Five Not So Tiny Frugal Things
by Katy on November 19, 2024 · 46 comments
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I repaired my Birkenstock suede clogs using the last of two tubes of super glue and a couple of clamps. My sister gifted me these shoes maybe ten years ago, as they were too big for her, but the suede disconnects from the sole every so often. However, it’s just a matter of gluing them back together to get another year or so of use. Somewhat annoying, but time is going to pass either way, I might as well use fifteen minutes of it to keep these handy clogs in circulation.
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I signed up for a seven-day free subscription to the Hallmark channel through our Roku box, as I wanted to watch a specific movie. I then went into my account to “unclick” the auto-renewal. <– This is key to all those “free trials!”
The goofy part is that the movie I’d wanted to see, (Confessions of a Christmas Letter, starring The Office’s Angela Kinsey) was actually streaming over on Peacock, which we get for free through Verizon. Oh well . . . At least Hallmark always has a handful of Chanukah movies, which I feel contractually obligated to watch.
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I helped my son sell his $30 West Elm chair for $110. It’s easier for me to meet with potential buyers, so he lists just his things through my Marketplace account. He works a 9-5 job that doesn’t allow him to have his phone on him, (corporate espionage issues) so I’m happy to help. He sources his own inventory, takes his own photos and then lists by himself; I just do the communication if he’s at work and I meet with buyers at the house. Team effort, bay-bee!
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I got sucked into Simplysarahhart’s Instagram food prep reels, as she uses something called Super Cubes, which are silicone molds that allow you to meal prep single servings in a cuboid form. (I guess they were on the Shark Tank TV show, but I’m always little behind the times.) I looked them up and holy crap are they overpriced! Think $70 for a set of four for what is essentially a reconfigured ice cube tray!
However . . . my husband owns a pair of big silicone ice cube trays, (fork for scale!) so I used one to freeze some leftover pumpkin pancake batter. I then popped out the batter cubes, which are now stored in a ziploc freezer bag. I really like the concept of this product, but I’m not one to overspend. I guess I’ll start keeping an eye out at Goodwill and figure out how to use what I already have on hand.
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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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{ 46 comments… read them below or add one }
I watched that Hallmark movie also! (On my free Peacock account) Because Angela Kinsey was in it, it was my first Hallmark Christmas movie!
Aldi had their version of “souper cubes” in the aisle of shame last spring, for a MUCH cheaper price – i have it and works great!
Found a dime at the gas station – into the found money jar!
Monday was our monthly luncheon at work, i was able to get 2 lunches out of mine as they were big servings.
A friend made soup and brought me some!
Goofy, but I just love Angela Kinsey so much!
I used some E-6000 glue to glue the rake back into the handle. It rake kept coming out, so I looked for my tube of E-6000 and glued it back together and hung it in the shed where it will hopefully stay until spring.
I found a paper craft snowman that I can cut with my cutting machine as small gifts to give some acquaintances for Christmas. I have all the paper needed and the pattern cost me $3.00 from Etsy. I still have to buy some battery operated tea lights, but I have to find some inexpensive ones before I purchase them. And maybe a batch of cookies to go with the snowman.
1- Two little stitches and a dress that my sister was ready to give up on is back in circulation.
2- I’m knee deep in making Christmas pjs from recycled patterns and thrifted materials.
3- I made it through a month of jury duty with zero take out/ restaurant dinners with tons of meal prep and teamwork.
4- I’ve figured out how to alter a dress I made earlier to make it fit better- now I just need to find the time. I’ll get to it after the pj rush.
5- Still taking the bus, packing my lunch and making my coffee. It’s those constant little things.
Given how much soup we make/ eat, I need to keep an eye out for one of those gizmos. I hate tying up that many little plastic containers in the freezer. . .
@MW I find the silicone cupcake, loaf pans and square pans at the thrifts and place them on a cookie sheet in my freezer. I pour the broth/ soup from a pitcher into the silicone pans. Sometimes I re-use a piece of parchment paper from baking to cover the top of the pans while they are freezing.
I pop the pucks out into bags and store in the freezer.
OMG I HAVE the slicone loaf pans, and am not doing a lot of loaf cooking, brilliant!
I remembered to look for a coupon on something I ordered online, as it is not available locally in stores. Googled: Name of Company Coupon. Got free shipping.
Remade half of my Mexican restaurant lunch into a soup that is one of my favorite comfort foods. Dump everything uneaten from my plate into the container I quietly bring from home, (the restaurant provides styrofoam for doggy bags–hate that!). Prepare it by adding a can of chicken broth and heating.
Inventoried our major appliances. We know we will need some replacements in the next few years, yet even with discussion of future tariffs, don’t want to replace anything that is still working well.
Put all my outdoor flower pots away, except for the one with nasturtiums, which flowered late but are still blooming.
Appreciate the frequent postings here! You are helping me balance discussion of future uncertainties with routines and consistency and creativity and common sense. Thank you, Katy and all!
I have a plastic container I keep in my car. If I am going to a restaurant, I take it in with me, in a small shopping bag I keep in the car with it so I don’t look too weird carrying in an empty container. That way I don’t have to ask for a doggie bag because I, too, hate Styrofoam containers.
A friend recommended the real Souper cubes and I about fainted at the price. The slight difficulty of getting stuff out of our set of inexpensive shallow freezer cartons works for me.
I went to book club yesterday evening and had a great time for the cost of two used paperbacks. We had a rainy day today for the first time since Hurricane Helene, so I stayed home and did stuff around the house. My son needs new tires, wheel covers, and body work done on his car, and today I bought a set of wheel covers on eBay. Air dried some laundry.
Good job mom on the team effort. My youngest daughter does the same thing but she does pickup when I am around so she doesn’t have to do it alone.
1. My 2013 outback needed some work on it. I had seen a coupon for our mechanic and put it in my purse. I used it when we went to get it. It was 10% off services. $116.30 still in my pocket.
2. I went to the gas station a 1/4 mile further then our closest one to save 15¢ a gallon. They do cash for cheaper.
3. I found a penny at the gas station.
4. I brought leftovers for lunch to work with me.
5. I am down 15 pounds. Saving money on less snacks and hopefully future medical bills.
I am newly retired and have a strong plan for this “4th quarter” of my life. Success will be a life of Health, Service, Joy and Love. I am using some Frugal tools to pursue these goals.
1. I am listening to David Allen’s “Get Things Done” audiobook from Libby. A project, according to him, is anything that requires more than one step. Already I have identified the most important project I have through the holidays: Lower my A1C by dropping 5% of my weight through diet and exercise. I can work on other projects but NOT if they interfere with my primary project. $0 spent.
2. Everyday I identify the next immediate steps of projects. Today was TRX class (free with DH gym subscription) and a second opinion A1C test. Quest offers a fairly inexpensive A!C test without Dr’s note. I have an HSA high deductible which means I pay for a doctors visit and $200 for any lab. $32 spent.
3. One of my long term projects is to create stronger family ties especially with the “grand” generation. I was a music teacher (among other subjects) for 35 years. I housed my mother in law’s piano when she passed. I have contacted my nieces and nephews and offered free music lessons if they house the piano. I will then move my mom’s piano to my house in preparation for losing the Steinway when my 22 yo son finds a “real life” first home. Spent: $0 for offering lessons. $250 for piano movers which is well worth launching another 9 littles into the world of music.
4.Towards my service commitment and in honor of our good friends boy who just died of a drug overdose at 18, I am sponsoring more young people in the AA program. I am 37 years sober and have a way with the younger generation. I am uniquely qualified for this work. : Spent: the odd coffee at a coffee shop. Less than $10 a week.
5. In terms of the ” Love” project, I am trying to find ways to strength the relationship with my husband. We are empty nesters. Also, no two people could possibly be more different in terms of common interests, world view and love languages. So I need to be sure to intentionally find activities for us. Hubby use to be a fight fan and wanted to watch the Mike Tyson debacle. We don’t have Netflix. I called a couple who does and we enjoyed socializing with the homemade brownies I baked with leftover ingredients. Spent: $0
5.
Mary Ann, this is all great, particularly #4.
Wonderful way to look at retirement! I love everything on the list, although I would have to teach any grandchildren (which I don’t have) accordion instead of piano.
Great inspiration here… #3 & #4 warmed my heart!
Mary Ann, I love your frugal fives. Especially #4 – 37 years sober. Wow.
@Mary Ann, you give me reason to hope! I love that you are finding ways to be intentional about your actions, after exploring your inner self to determine what your priorities are. I, too, have plans to lose a few pounds, and I love that you have reminded me that I can make that a priority, everything else comes after. Surprisingly, today I already took action this morning with some easy movements/exercises.
Your sobriety is wonderful, and that you are using it to take action in the grief you are feeling for your friends and their son. Sponsoring someone is only one of the ways we can do our 12th step work – just talking about our own addiction problems, openly and with self compassion, can cause such helpful ripples. I mentioned my 5 year sobriety at church a couple of weeks ago (we have a tradition of donating our birthday years in dollars to the church, around our birthdays. I have both my AA birthday and my belly button birthday in the same week, and so when I got up to share and give my donation, I mentioned that I was donating for both birthdays (and thanked the community of the church for their support over these 5 years). One of the church members approached me a couple of weeks later, at coffee time, and quietly shared that she was inspired – she has been ‘trying’ but on her own, and was kind of asking for help. I have now invited her to join me at my next meeting, but your idea of coffee has me thinking that might be a grand first step.
Thank you so much for sharing this story, you just never know who needs to hear it.
1. My sister did my hair and makeup for a gala we attended on Friday. She gave me the foundation as it was a better match for me than her.
2. Rode to the dog show with a friend. Neither of our dogs won
3. Spent yesterday digging thru pockets, backpacks and purses looking for gift cards or money. All I found was 3 cough drops, 2 eye glass cleaning wipes and a small bottle of hand sanitizer. I used the hand sanitizer to clean the hard surfaces in the bathroom
4. Took advantage of the sun today to air dry 3 bath rugs
5. Sold an item for a friend. I dropped off the mailing label and her proceeds.
If you have access to Hoopla through your public library – they have what is called “binge passes” and one of them is for Hallmark movies! It allows you to watch a ton of Hallmark movies for a week through their app. They have other movies on the app as well.
1. Made myself a mocktail out of the white grape juice from the strained can of peaches mixed with some fizzy water. Cheers!
2. Favorite frugal concoction using what was in the pantry and fridge: Curried Lentils, Potatoes and Spinach. The ingredients cost around $3.00, so .50 per serving.
3. Made vegetable risotto using up bits and bobs.
4. Gas was $2.81/gallon and we paid $2.61/gallon with a coupon from our local paper.
5. Had our bathtub refinished rather than buy a new one. Very pleased with the results.
I just did the strained juice/fizzy water combo this week too!
I like doing it with pineapple juice when I open a can.
1. I cancelled my Hulu subscription before the $1.99 price I got last year on Black Friday. I’ll watch this year to see if there is another deal to be had.
2. Instacart sends me some great deals sometimes. Today I used an intro offer of $25 off a $35 purchase to a restaurant on Uber Eats. I saw that Chicken Salad Chick allowed for pick up (so no delivery fee or tipping a driver) and they had a BOGO meal offer. I was able to combine both deals to get two meals, a large chicken salad tub and two bags of chips for $10. It may not have been the most frugal option (i.e. eating at home) but it made for a night evening out with my teen.
3. I shopped diligently online comparing prices for all natural/low waste laundry detergent. I have extremely sensitive skin and can’t just purchase whats on sale each month. I ended up using a first time purchase discount and a free shipping deal to purchase. I figured at 19 cents a load I did pretty well. Here’s hoping it works for my skin.
4. I accepted an offer for a free ticket to see a student in a play this coming weekend. The performance is near my Mom’s and I had planned to visit and help with some things that day so this way I’ll sneak a little relaxed down time in and support a student too.
5. A friend who was moving gifted me a huge bag of unscented tea light candles. They burn rather quickly, and won’t be much help during a power outage, so I’ve been using them as ambient lighting now that it’s getting dark so much earlier.
1. The guy coming over for Thanksgiving dropped off four pounds of Kerry Gold butter, my favorite, as his contribution. (I use a lot of butter in mashed potatoes, but not four pounds!) That and three chicken carcasses with only the breasts eaten. I tried to talk him into using more of the meat but he finally told me if I didn’t stop, he’d just throw them away instead of freezing the carcasses for me. Mouth is now zipped when he drops them off.
2. Spent yesterday dealing with the carcasses–stock, two pot pies, skin for the dogs to be doled out over several days.
3. Sold a Christmas quilt I have had for years and never used.
4. Husband had to saw off part of his woodworking table in order to fit our new van in the garage. He used saved wood putty and varnish to make it look presentable. He is very tidy in general, but especially the garage. (As in he is particular about vacuuming. In our marriage of 41 years, I have only used the vacuum when he was out of town and I was cleaning up for his return. And I managed to break it.)
5. Made the Dane boots from material scraps. It was 21 below this morning and he refused to come in for over 45 minutes, the idiot. And you can’t drag 185 pounds into compliance, especially if he runs when you get close. Only took me an hour. And then another hour to get him used to letting me put them on.
Frugal fail: So, this nice new van does not have a key, but a fob that allows you to press a button to start the engine. I decided to give the new vehicle a spin while dropping off some donations, something the husband usually does but I feel really good today. I got out of the van and some place between the vehicle and the door of Salvation Army the fob fell out of my pocket. Again, it was 21 below and the sun does not rise until about 9 now, so I was in the dark for part of the walkway. It took me almost 20 minutes, the last 10 or so spent crying and sniveling and feeling the tears freeze on my face. This thing cost $300 to replace so I would have kept searching until I died. I found it right next to the path, in a snowbank. I got in my car and headed straight for a drive thru food kiosk, where I bought hot chocolate and a breakfast burrito. My brain tried talking to my steering wheel, reminding me that this is emotional eating, that we have food at home, that I don’t need the calories…no dice. I am framing this as having saved $285 since I didn’t have to replace the fob.
Lindsey, my heart broke a little thinking of you wandering around in the dark, freezing cold weather looking for your key fob. So glad you found it.
My husband lost the key fob for his car with electronic ignition. The replacement cost was eye-watering. You totally deserved that whew! snack.
Lindsey,
That hot chocolate and breakfast burrito were both well deserved. I get frantic when stuff like that happens to me, in non-freezing, no snowbanks, sunlit Ohio. Hugs.
Lindsey, I can only say that I’m so glad you found the key fob before you died. Your friends here and on the FG would have missed you something fierce. Also, I think that the comfort food was a totally justifiable expenditure.
Oh, and yes, I do understand your pain about the key fob. DH lost both of the ones to the Element in the course of his dementia, so that’s why I’m operating the Element with its manual keys (thank goodness it’s old enough to have had them). But I keep reminding myself that we were lucky for those to have been the most expensive things he lost. There are horror stories galore about people with dementia who lost thousands of dollars in ill-advised online stock trading, romance scams, etc.
Sharing your horror at losing the key fob! There are tracking devices that can be put on the key to track it with a phone, but they do not come with the keys.
@Lindsey, I echo A. Marie’s comment about seriously missing you if you froze solid. And completely support your choice to reward yourself for saving $300. So there!
My truck has a key fob to start (and no key, A. Marie…). I have lost one somewhere (I suspect my son, but he denies. but he DID locate one of the car keys after denying having that, so I can only hope. I spent the bucks but it wasn’t $300 – got it at a battery place. still over $100….
I keep all my keys on long lanyards – and have trained myself to put the lanyard over my head before I get out of the car (first thing, turn off car and then grab lanyard, even in the keyless truck). I check again when my feet hit the ground. amazing how many times I THOUGHT I had put it on, but it was in my lap and then landed on the ground. but I find it right away…
#2 son has yet another vehicle – and #1 son had lost all the keys but one, before he handed it down to #2. So #2 called me one day because he had locked the key in the car. Luckily, that car is OLD like OLD OLD and has manual wind down windows, and it has travelled a LOT. so I knew that with a bit of judicious jiggling of his palms flat on the window, he would be able to open the window (trick told to me by my friend when I originally bought the car, used, from her). It worked. He has since locked the keys in another time. I am really wanting to get another key for him to ensure he has a spare, but I need to trade vehicles with him to do so. kids.
Kids . . .
1. Washed quilts and hung them on the line ahead of our predicted 6 days of rain.
2. My much-mended plastic laundry basket finally got past mending. I bought a wicker basket at home depot, thinking it wouldn’t degrade as my plastic baskets have done. The price made me wince though and I decided I could do better. First I thought I’d find one at the thrift store. But then I realized I was using a basket in the closet that would actually make a good laundry basket. I will need to rig up some handles, But I’m pretty satisfied. Home Depot basket is in my return pile.
3. I altered 2 quilts to better fit the beds they are needed for. I switched the curtains in the guest room to better coordinate with the new quilt. I’m thankful for my tub of extra curtains, some free, some gifted. If I want a change, or a kid needs a set, I have them. My mother gave me about 8 sets of white curtains several years ago and they sure have come in useful in my, and my 3 grown children’s houses.
4. I’ve already made my meal plan for the whole of Thanksgiving week (4 extra people all week, 6 extra one of the days). I knew I needed bay, sage and rosemary for stuffing. When I went to the herb bundling for the food bank, friends who had brought extra gave me some of the 3 I needed. They are all in a jar of water in the fridge. Fresh herbs are pricey and I’m super happy with my free ones!
5. I’ve mixed up the dry ingredients for 2 desserts and put a post it on the outside of the container with the rest of the recipe. It will make prep quicker and easier when it’s busy next week. A saving of sanity.
If we don’t immediately find the movie we’re interested in on a service I google “stream [movie name] free” and it kicks back a list of freebies/prices. Sometimes it’s worth spending a few dollars when it’s the perfect night for something we’ve been eager to see.
Borrowed a few screws from the guy working on the house next door, and lent him a drill bit, preventing two trips to the nearest big box.
Made my hostess some vegetarian Indian food from scratch, since there won’t be a good night to take her out to dinner before I head home.
Found the missing paint rollers and can take the new ones back.
Brought with me a bag of clearance coffee that, um, expired last year. It doesn’t taste bad, but it doesn’t taste like angels singing, either, which is all I ask from coffee. It *does* have the caffeine I need to get up early and do things I’d rather not do, but I’ll never use it at home because there’s always something better on hand.
Not a holiday movie rec but I just watched Shiva Baby (on free to air TV in Australia (SBS) ) and have a feeling you’d enjoy it! The mother in it is Polly Draper who was in Thirtysomething and the young actresses are just fab!
Katy, I think those Birkenstock’s owe you nothing. Good job keeping them in circulation.
1. I had a dozen empty canning jars in the cupboard, so I canned water for emergency’s. It’s something I’ve been wanting to do. I’ll keep my eyes open for more jars at the thrift stores. I don’t like to buy water in plastic and since we rarely need it, I would probably have to throw it out anyway.
2. We ate leftovers for dinner last night along with a couple chicken burgers that were sitting in the freezer. I’m trying to use up some of the odds and ends in the freezer.
3. I sold a Wii game of my daughters on Marketplace and another Tamagotchi for daughter #2 on Ebay. Money in for my kids, crap out of my house.
4. I sold a fan remote on Ebay. The fan broke last year unfortunately. More money in, more crap out.
5. Meijer has had a wine on sale that my oldest daughter and I both like. It’s normally $17 on sale for $7. I stocked up the other day. I told my daughter I looked like an alcoholic with an eating disorder. I had a cart full of wine, a bag of grapes and a jar of mayo rattling through the grocery store while ducking my head.
A Few Frugal Things, I’m Back Edition:
I’m relieved to say that I’m crawling back from the hole I fell into on Monday. Here’s what I’ve got:
(1) A huge FT for my next-door neighbor (NDN): Her other close friend (CF) and I **finally** persuaded her to donate her dead 2005 Subaru Forester, which she can no longer drive anyway, to our local PBS station. She’ll get a tax break on the Forester (which, despite its condition, has a little-old-lady low odometer reading), and it’s a great relief to CF and me to have finally gotten that hunk of junk out of there before its NY State registration expired. (And, incidentally, the towing driver did an awesome job getting his big rig down her narrow driveway and snaking the Forester out of her garage.)
(2) As a treat for myself after (1), I’ve made a NY Times recipe for sheet-pan sausages with brussel sprouts, potatoes, and honey mustard for lunch. (The sausages were of course Reduced for Quick Sale; I bought the brussels sprouts at the Regional Market 10 days ago and needed to use them; and I added some starting-to-sprout potatoes.) For once, I followed the recipe almost faithfully–and, dang me, it’s good!
(3) Haven’t had the energy to go anywhere or spend any money since Monday, except that I made an online donation to the American Cancer Society in memory of DH’s BF’s wife. (Like money spent on books, money spent in good causes doesn’t count.)
(4) And I’m about to go take a shower (I got fairly grimy crawling around in NDN’s garage taking the license plates off the Forester) and take a nap. Knowing when you need to crash = entirely frugal, IMO.
Thanks A. Marie. I just looked up that recipe and that is going to be tomorrow nights dinner as I have all of the ingredients on hand.
Yes, knowing when you need a nap is a good thing. And being able to take one is a blessing.
I am cheering you on with your sales! My cousin does the same for me, he handles all the pick up, money exchanges, dealing with hagglers.
The bomb cyclone hit us hard last night, now I don’t have to prune the backyard trees. This morning while doing chores we had wicked lightning storms.
We watched the Angela Kinsey movie, too. I love Hallmark movies this time of year. Who am I kidding, I plain love Hallmark movies for their simplicity and non violence/bad language.
I use silicone muffin cups for freezer portions. I like your hubby’s square shaped mold.
Making GF spaetzle with buttery freezer pesto and fresh parsley as a side dish for dinner tonight. Comfort!
Neighbor’s outdoor furniture ended up blowing like tumbleweeds thru the back pasture. I will collect and deliver it home after the wind passes. The tree line on the N side of the pasture should hold the furniture.
I’m afraid I have to be His Majesty’s Loyal Opposition (as the Brits would say) re: Hallmark movies, having been a captive audience to far too many of them while DH was in the nursing home. The aides tended to switch the common-area TV to the Hallmark Channel, regardless of what the guys in DH’s mostly male ward area would have preferred. And at this point, I could probably write a script for one of those movies in my sleep.
@A. Marie, well, you did retire … so in your spare time? LOL
Aside from empowering the female characters more, Hallmark scripts pretty much follow the formula developed by old Harlequin romance novels, the simplest of the several Harlequin lines.
A little goes a long way for me with Christmas movies. I need a bit of irony with my treacle.
Whoah, You really got hit hard! It was windy here, but nothing too out of the ordinary for windy November day.
That’s very nice of your cousin to do.
So how are people using these souper cube things with batters?
What I did with the pancake batter was freeze each cube in the silicone ice cube tray and then transfer them into a freezer bag. I then tested this by pulling out a cube and micro waving it for a bit and then transferring it onto a griddle. My husband and I each had a single pumpkin pancake for dessert last night. Do we need to pre-prep pancakes? No. But was it fun? yes.