Five More Tiny Frugal Things

by Katy on August 8, 2025 · 46 comments

  1. I got together with a few of my old work friends, which was fun. They wanted to go out for lunch and thrifting, so I suggested IKEA for lunch, as their entrees are half-off on Thursdays! We then drove over to the Goodwill Outlet, aka “the bins” as it’s maybe five minutes away.

    It was really enjoyable to see my friends outside of the hospital where I worked for 24 years.

  2. I didn’t buy anything to resell at the bins, but I did choose a heavily stickered HydroFlask water bottle, four organizing bins and ten or so fake plants to add to my built-in second story window box that scorches actual plants. I spent $7.76.

    • I easily removed nine vinyl stickers from the Hydro Flask by using a hair dryer to soften the adhesive.
    • I hung the dusty fake plants on my laundry line and spritzed them with the hose.
    • I ran the plastic organizing bins through the dishwasher.

  3. My lunch was the IKEA salmon plate, which cost just $5.49. (No tip!) I also enjoyed a free coffee and downloaded the IKEA app for a free Frakta bag. The salmon plate was actually pretty bland, I kind of wish that I’d just chosen their $1.15 veggie dog, which is weirdly delicious.

  4. I called my friend Lise to ask if she wanted to go for an evening stroll. She didn’t have time for a proper long walk, but she suggested walking to New Seasons Market to drop off our plastics recycling. Honey, that is my kind of friend date! I ran this specific errand recently, so I only had a couple plastics items to recycle, but it was still fun to hang out for a half hour or so.

  5. I got caught up on episodes of HBO’s Back to The Frontier, which is okay-ish enough to be worth watching. I wish they’d focus less on the interpersonal conflict between the families and more on how the three families are recreating daily life on an 1880s homestead. Again, thank you to my step-father for letting me mooch off his HBO account.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

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{ 46 comments… read them below or add one }

Jill A August 8, 2025 at 3:30 am

Good morning!! I love your outings. That’s what I call fun.
1. I spent the day with my mom yesterday. We went to several estate sales. I bought one item to sell on Ebay and a woven trash basket for my bathroom. I’m upgrading from my broken, chipped ceramic cans.
2. I shared some excess broccoli with my mom. She gave me some leftover goulash.
3. I picked up some large zucchini from my mom’s neighbor to give to a friend.
4. I made my mom and I margaritas with a tiny bottle of tequila someone gave me years ago and sour mix from the discount grocery. So much cheaper to have cocktails at home.
5. I walked three days in a row with a friend. Free exercise and always great company.

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Juhli August 8, 2025 at 4:31 am

Fun outings and socializing!

1. Used yet another CVS coupon to save 66% on stain spray. I’m on a tiny mission to use everyone they give me to spend less than they would cost elsewhere on things I would buy anyway.
2. Hauled out the sewing machine and made an effort to improve on a prior alteration to a top. Results pending next wear.
3. I bought mushrooms at the farmer’s market without a plan. We almost used them up in a stir fry that also used up bits of green pepper and leftover potatoes. A couple of sausages rounded it out.
4. After I tripped on a section of our flagstone walk, DH reset the stone using materials stored in our crawlspace.
5. I did not walk around on our roof and yell at people.

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Margaret August 8, 2025 at 7:45 pm

I have been using CVS coupons a lot lately also. Can score pretty good deals!

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Mati August 10, 2025 at 8:02 pm

Thanks for the reminder; I have a 40% off coupon that expires on Wednesday and $18 in Extrabucks. Best get cracking!

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A. Marie August 8, 2025 at 4:54 am

FMTFT, Garage Sales and Other Doings Edition:

(1) As I noted in a previous comment, my neighbor on the other side of NDN1 is planning to put out a considerable free pile in conjunction with tomorrow’s community-wide garage sale. He’s invited the neighbors to come down and have a look today before he puts the stuff on the curb. I was among the first arrivals (of course!), but I managed to restrain myself to a colander in a useful style I don’t have, and a set of good-quality kitchen utensils (large and small ladles, strainer, and large fork) with a German mark.

(2) I’ve added some of the utensils I’ve replaced with the German ones to the stuff I’m planning to donate to the upcoming garage sale at the immigrant-, refugee-, and LBGTQ+-friendly Catholic church near me. I’ve got about four boxes and a nice basket so far. (I trashpicked the basket on Wednesday.)

(3) I’m about to take a load of NY State deposit containers to the bottle return service run by an extended family of hard-working Burmese immigrants, and will probably follow this up with a stop at Aldi.

(4) JASNA BFF and I are in the process of planning BFF’s visit here next week, the highlight of which will be our Triple Birthday Celebration lunch and prezzies with JASNA Panera, who will be driving over from her city for the festivities on Saturday 8/16. Apart from BFF’s obligatory visits to Wegmans, Clothes Mentor, and the Regional Market, the rest of the schedule is in the works.

(5) And I haven’t just activated a load of utterly brainless tariffs on nations that were formerly friends of the US.

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Liz B. August 8, 2025 at 10:05 am

A. Marie,
Three huzzahs for your local immigrant/refugee/LBGTQ+ friendly Catholic church. My small town has at least two LBGTQ+ friendly churches, but neither is a Catholic church. Kind of surprising, but in a happy way, as my town and county are very, VERY conservative.
Another three huzzahs for your upcoming Triple Birthday Celebration lunch, too!

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CarylB August 8, 2025 at 3:03 pm

Maybe you should get to know more Catholics.

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Liz B. August 8, 2025 at 4:43 pm

….meaning, it’s surprising that ANY church in my small town would be LGBTQ+ friendly, but I’m glad we have some who are. (Can’t speak to refugee- and immigrant-friendly, but my community churches do a lot of good things for the homeless and indigent).

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GK August 8, 2025 at 5:03 am

Lots of fake plants in that goodwill bin!

My frugal 5 – gardening and grocery shop edition:

1. I found three brand new unused pots in the shed. How I did not see them so far is beyond me, they must have been there for years! I used one pot straight away and now know there are 2 more.

2. For outdoor pots I partially use compost from our compost heap. It’s not perfect, has a few sticks and small stones in it but I reckon that’s actually quite close to putting something in the ground directly, no sieved compost there! I fill 3/4 of the pot with this compost and I then use shop bought compost for the remaining quarter.

3. Currently harvesting regrown lettuce and regrown spring onions.

4. My radish plants went to seed when we were away for 2 weeks. I googled it and the seedpods are edible when young, they’re delicious raw, who knew!

5. Lidl now has a points system in Ireland – you get a point for every Euro spent and once you have 500 Points you can get a 5 Euro off voucher, for 1000 Points you can get a 10 Euro off voucher etc. Smaller amounts can be redeemed for products, e.g. you can get a voucher for milk for 125 points (that’s true to price, a litre of milk is 1.25 Euro). I shop in Lidl quite a bit and will certainly benefit from this. This scheme is in addition to the usual coupons, I still get a coupon for free pastry about once a week and money off coupons for products. The money off coupons are mostly for ready meals and sweets which we don’t buy/eat, so they are not much good to me.

5. Tried to reserve an Aldi Too good to Go box at 7.25 this morning and they were already sold out! I will try again tomorrow morning.

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GK August 8, 2025 at 5:10 am

Ooops, that somehow escalated into a double 5! 🙂

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Julia T August 8, 2025 at 5:42 am

Had a nice frugal day yesterday!
1. Took our rabbits to a corporate wellness event. Got paid and got to talk to people first 2 hours while they held and petted rabbits. My rabbit friend also came and brought her rabbits and my daughter was there to help as well. Such a fun afternoon!
2. On the way home from the event I stopped at Panera for a free lemonade for me and free soda for DD. Yea 3 month free sip club!
3. Found a buffet/bar on market place for my dining room redo. $35! I’ll be picking it up today.
4. Fed guinea pigs free veggie scraps dropped fly a friend. Fed us a frozen bag of chicken Mexican rice and corn. $4.99. I served it in tortillas 4 packs for $1. Added a free can of beans and sour cream. Very yummy plus leftover!
5. Stayed home last night instead of meeting up with friends. So no $ spent on drinks. I was too tired from chasing rabbits. lol

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Juhli August 8, 2025 at 12:19 pm

I love the concept of a corporate wellness event that includes petting rabbits!

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Liz B. August 8, 2025 at 4:45 pm

Juhli,
Right?? Who wouldn’t love that? (Unless allergic, of course). Our monthly work meetings would be so much more enjoyable with animals to pet!

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BettafromdaVille August 8, 2025 at 6:11 am

Tiny Frugal Things: Free Food
1. I picked up a last-minute mystery shop that required purchasing $5 of deli meat. I was paid an additional $20 to do so.
2. I gave my friend the leftover empanadas that I served to her and another friend (as I was leaving town). In return, she is giving me peaches that she is canning today.
3. I won a gift certificate from work for our on-campus bakery & cafe. I used it to buy 4 croissants for breakfast today.
4. I went to a post-graduation reception at work for faculty and our graduation speaker. It was a delicious spread of summer produce. (A perk of teaching at a culinary college).
5. Stopped at Panera and got another free iced tea (okay, I made myself an Arnold Palmer) and then stopped by a fast-food joint to get a free sandwich that I got via the app. That was $7.18 in free food (although I wouldn’t have bought them if I had to pay!).

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Li August 8, 2025 at 6:28 am

That’s the same bins where I got my hydroflask. I’m itching to go to the bins, but my rule is that I need to have something on my BOLO list, and not just be there for the sake of entertainment. Otherwise, I’ll just collect clutter. Also, I recently donated several boxes of stuff, and I don’t want to encounter any of my castoffs at the bins, because I like to think my stuff is good enough for the regular store. Yes, this is silly.

Thanks for the tip on half price IKEA lunches. I think there might be a back-to-college IKEA trip in the near future. If so, then I’ll do it on a Thursday!

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MB in MN August 8, 2025 at 6:45 am

It was another fabulous week of giving and getting from my Buy Nothing group.  This week, I received:
1. Small Pyrex containers with lids
2. Tiered herb garden, veggie plants, and flowerpots (received from someone who needed to clear space on her balcony for her new big dog to have some lounging room)
3. Two stainless thermoses
4. Storage bin
5. Baby food (brought to food shelf)

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Fru-gal Lisa August 8, 2025 at 6:50 am

1. Handyman never showed up yesterday — and he was the good, businesslike one that I thought I could rely on! — so I will try to find other ways of fixing things. Or hire yet another guy. I get very, very frustrated when I sit around the house all day, waiting for someone to bother to show up. I could be running errands! Grrr!
2. In the evening (the guy never works past 5:30), used Goodwill 20% coupon. Browsed the store and got an AC filter, still in the pkg., that was my AC’s size, for about $1. (I was actually looking for some slacks and a storage bin.)
3. Dentist’s office sent me a bill for over $200. They had told me that my SSN and DOB would be enough for them to get my insurance to pay. But then they said this didn’t work and billed me. OMG! So I phoned the Medicare Advantage provider and got the code numbers, and then called the dentist’s office. They said with the numbers I gave ’em, the insurance will pay it all. Whew!
4. Renewed my library card. I’m good for another 3 years. Over at their old magazine/book sale shelf, I saw a book by a rabid Trump supporter. Bought it for 25 cents. It is now in my trash can at home! Sealed in a bag with stinky items, so no one will ever read it again.
5. Did not gerrymander the entire state of Texas to favor the Republicans, and put Austin, a blue city, in with a redneck territory 300 miles long to ensure they can’t have a Democratic victory. How crooked can you get?

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Liz B. August 8, 2025 at 10:12 am

Fru-gal Lisa,
I just might steal your book idea, if I stumble across books written by rabid Trump supporters! Lol!

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Ruby August 8, 2025 at 1:06 pm

There was an episode of the television series Justified, if I remember correctly, in which a man was buying up Hitler’s paintings and burning them. The reveal was a feel-good moment for sure.

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Fru-gal Lisa August 8, 2025 at 2:45 pm

Ruby,
There is a small museum in my city that has a painting by Hitler. He was trying to paint a bunch of flowers, and you can tell why they wouldn’t admit him to art college.
Of course, in all fairness, I have to say the color is sort of dingy and orange-y, and it’s probably bc no one has bothered to clean up Adolf’s masterpiece in all these years. I imagine the painting may be around 100 years old, since it was likely done prior to him entering politics.
But even so, the thing looks very amateur-ish and clumsy.
The guide told us that Hitler couldn’t draw figures (people), so he was not allowed into the art school; it was out of the question.
Yet, one wonders if they’d admitted him and taught him some art, then maybe the tragedy that was the Third Reich would never have happened.

On a happier note, the same Improved Order of the Red Men museum also has a cast of Abraham Lincoln’s hand. They say some admirers went out to Mr. Lincoln’s Springfield home and asked him to put his hand in plaster so they can make a cast or mold of it. (They would then pour molten metal into the resulting hole in their plaster bucket to make a likeness.) They needed him to be holding something, so the old rail splitter himself went to the woodpile, took out his knife and cut off a little block of wood. His hand and the piece of wood are immortalized, and you can see how big of a guy he was, he had a very large and rugged-looking hand.
I think Lincoln would be spinning in his grave if he knew what’s going on in our country today. Esp. within the political party he founded.

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Melissa N August 8, 2025 at 3:18 pm

Hitler’s painting “dingy and orange-y?” Remind you of a fan of his that we all loathe?

Liz B. August 8, 2025 at 4:48 pm

Ruby,
I LOVE Justified!! Yes, I remember that scene! Though one of my favorite scenes is Boyd Crowder yelling “fire in the hole!” as he fire-bombs a church. Walton Goggins is perfect in that role.

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Lindsay B August 8, 2025 at 3:00 pm

Re: your number 4, I have done the same thing when I found a similar book in a little free library. I felt like I was doing the world a favor to put that book permanently out of its misery. 🙂

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Jen in Santa Cruz August 11, 2025 at 9:04 pm

Haha, Fru-gal Lisa. I LOVE that idea of throwing those books where they belong. I usually don’t even want to touch them, but they will help weigh down the re-used bags that I use to scoop cat litter and dog poop into. Thanks for the idea.

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MW August 8, 2025 at 7:13 am

1) We finished upgrading my kid’s “little kid” room into a room for growing teenagers using thrifted and second hand items. A loft bed, desk, filing cabinet and more organized closet should give those two hooligans space as we enter the high school and middle school years.
2) On the same vein, I was able to pick up a second hand corner cabinet from the 1940’s-1950’s. It will fill a dead corner in the kitchen and give us a bit more space for storage. I’m hoping to relocate my cookbooks to give the younger child more book shelf space in the living room. What can I say? We’re a book family.
3) I spent the week sifting through the kid’s clothing, donating too-small stuff and boxing up hand-me-downs in good shape for the younger one. They should be in good shape for the start of the school year. No doubt they’ll have outgrown their pants by October. . .
4) I’m working on perfecting the fit of a shirt pattern using thrifted fabric. I’m a bit hard to fit, so I’m using those sewing skills to adapt a pattern to multiple styles to fit those holes in my wardrobe. The older kid wore out his pj pants, so I’ll be cutting up a thrifted duvet cover shortly to make a pair or two of pants. I already own the pattern traced into multiple sizes, so it’s pretty easy.
5) Packing my lunch, taking the bus, making my coffee and rocking the thrifted/ me-made wardrobe.

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Blue Gate farmgirl August 8, 2025 at 8:14 am

Love the bins! We go to that one 2x yr, it’s an extended family get together.

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Beth W August 8, 2025 at 8:27 am

1. Made an Aldi run this morning. I was out of baking supplies. I bought sugar, brown sugar, walnuts and baking powder. Also frozen vegetables which I will use in soup and two pounds of carrots. My total bill was less than $17.
2. Found a nice small tote.
3. Bought fish feeder blocks at PetSmart, which is right next to Aldi. I need them when I travel, which will be next week. Didn’t get a deal on them, but at least got it done.
4. Received a free prescription medication in the mail through my Medicare Advantage plan.
5. The heat is back, but I continue to use my big pedestal fan as much as possible, and I stay in cool room, which is the living room. I did run the AC last night, so I could sleep. Expecting a dismaying electric bill, even so.

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Beth W August 9, 2025 at 5:01 am

That $17 bill at Aldi also covered a large container of plain yogurt!

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Reader Lisa August 8, 2025 at 8:35 am

That’s good info on removing stickers, my kids are always putting stickers on things they shouldn’t!

1) I hadn’t been into a thrift store for at least 10 years. I like them but there isn’t one in the town I live, the closest is about 25 minutes away and it would be difficult to shop at one with young kids in tow (since I need to take my time and browse) My clothing situation was getting dire though, I’ve lost some weight combined with getting a promotion last year that requires I dress a bit better at work, so I really needed some new items. The thought of buying an entire brand new wardrobe didn’t sit right though, due to the cost and I’m trying to avoid fast fashion type clothing companies. So I finally set aside time and went to the thrift store that supports the SPCA. Wow! It was fantastic, so well organized and a wonderful selection, I came away with a literal armload of clothes for less than I would have spent on just 2-3 items new at a regular store. I should be all set for awhile now. I definitely need to set aside time to go back next time I need anything else, worth the drive and the time spent!

2) I created my monthly meal plan for August, always nice to not have to think about what I’m making every night for dinner.

3) Picked up four more library books from a series my son likes, he closed his video game and started reading as soon as I brought them home, glad books can still compete with technology. I also put 3 dvds on hold, my daughter watched the 1st and 2nd Beethoven movies which she loved, she then wanted movies 3, 4 and 5, which don’t look nearly as good, glad I can get them free from the library at least.

4) We have a weekend of free activities ahead of us, a campus cleanup at the kids school ahead of school starting next week, with free pastries and coffee provided and then a kindergarten meetup at a playground, also with free snacks provided.

5) Not frugal: Finally visited and H Mart, it’s only 10 minutes from my house but I’ve never gone. I was easily lured in my all the interesting snacks and canned coffee. At least it’s still a relatively cheap place to go on a shopping spree.

4)

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Christina August 8, 2025 at 5:24 pm

Library books for the win!!

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Beth W August 9, 2025 at 5:04 am

Nice win at the thrift store, too!

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Lena Leilani August 8, 2025 at 8:53 am

Hello! I have been reading these posts and everyone’s comments for months–thank you for inspiring me to post a comment of my own 🙂

1. My partner and I have been looking for a new bookshelf for our living room, scavenging thrift stores and curbsides alike with no luck (or reasonable price tag.) My next door neighbor invited me over to see her new kitchen renovation and asked if we wanted a bookshelf she was trying to get rid of. For Free.99, the price was right!
2. Last night for dinner we put together brats (a gift from my parents) and hotdogs that we got on sale from our local grocery store for $0.99. We also thawed the remaining hot dog buns I had made that were left over from the fourth of July.
3. I made pesto and chimichurri with the carrot tops from my garden (the only edible part of the crop this year), along with herbs that my friend shares with me that she shares with me from her volunteer work at a community garden. The sad carrots were donated to the local wildlife.
4. My partner and I treated ourselves to caffeine at our favorite local coffee shop. They offer a “buy 10 drinks, get the 11th free” reward. I had a filled out reward card, so we were able to save a few bucks on our splurge!
5. Tonight I have plans with my friends to go see my bookshelf neighbor perform with her bluegrass/country band for free at the student union on campus. I’m planning on eating dinner beforehand so I’m not tempted to buy (the albeit, yummy) food they offer in the restaurants.

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Katy August 8, 2025 at 8:56 am

I love how your pateince with finding a bookshelf resulted in you getting a free one! Plus it was just next door, so transporting it was a non-issue!

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MB in MN August 8, 2025 at 9:54 am

Lena, I love how the bookshelf came into your life!

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Kara August 8, 2025 at 9:00 am

1. Still processing laundry from our vacation and houseguests. All loads air dried on the line.
2. Baked a rhubarb/apple/strawberry crumble in the solar oven. It makes me think of a friend who says, “In the problem is the solution.” Our problem is that it is 92 degrees (I can’t complain, it hasn’t been over 90 all summer), but the solution is that I can have roast chicken, baked potatoes, fruit crumbles, etc baked for free with no electricity.
3. I keep sliding plants into the area this is watered with my drip system. Without extending the system, I can water more plants. For those who are short on time and energy, drip irrigation is bliss (as well using less water than overhead watering).
4. Rode my bike to the library before it got too hot.
5. Picked up a 2 drawer filing cabinet from Buy Nothing for my son. Picked up bubble wrap through BN to use for my ebay sales.

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Lindsay B August 8, 2025 at 3:04 pm

What kind of solar oven do you have, if you don’t mind sharing? I would love to be able to do baking in the summer without heating up the house, and especially would love to be able to use the abundant sun and heat we have.

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Kara August 8, 2025 at 7:10 pm

Mine looks like a SunOven but I bought it on FB marketplace and it doesn’t have a brand on it. It feels magical to cook for free!

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mary in maryland August 11, 2025 at 10:11 am

I have a Haines 2.0 which is fabulous. Light-weight, and it gets hotter than my former SunOven.

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Marilyn August 8, 2025 at 11:20 am

Very tiny frugal things lately.
1. Doing what I call “top-shelf work.” For years, I put items we were not using on the top shelves of the kitchen cabinets and the bedroom closets. Then, since I couldn’t reach them, I pretty much forgot about these items. So, now I’m clearing these shelves, finding new uses for a few things, listing a few things for sale and taking the rest to Goodwill.
2. Some items which have found a new use include an old sugar bowl which is now holding Q-tips in the bathroom and a pretty saucer which is now on the kitchen counter to hold sponges.
3. Phonecon with a friend who works for the BLS. We spent about 2 hours venting about you-know-who and what he is doing to government and government employees.
4. Shampooed the carpet in my son’s old bedroom. This turned out to be a big job since DH and I had to move furniture out and then back in again when the carpet dried. I hope to shampoo the carpet in the other 2 bedrooms — eventually.
5. Called both my son and daughter to urge them to contribute to their ROTH IRAs this year. I think the ROTH and the 401K are two of the few deals which benefit middle class workers, so I hope they take advantage of both.

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Laura MO August 8, 2025 at 11:26 am

Trash picked a very heavy extension cord. It had one little scuffed place that I will repair.
Brought home some free, used 350 gallon totes for a friend.
Trash picked a metal cabinet for our shop.
Hanging out the clothes.
Batching picking up the tractor from the repair shop with a grocery run.
Sold an item on eBay.

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Anon August 8, 2025 at 2:54 pm

Need to remind everyone in Texas that today (Aug 8, 2025), tomorrow (Sat. Aug 9) and Sunday Aug 10 are TAX FREE DAYS for school supplies, backpacks, shoes, underwear and clothing priced less than $100 a garment. Look online for the complete list.

Don’t forget to take advantage of this, as you definitely would NOT want to pay any sales tax that would go into the Gerrymandering GOP politicians’ pockets!

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Melissa N August 8, 2025 at 3:30 pm

Tax free days? Heard of them; never experienced. Delaware, of course, is a “tax free state.” I live in Pennsylvania. We don’t have sales tax on clothing, shoes, and most grocery (food) items.

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Anon August 9, 2025 at 2:30 am

A few frugal things for me:
1. I re-purposed a few pasta sauce jars to store rice and beans
2. I had some leftover cooked white rice, and plenty of carrots, celery, and chicken breast in the fridge, so I made a medium batch of delicous, fried rice.
3. We had one or two cloudy days, so I took advantage by washing some comforters to reduce energy use.
4.I marinaded all of my chicken breast and put them in the freezer to save on prep time on a future meal.
5. I did another free Yoga session all available on Youtube.

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cathy August 9, 2025 at 1:53 pm

Katy, I’d love to see an updated photo of your upstairs faux plant-filled planter box!

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Katy August 9, 2025 at 8:45 pm

I’ll keep it private as I don’t want the entirety of the internet to recognize my house. You? fine. Creepy dudes? Less so.

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Priscilla August 10, 2025 at 2:30 am

Cleaned a bookcase
Found a bag of children’s books for a neighbor’s little boy.
Also an new toner. I had bought. Wrong size for my new printer.
Returned it $32 credit
Bought $15. Of school supplies there and used my points.. cost me .
$.32.
Dropped them off at church where they were setting up for a wedding. Florist gave me an extra long stemed white rose.

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