3. I was alerted here to the Chewy $30 gift cards so I’ll be ordering some things
today.
4. Last nights dinner was from the freezer. We had homemade veggie burgers that I had frozen earlier. I actually prefer them to hamburgers. Healthy and cheap. We had tater tots on the side. I bought a huge bag on discount at Costco that will last forever and as frozen potatoes go, it was actually a good deal.
5. I will be adding the Domino’s app and the McDonald’s app to my phone. I have been hearing about the great deals here.
Jill: As a backpacker I have all that sleep equipment but would never think of using it in the house. A mummy bag is a necessary evil out in the High Sierras. However, Hubby hates a hot house so we both use electric blankets at night. Love them. I have a little heater in the home office when I spend most of my hours these days.
We normally just keep the heat low at night and the wool comforter is enough, but with the boiler down, the electric blanket is on, and it’s such a luxurious feeling to slip under it.
Tell more about the chewy gift cards. I must have missed that blog post!
Diane, Chewy has a $30 gift certificate with $100 purchase. My order didn’t qualify so I’ll be looking around for a better deal.
@Jill A – the devil is in the details (as in qualifying items) when it comes to Chewy. My sibling does better than I but I have pretty the same boring order (not on auto ship) with an occasional “new” or restock item (for the feral cat).
I learned two new words today: lumpia and pancit. I need to up my Filipino food game.
Your decanting of dishwasher detergent brought back memories of my dad. He would decant the powder into a clean vinegar bottle that allowed him to add just enough to the dishwasher compartment without making a “mess.” He was proud of his bottle trick. He was also proud of the “efficient” way that he fried an egg. He acquired both of these skills in retirement, after my mom had taken care of everything in the home up until then. Man, I miss him. He was a good man – a gentle man and a gentleman. Are those tears on my keyboard?
Now you need to share with us the efficient way to fry an egg!
Ha! He bought a small non-stick pan with curved sides. He’d melt a pat of butter until it sizzled before adding the egg. When the egg was done, he carefully slid it out of the pan onto his plate without breaking the yolk. As a man who had never cooked anything, he was so proud. I lost count of the number of times he’d say, “M—-, have I told you how I fry an egg?”
Thank you, Katy for alerting me to the wasteful use of dishwasher compounds. I always felt that the pods were a waste of money (overpriced) and preferred to use powdered dishwasher compound. What really made me sit up and take notice was when you wrote that you only need 1 tablespoon of powder per load. I had been filling each compartment which was well over 1 tablespoon. Now I use a half tablespoon per compartment shining.
Likewise, I would like to comment on your wonderful advice about liquid laundry detergent. I had previously, like for years, used the half cup measure provided with my bottle of liquid laundry detergent. After reading your good advice I started using 1/8 cup of liquid detergent per load and my clothes are clean and fresh. Wow! These may seem like small savings, but over time they add up. I am so glad that I read The Non-Consumer Advocate. Thanks again, Katy.
So happy my words that I send into the abyss have taken hold with you! Hooray for using less, as there are not only monetary benefits but environmental as well. Fewer packages, less soap into the water stream and it’s actually better for our clothing!
It is a challenge to find the powder version of the recommended brand for my not cheap dishwasher. But I usually find a deal on tablets/pods as invariably, a box gets “dented”. And the big box heavily discounts them. Or heavily discounts a “variety” they are no longer going to carry.
It gets humid where I live and unless we’re in for a long stretch of humid, we don’t turn on the A/C. De-chunking powder can be a pain.
My again, not inexpensive washer (we have a well and septic) has a minimum line for detergent. Of which is all I use unless I have the rare, rare, really soiled load of laundry.
Long ago we use to buy the large buckets of powder dish detergent. I will have to look at Meijer again to see if they still carry the powder. I have not seen it in store for years.
It gets very humid here as well, but I just save dessicant packets and add them to anything that might clump. Anything in a cardboard box is decanted into something more airtight.
My stupid dishwasher drawers only take powdered. I so regret buying them.
I was gifted several large containers of dishwasher pods from a friend downsizing to assisted living. I have always used powdered and keep picking up Costco sized boxes at estate sales for $1 ea. I was also told to use powdered to clean the jets in my jacuzzi tub.
Went to the big town to grocery shop yesterday. Picked up my favorite marinated fresh mozzarella cheese balls for $.25 ea, made a delicious pasta salad w/them. What a treat. I also picked up a 25 lb bag of black beans for $10.
Bought a bunch of bulk spices at Winco. $1 worth of oregano that filled my restaurant supply sized bottle (a $14 savings).
Filled up w/fuel at a discount gas station, saving over $.80/gal compared to hometown prices.
Took in bottles collected in the cemetery I volunteer grounds maintenance, made $21.70. This goes towards oil and fuel for equipment.
I picked up 3 Christmas/Hankukah books at a Little Library for my Great niece and nephew. I sewed fabric bags for each book and gave the family a large basket. Each night the kids grab a bag/book to read in the evening before bed. This is a tradition that I started with my daughter. She took her books with her when she went to college and still reads a book a night as an adult.
Blue Gate Farmgirl,
LOVE the tradition of reading a book each night! Great gift idea and great way to get kids to read! Bet your daughter did really well in school….
1. I walked to my haircut appointment. It was raining so I used an umbrella DH got at work as some sort of promotion. I like to walk outside every day so this was a great way to get some steps in. My haircut was not frugal but the transportation was.
2. I added chickpeas to my lunch to up the protein content.
3. It is DD’s birthday. I will make her favorite cupcakes.
4. I have the front door open for a bit of solar heating (we have a glass storm door) and more light.
5. I am wearing a new, to me, fleece that I picked up at a clothing exchange in the spring. It is warm and fuzzy.
We have the hardest of hard water, so although I tried powdered dish soap, it doesn’t work well with the hard water. However, I buy my bottled dishwasher gel at Aldi. No pods for me. $4.55 per bottle of dish gel. I think I usually get more than the 45 loads the bottle says because I don’t fill my dispenser completely full. When we moved to this house and I had my first ever dishwasher to use that came with it, I gagged at the price of dish pods. Craziness.
Although I would rather be poked with a sharp stick than spend much time in Walmart, it is the local source for powder dishwasher detergent and Arm & Hammer powder laundry detergent. We can recycle the cardboard boxes both are packaged in. Both products get decanted into air-tight storage as we live in the usually humid South.
1. I canceled a few automatic subscriptions.
2. Made a quick cheat chili with ground turkey, a can of kidney beans, frozen spinach, and a jar of salsa. All ingredients were bought on sale. It was 15 minutes from start to finish and I was able to scarf it down quickly before I taught class.
3. Watching Hallmark Christmas movies for entertainment.
4. I have had a cold for over 1 1/2 weeks. I haven’t been feeling like socializing.
5. Frugal fail-I have been buying too much for gifts. Mostly for myself……..
I, too, am of the enough-is-enough camp regarding dishwasher detergent. Mine is in a cute square tin that came with detergent at one time, I just keep decanting whatever I buy on sale in. and there is a tiny tablespoon measure (blue for fun) in the tin so I don’t use too much.
I also use only a small amount of laundry detergent, which I buy in a big discount container of highly concentrated stuff. I decant into a smaller bottle, and use about 1/8 c of liquid, plus a splash of vinegar because that somehow keeps my clothes smelling fresher.
I wanted to share the current ‘take’ on those laundry sheets that are all the rage. Apparently many of them are full of microplastics – so you might be saving on packaging, but some of the packaging ends up in the sewage and eventually the oceans. I was suspicious of those sheets anyway (and thought they were painfully expensive considering how little detergent I use) but now I will stay far away. Seemed a bit faddish to me.
1. The first of my five frugal things is the continuing saga of getting my floors professionally cleaned. Stanley Steemer wanted more than $3,o00 for the job; Oxi Fresh said the didn’t have the equipment to clean terrazzo flooring and their brushes would scratch and mar my tile. But they referred me to a mom and pop place and that guy came out today, did the floor and gave me the bill. It was $300 even. (That may sound horrible but this was a HUGE space of three big rooms he had to steam clean and polish.) Less than 1/10 of what Stanley Ripoff wanted! The worker said most independently owned small businesses (aka mom and pop businesses) don’t cost anywhere near what a franchise will charge you.
2. Took down two bookshelves from the den and will relocate them to former roommate’s former bedroom, which is going to be my library/office space once again. Sad moment occurred when I found a chewbone that my sweet puppy dog had hidden under the furniture. May she rest in peace, and I hope she’s getting lots of nice juicy bones in Heaven. Where she can chomp and chew them in peace without being bothered by that horrible mouth tumor.
3. Magnificent free entertainment last night: watched the Motown Christmas special with Smokey Robinson, Gladys Knight, the Temptations, Jamey Fox and many others. Let’s hear it for over-the-air broadcast stations!
4. Hauling out our family Christmas tree from the year I first got my driver’s license, 1970, and saw it at Pier One. Using the family collection of old ornaments, some dating to World War II and before. Maybe the only advantage of being raised as an only child is that I got to keep everything I wanted from my parents’ estate. And didn’t have to split the Christmas decorations with a sibling.
But it’s the first time in years I’ve put up the tree.
5. Tonight I’m carpooling to a Christmas party at the home of one of my church friends. Don’t have to drive in the dark through unfamiliar neighborhoods. And I’m wearing a dressy holiday outfit bought years ago from “Salvation Armani.”
And here I felt that one of the plusses of being the least favored of six siblings was not inheriting any of the big stuff. Or the little stuff.
My husband is seeing a new-to-him doctor soon. In the pre-paperwork he was sent is a request for name of spouse, my contact info, as well as my birthdate, social security number, race, employment status, etc. Am I correct that that is not legal information for them to require?
I understand that they might want spouse info in case they have to go after him for non-payment. Name and contact info makes sense because I am his trusted contact. But overall, the rest is not their business, and actually just gives them more information to be responsible for that might be lost in a security breach.
Any thoughts?
As a side note, I have asked when I am a new patient if they really need my social security number, or I only write the last four digits. I don’t think it is part of my health insurance policy number.
I’ve worked in medical offices for years. Other than your name and contact information, they should need nothing more for you to be his emergency contact.
You are correct. You do not need to give your social security number. Do not share this. This is a bygone era when this used to be requested on medical forms. You do not need to fill in all the blanks they ask for. Just say no. Leave it blank. If they really need it they will ask. Just because it’s on their form, does not mean you need to anwer.
I agree with Jenni – name and phone number, that is it. I’m drawing the line at filling out “forms” which are not federally mandated by state or federal laws. Will be an interesting visit tomorrow as there are more things that I’m just not doing.
Thank you for the replies!
I do not share a cell phone number and
Sorry== Swiped something wrong and posted in mid-half-thought.
I always leave out my social security number on any medical form and have never had anyone say anything. It’s none of their business.
Basically for any collection agency if you don’t pay your bill.
I don’t use detergent I use an Ecco Egg and have done for years clothes are fresh and clean and no detergent goes into the environment.
What is an Ecco Egg? I’ve never heard of it.
An Ecco Egg is an egg shaped peirced plastic ball that opens to contain mineral pellets which you can refill you then put it in your machine and wash as usual I think it works partly on the dobie principle but all I know is that I have been using one for years and my washing costs are around £12 a year. I also have no need for conditioners but that may have to do with the soft water in Scotland.
I use half the recommended amount of household/ personal products, and find they work fine, an amount I got to in slow increments! Checking daily nutritional requirements for food suggested I was serving up a lot more than necessary in the expensive, protein part of the meal, so I’m now looking at getting a fifth serve out of my usual quantity, This could mean plating and freezing an extra meal, great for the nights I know cooking will make my head explode, or maybe lunch the next day!
Wow! Those KLM houses are an incredible find. I know a few people that collect them and they’re pretty fierce about finding them or acquiring them. If you’re reselling, they should go fast.
IF Katy is reselling? Ha!
They’re not my thing but they do look cute when there’s a whole bunch of them on shelves, gotta say.
My cousin lives in the Netherlands and Canada, and has been a frequent flyer with KLM for years. He has a collection of at least 100 of these houses. I was admiring the ones in his Canadian home and had no idea they were filled with booze. I looked them up on eBay, some of them go for hundreds of $.
I’ve listed the pair of them on eBay for $50, as neither of them are the highly valuable ones. However, they’ve been on my radar for ages, and it’s the first time I’ve found them.
I’ve listed the pair of them on eBay for $50.
1. I’ve been hunting for a dress to wear to a January wedding. I own 4 dresses, one of the my mother-of-the-bride/groom, and the other 3 are summer dresses. Even I can’t get away with that. But as I’ve searched the thrift stores for a dress, I’ve bought a few tops that I desperately needed. I took the Covid opportunity to not buy clothes, just one step down from my usual couple things a year. I hate clothes shopping and the Covid excuse stuck. But this many years later, my closet is decidedly bare. So yay for some new-to-me clothes.
2. I got my hair cut. My stylist opened her own salon and is charging $20 less than she used to. Hoorah!
3. I have sent off all of the “maybe this isn’t enough” gifts. The reality is that none of my recipients need anything, so the small gift that shows I thought of them should really be “enough”. Made notes for next year-gifts I already have, what I sent this year, etc. It helps me.
4. I sold another vacuum for my son and 2 posters for myself. Listed 3 more things today. I had almost donated my sell pile because I was so tired and just wanted it gone, but I didn’t and it’s a good reminder to just put things away when I’m too tired. A day will come when I can face it again.
5. I had gathered a present for a friend (homemade plum jam and a small plant I had started from a cutting) and that very friend stopped by to give me a present. I was glad to have mine for her ready to save me the gas and time of driving to her house. Another friend will pick up my gift to her when she is nearby for another errand. Saves me another 40 minutes of time and the associated gas. Just one more present to hand deliver and I will ride my bike.
I am in “no more stuff for me to deal with as executor” when it comes to my surviving parent. He doesn’t need anything and I’ve yet to hear him say he wants something (that he doesn’t buy for himself). So practical gift card to a place he loves is wrapped for him.
1. Using up Christmas cards from previous years
2. Dug our wrapping paper for the few gifts we’re giving
3. Received a $11.83 class action settlement
4. Packed granola bar, coffee and water bottle
5. Using gift card to host our 50th anniversary party on Saturday
1. Not sure how many things I’ve sold since I last posted a comment, but the ebay (and sometimes Facebook marketplace/mercari and poshmark) sales keep trickling in. It seems as soon as I’ve shipped a sale and logged it into my spreadsheet, I get another notification that I’ve sold something. My total sales for the month of December is $276 so far.
2. So far I have enough left over tissue paper, gift tags, gift bags and wrapping paper to cover all my outgoing gifts this year (and probably for the next few years). I hardly send out any Christmas cards anymore, but have enough left over from previous years to cover the ones I will send out.
3. I was struggling to find gifts for my two sons who have more clothing, toys and books than they know what to do with. I found a local museum doing a Battle of the Bulge history experience with re-enactors and also includes a ride in a half track military transport vehicle. Both boys are very interested in history so I bought tickets for the kids, my husband and me and now feel like I’ve gotten them enough stuff and something that should be really memorable and interesting.
4. I’ve been doing all the usual stuff…bringing my lunch to work, shopping grocery sales, preparing most meals at home, combining errands to save on gas etc.
5. I’ve started redeeming all of my outstanding rebate money from apps like fetch and ibotta so I can update my 2024 spreadsheet and see what my totals for the year are. Keeping track of this stuff not only helps keep me organized it also makes it sort of like a game to see if I can earn more from my side hustles than the previous years.
Frugal Fails: I had two days out with friends over the past week that included Christmas shopping and lunch out. I spent way too much money at a craft fair, but at least it went to some local artists.
I don’t think the occasional ethical extravagance is a fail. Maintaining a generous spirit and spending in accordance with our values make the difference between frugal and cheap. Also, if your frugal skills are well-developed – and it certainly sounds as though they are – you know value when you see it. I’ve never regretted the few impulsive purchases of art/craft and antiques I’ve made because they gave me satisfaction far out of proportion even to their higher price. A necklace I bought 20 years ago for $125 and still wear often amortizes to less than the cheapest thrift jewelry.
Hey, @Katy not only saved but could get a job too as “we’re hiring!”
I would love to use powdered dishwasher detergent, but the brands I can find leave a white residue on my plastic items.
A local FB coupon group is obsessed with jars of dishwasher pod mixed seconds at Dollar Tree. I prefer a small amount of liquid or powder, but my husband is doing most of the dishes right now and prefers pods. We did finally get through the dozen or so bags of deep clearance pods I picked up a couple of years ago, and his idea of a bargain is buying the non-discounted megapack at Costco, so I’ll be checking out the DT version, since I also buy their offbrand Oxyclean.