Five Teeny Tiny Frugal Things

by Katy on June 29, 2024 · 43 comments

  1. There were two quarters, a dime and a penny in the grocery store change return the other day. I asked the cashier if he was allowed to keep it, to which he replied “no.” I then asked if I was allowed to keep it and he told me to “go for it!”

    This was already an especially frugal shopping trip as I was paying with a $25 Safeway e-card I’d earned through the Fetch* app. My total bill was $25.02, so . . . two pennies spent to begin with.

  2. I listed a couple more items on eBay that I scavenged after last weekend’s neighborhood garage sale. 

    • A Bose remote control*.

    • A decent condition pair of Women’s Bambas Adidas sneakers*.

    I have people contacting me about the garbage picked midcentury chair and the after-garage-sale REI suitcase through messenger, so I’m guessing those’ll sell within the next week. The eBay items might take awhile to sell, but my policy is to “list it and forget it.” It’s a favor to my future self.

    Edit: I sold the suitcase for $50!

  3. • I gave away a graphing calculator through my Buy Nothing group.
    • I was given a wooden accordian-style wine rack through the Buy Nothing group. I’m thinking it’ll be cool storage for something other than wine. Not sure what, but I’ll figure something out in time.

    • Three groups came and took the very last of my free wood chip mulch yesterday, which was a relief as there’d been sooooo much to begin with! Remember how the wood chips were as tall as my garage door and as wide as the entire driveway?

  4. I loaned our cheesecake pans to a neighbor. No need for everyone to own their own infrequently used items. Another neighbor will be borrowing our wheelbarrow for an upcoming project.

  5. I didn’t buy a teeny tiny Lear Jet.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

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

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{ 43 comments… read them below or add one }

K D June 29, 2024 at 1:34 pm

I can’t begin to keep up with you Katy.

1. I found a penny while walking and DH found a dine and a coin from Bangladesh in the Coin Star at the grocery store.

2. DH selected “breakfast bars” that were marked 75% off. They did not ring up that way so I mentioned it and once customer service became involved one box was free and the other three were 75% off.

3. While walking early this morning we saw a huge yard sale set up for later in the day. We did stop by later and bought a few items, including a cotton king size sheet set for $3 and two thick large bath towels for $2. It was the largest and most organized yard sale I’d ever seen.

4. Dinner tonight was a frozen pizza from Safeway that was free as an offer to me a few weeks ago.

5. The other day I picked up a pint of Blue Bunny soft serve that was free after adding the offer to my store card. I would never buy it as it is not to my liking but DH says he will eat it.

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Cindy in the South June 29, 2024 at 1:52 pm

I could not let go of those cool chairs !!! They are perfection for my mid century 1950 house!

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Ruby June 29, 2024 at 2:24 pm

This weekend was customer appreciation days at Ollie’s Outlet, so it was 15% off everything. I bought 60 pounds of cat litter and a selection of canned goods.

The other afternoon I went by Dollar Tree, which had gotten in a shipment of $3 name brand English muffins and consigned the ones usually in stock to the 50 cent clearance shelf. I bought three packages and put them in the freezer.

Made a salad for our supper that was specialed-up with cherry tomatoes, sweet pepper and cucumber from my little container garden.

Mended a dog toy and sewed ties on the back of the daybed cushions to keep them attached to the frame. The ties were made of recycled elastic from another sewing project.

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Jill A June 29, 2024 at 2:47 pm

1. I took advantage of the cooler weather and the soggy ground to do some weeding and edging. I’m getting older so in order to keep taking care of my own yard I have to work smarter not harder.
2. I planted green onion roots from the onions I used for tonight’s pad Thai.
3. I used a dollar off coupon to buy a rosemary plant since both of mine died.
4. I pulled a few volunteer plants from my landscaping and put them in my pots where I had some bare spots.
5. I went to my favorite nursery to pick up the rosemary and didn’t buy anything else.

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Alexandra June 29, 2024 at 2:50 pm

1. We picked the equivalent of three grocery store size containers of wild blackberries.
2. DH is collecting the condensation that drips from the AC into a bucket for our plants. With this heat all free water is so welcome
3. For DH’s birthday, we went to a Local free disc golf course and played together.
4. I made a chocolate crazy cake with ingredients in the pantry for said birthday
5. Sadly, I lost my insulated coffee cup on a business trip. Went by the thrift store and got a brand new one for three dollars.
6. Bonus! DH noticed that some of the boxes of cat litter had three dollar off coupons and some did not. After much wrangling these heavy boxes he got two in our cart and we saved six dollars.

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A. Marie June 30, 2024 at 10:47 am

Alexandra, I do your #2 too during dry spells. However, we’ve had so much rain in Central NY this weekend that I’ve been considering building an ark, so I’ve paused the water collection for the moment. All my outdoor rain buckets (two 8-gallon and two 5-gallon buckets) and all my watering cans are full.

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Alexandra June 30, 2024 at 3:17 pm

Building an ark with reclaimed wood I hope!
It always seems to be feast or famine, doesn’t it?

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Becky June 29, 2024 at 2:55 pm

Those accordion wine racks make good tittowel holders, just roll the towels.

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Becky June 29, 2024 at 2:56 pm

TOWEL holders! ‍♀️‍♀️

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Jen June 29, 2024 at 4:16 pm

Thanks for making me laugh today, Becky!

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Becky June 29, 2024 at 6:48 pm

You’re welcome Jen, that’s what I get for typing without my glasses on!!!

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Christine June 30, 2024 at 4:53 pm

I was just reading your post and thinking…hmmm…now that’s something I’ve never heard of before! So funny!

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Diane July 2, 2024 at 7:54 am

lol!! And I was thinking, “I just use my regular bath towel!” Hahaha

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Heidi Louise June 29, 2024 at 3:05 pm

1. Made unfortunately positive use of our government-provided Covid tests for the family.
2. Have lost my sense of smell, which is much more distressing to me than any other symptom. I am treating myself, because there doesn’t really seem to be anything else to do, by several times a day slowly inhaling the scent of a jar of Vicks and of a lavender lotion, neither of which I can detect. If nothing else, the deep breathing relaxes me.
3. Reached the required amount for free airline points bonus on my new credit card, on a necessary replacement purchase.
4. Growth of grass in yard is slowing down, so we can cut back on mowing. Daylilies are about the only thing left blooming.
5. Sadly watching the clean-up from flooding in Iowa where family members live. Father-in-law took us by Missouri River flooding some years ago, and what I remember most is the stench of the mud and fields drying in the hot sun.

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A. Marie June 30, 2024 at 10:51 am

Heidi Louise, I wish your family, Katy’s son, and everyone else who’s gotten this new COVID variant a speedy recovery. And two dear JASNA friends of mine who (a) can least afford to get it (the wife has metastatic bone cancer) and (b) take more precautions than anyone I know have gotten it too. I’d been getting lax lately about masking in public places, but not any more. And I intend to get the upcoming new vaccine the minute it hits the pharmacies.

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Heidi Louise June 30, 2024 at 12:43 pm

Thank you, A-Marie. From what I’ve read, this strain is less virulent (husband and I had fun trying to pronounce that word today; not one we often say out loud); more easily transmissible; increasing in summer cases this summer earlier than last summer. Vaccine anticipated for fall.

By the dates on our two types of government tests, our tests are expired. I found extension dates online, so one series of dates has been extended. The other supposedly expired ones displayed the appropriate test lines, so we presumed they worked. It would be unusual for only one of us to have the virus.

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Christine June 30, 2024 at 4:57 pm

Hope you feel better soon. I lost my sense of taste and smell when I had Covid almost exactly two years ago. What I found most annoying was eating just to dull the gnawing hunger pangs. There was absolutely no pleasure in eating when the food tastes like nothing.

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Bee June 29, 2024 at 3:20 pm

It is very kind of you to give away a graphing calculator on Buy Nothing. I know that these are a requirement for many higher level math classes and are relatively expensive. Acquiring one can be a financial challenge for both student and parent. My Five Tiny Frugal Things include the following:
1. I cut the end off a tube of toothpaste. I’ve be using what remained in this “empty” tube for more than a week now.
2. My daughter had to have emergency surgery today. She is an adult, lives 8 hours away in another state, and has a significant other. However, she really wants her mom and dad. This trip was not in the budget, but I really need to see her too. To keep costs down we used Hilton Honors points to book our hotel room. My sister and son will help with the dog and cat. I have packed the cooler with food and drinks.
3. I downloaded a book on Libby to listen to on the drive.
4. I needed a new blow dryer. I bought a refurbished one from the company at 60% less than the regular retail price.
5. All the usual things
Katy, inquiring minds want to know, are you going to keep or sell the mission style chair?

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Bee June 29, 2024 at 5:37 pm

Feel better! I lost my sense of smell and taste with covid. It has never really come back. It’s hard to cook well when you can’t taste or smell food.

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Heidi Louise June 30, 2024 at 6:39 am

Thank you, Bee!

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A. Marie June 30, 2024 at 10:52 am

Bee, I’m sorry to hear about your daughter’s surgery, and I send all of you my best wishes.

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Christine June 30, 2024 at 4:59 pm

Best wishes sent to your daughter for a speedy recovery. Safe travels.

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Christine June 29, 2024 at 3:32 pm

FFTTTs…
1. My iced tea maker plastic pitcher developed a crack. I was able to make the iced tea but it would slowly leak out of the pitcher which required me to pour the tea into other pitchers. I’ve been searching for awhile for a large glass pitcher to hold the entire content of the plastic pitcher. No luck. Today while volunteering I saw an iced tea maker at my church’s thrift shop so I scooped it up. Since iced tea is mostly what I drink, I rely on my iced tea maker.
2. I went to visit my friend in long term care and she asked me to pick up some blank note cards so she can write to friends and family. Usually I buy them at the Dollar Store but I was disappointed recently to see they cut down on the amount of cards in each package. Was 8 cards per pack, now 6 cards per pack. Today at the thrift shop, I picked up 40 cards for $3. I kept a few for my own use and the remainder will keep her in cards for some time.
3. Wearing clothes (except for undies and socks and sometimes shirts) more than one time before washing.
4. I will have a no spend week next week while DH takes our one car on a camping trip with his sons. I’m a homebody so it’s not a hardship. I have a pile of books to sustain me. I also have kids, grandkids, friends and neighbors around in the case of an emergency.
5. Batched errands: drugstore, gas station, Salvation Army Store and library all within about a 1.5 mile radius.

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Mary Ann June 29, 2024 at 3:40 pm

It took me FOREVER to pack for my nearly two week trip to Southern California.
The midway point for me to Big Bear Lake is Hollywood bowl. I felt the need to buy a ticket. The Hollywood Bowl is a favorite part of my So cal childhood when lawn seats were $5.00. Alas No longer. I will be seeing The Roots: A hip hop picnic with a ton of old school hip hop influences like Queen Latifah and Common. I don’t much about the genre so I am looking forward to it.

This is a pricey way-stop. So i made sure to save money on things that don’t mean much to me and that help me follow my food plan.

1. I packed 2 coolers. One is for the day of driving that I can easily bring to the hotel room. parking in Hollywood is valet only, I didn’t want to bring all my food for two weeks of travelling. Everything item in that cooler is logged in My Fitness Pal. I will have only water at the bowl.

2. I am bringing my Lark scale which connects to my phone app on the trip. People may call me compulsive but I suspect I am becoming prediabetic. I need to lose 5% of my body weight not next month but now. I have been doing great, it doesn’t cost a penny and it helps me remain accountable. I feel like a genius that I ket the padded box it came in.

3. I called ahead at my IHG hotel and requested my “automatic upgrade” for which I qualify. Usually I don’t care but the upgrade gives me a microwave for dinner.

4. I filled my “free” Stanley cup ( a promo for my husband) with free water and ice twice on the 6 hour journey.

5. Before I left I did a complete laundry session including specialty items. I have “curated” my wardrobe to the extent that I have many hangers empty and lots of space between only things that fit and look good. It was easy packing and the only thing I felt I need for this trip were some new socks. I don’t buy used socks, nor used shoes. So I hopped off to Marshalls and found 6 Nike pairs for $2.00 a piece.

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Kathy June 30, 2024 at 4:19 am

Mary Ann
So Cal native until 3.5 yrs ago. I saw so many things at the Hollywood Bowl. I’ll get my So Cal fix when I house sit in August

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Lindsey June 29, 2024 at 3:42 pm

1. A trash collector knocked on my door and said, “Are you the accordion woman?” Oh, God, please no, I thought. I don’t have room for another accordion. But I smiled and said yes. He said his son wants to take up accordion and a co-worker told him I collect and fix instruments. That is about as far from the truth as it gets, I just happen to be someone other garbage men have given mostly accordions, but also wind instruments. I just pass them on to the school or other interested parties. I told him I do have an accordion. He couldn’t believe I was giving it to him for free, all he had to do was promise not to throw it away if his kid lost interest. Donate it to the school or bring it back to me. Clutter out and a kid possibly becoming the next Weird Al Yankovic. Win/win.
2. Sold more of the felt planting bags someone gave me. Brand new so they went for a good price on FB marketplace.
3. Donated more books to the literacy council and also took along books a friend asked me to donate for her. Got 2 tax receipts, one for each of us.
4. Made myself weed for two hours. I will thank myself in the future when I am eating peas and onions from out garden.
5. Made instead of bought two birthday cards.

Frugal fail: While I was weeding, husband was fixing hose leaks. While we were doing that, Clobber Paws and his buddy Houndini, were inside feasting on fancy-schmancy onions buns I purchased as part of a shop, and 50 (yes, 50) Earl Gray tea bags. Yes, he pried open a kitchen cabinet. Yesterday I went out to the yard and found a bag from a 100 piece bag of Halloween candy that we did not use and after the holiday husband had forgotten to take out from under the bed in our spare room and put them in the freezer for future use. Initially I thought it was just a bag the Dane had found someplace. No, apparently while strolling about the house, he smelled the chocolate through the wrappers, the outside bag and a tied up grocery bag. He took it outside and ate all the chocolate. If he didn’t weight 185 pounds now, it would have killed him. Instead the only result is an excess of poop and all of it with Reece’s Pieces and KitKat wrappers decorating every pile. We think he pulled this caper while we were sleeping, since the 24 hours of daylight we have now gives him plenty of light to work and we leave the dog door unlocked all summer. I remind myself that a) he was starved when he came to us so probably learned to forage when he could and b) it is our fault for not figuring out better dog-proofing, c) he is still a puppy who just turned 1, and d) at this point scolding him would mean nothing because he was not caught in the act so won’t connect the reprimand with the event. But I did have to go into another room and remind myself of those facts for about 15 minutes. Good thing he is so cute. (Actually, he is sort of ugly cute, not cute at first glance.)

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Bee June 29, 2024 at 5:42 pm

Love that you are helping a young person who wants to play the accordion. My 16- year old great niece is a huge Weird Al fan. On another note, Keeping things from Clobber Paws must be difficult. He would be much taller than I am on his hind legs.

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A. Marie June 30, 2024 at 10:57 am

Oh, dear, Lindsey, MORE Clobber Paws antics?? But short of putting him in leg irons, what can you do? Wishing you and the husband patience and fortitude in dealing with the mess.

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Christine June 30, 2024 at 5:10 pm

I’m glad Clobber Paws did not have too many side effects from his excess ingestion of chocolate but your description of the Reeses’s Pieces and KitKat wrappers was just too much! Not the nicest sight! Sitting here chuckling out loud.

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Pat June 29, 2024 at 8:07 pm

Katy,
Those accordion wine racks make excellent toilet racks in the bathroom,jellyroll the towels and spray paint the rack…easy peasy bathroom decor & storage.

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Pat June 29, 2024 at 8:08 pm

Towel racks,why don’t I ever remember to proofread?????

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Mati June 29, 2024 at 11:16 pm

1) It’s been a long few months with a lot of changes of all kinds. We went to my brother’s wedding in Florida (so much joy, still verklempt) and decided to turn it into a much-needed vacation by adding a few days and staying in a nicer hotel, booked on a discount site at about 30% off. Worth every penny, as the hotel was close to many sites and on transit to others, and the room was like a stylish small apartment with a real kitchen and laundry and a wonderfully comfortable bed. I don’t consider this a frugal fail as the additional expense was modest, especially for the value, and I spent a luxurious and deeply relaxing day by the beautiful pool. The kitchen made it easy to make good breakfasts and remake the copious and delicious wedding leftovers so that we only spent for a few meals we were excited about. We were able to rent an EV for just a bit more than a smaller gas car and saved quite a bit on fueling it, including being able to charge reasonably at the hotel and for free at the grocery store. One unexpected expense was that our college student missed their very inexpensive flight to the wedding, and had to upgrade for $200, which did stick a bit but was more than worth it.

2) DH quit his job abruptly, for reasons, but the timing isn’t great and he had just started looking elsewhere. It’s a rougher market than he expected and ageism is real. This decision is already incredibly costly in many ways, not least that he was about to be vested in stock and needs knee surgery, which could have been completed on disability instead of zero income, and our kiddo is supposed to have an $8K oral surgery later this summer, which will no longer be covered. We will continue the legal benefit to get some work taken care of inexpensively, and I was able to squeeze in dental and vision appointments, along with a new pair of prescription sunglasses that will use up every last cent in this year’s FSA, allowing us to use the entire planned amount for the year after paying less than half into it. We’ve lost balances in the past, so I have no compunction about this. My prescription stayed the same, so I don’t need new lenses, and I was thrilled and relieved to learn that there were no changes to my eyes although long Covid circulatory issues severely compromised other systems.

3) Loved ones had their baby a bit early via emergency c-section; there are scary complications but both mother and baby are doing well overall and should be able to come home in a week or two. While I don’t usually shop at Wal-mart, we ran to the one nearest the hospital for emergency clothing for both parents and comfort items. We were able to find appropriate clothing of decent quality, and most of our favorites were from the clearance rack for less than thrift prices.

4) I realized that our HSA was reported incorrectly on my husband’s W-2. We should get an additional $1800 when fixed. HSAs are pretax and grow tax-free, so we are treating it like a HYSA and saving many bills to reimburse if and when we need the money. Frugal fail/ADHD tax: I submitted a limited-purpose FSA claim at the last minute and we were never notified; I didn’t realize it had been rejected until payment arrived for a different claim, leaving little time to appeal. What should have been a relaxed process required hours on the phone and a $30 fee for overnight mail. Now we wait.

I’m so over our healthcare payment system. So much nonsense to save our tax bracket percentage, instead of saving half (and many lives) by covering everyone and eliminating the massive, redundant private health insurance bureaucracy – which is, unfortunately, a jobs issue. I don’t think meaningful reform will be on the table until we know how to re-employ half a million people.

5) Kroger has been throwing coupons at us, including several $10 off of $100, and I am value engineering every meal to the nth. DH has been grocery shopping with me and is starting to understand how I save 30-50% off on every trip. I bought a basil plant at TJ’s to repot (inspired by Katie), planted sprouted ginger, garlic and fingerling potatoes outside, will pick up free tomato and pepper plants next week, bought 3 fancy house numbers at the ReStore for $1 apiece and am buying the 4th with a $10 credit from the hardware store, drove my car an average of once a week last month, and decided to get through another summer without buying new shoes or clothing. For the wedding, I pulled a $3 bins pair of new silver Birks from my eBay stash, and tomorrow I’m cleaning and gluing up my oldest pair.

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Mati June 29, 2024 at 11:22 pm

PS – it feels as though it’s going to take forever to earn anything from Fetch. How long did it take you to get to $25? Any tips?

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Marybeth from NY June 30, 2024 at 6:15 am

The little things add up over time.
1. Went to my friend’s house Friday. I helped her pack up leftover food from the wedding that would stay good in her freezer. She starts working full time Monday so she has plenty of easy meals lined up. She sent me home with 1/4 layer of wedding cake, 2 dozen chocolate covered strawberries, various pastries and a huge container of single slices of different cakes. She also gave me 2 slices of Italian hero leftover from them all getting ready. Her zucchini are going crazy so she gave me a big one. I gave her a huge bag of lettuce. Then she gave me a huge flower arrangement that was hung next to the sweetheart table. I broke it up into 8 vases. My son took one, I gave one to my neighbor and the rest are throughout the house. No one else wanted any. My son took some wedding cake that he passed onto his landlords, some chocolate covered strawberries, some pastries and some other cake. I gave my neighbor a wedge of cake too.
2. Hubby came home Friday from work with 10 1/2 muffins, 4 bagels and 2 spotted bananas. They were all going to be tossed if he didn’t take them. I will not be baking this week.
3. Hubby and I went out East yesterday to hit some farms and the outlets. We got a little over a pound of blueberries. They are not cheap but they are locally grown and delicious. We also ate a bunch while we picked. We then went to the outlets and each got 2 pairs of sneakers for buy one get 2nd 50% off. We both haven’t gotten sneakers in over a year and really needed them. One pair each was put away for Christmas. I also had reward $ from last year that went towards the purchase. We then hit a taco stand that we like. We don’t eat out often so it was a treat. I drank my water. We then came home and Hubby took a nap.
4. Before we left I threw chicken thighs in the crockpot so I wouldn’t have to worry about dinner. We had corn on the cob(on sale) and a rice packet I had gotten on clearance a while ago. Nice and easy. There is leftovers too.
5. I worked on the garden some in the afternoon. Put polls(have had for years) to tie up my tomato plants. I picked lots of sugar snap peas and raspberries. I did a little weeding too. It rained last night so no watering today. I left a bunch of buckets out so I have plenty of water for my pots for the next 2 days.

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Marybeth from NY June 30, 2024 at 6:19 am

6. I forgot that we stopped at several yard sales while we were out East. Hubby got 2 golf clubs($1 each) and I got a Mickey Mouse waffle maker($4). We also bought a cup of lemonade from a very cute little girl.

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A. Marie June 30, 2024 at 11:14 am

FTTFT, Win a Few, Lose a Few Edition:

(1) I stopped at our local branch library’s used-book sale last week, where I found a book (Better Living Through Birding, by Christian Cooper) that I must have put into my earlier donations to this sale by mistake; I’ve been looking all over the house for it. So I bought it back for $1 and considered both myself and the library lucky.

(2) While at the library, I checked out a couple of cookbooks, and intend to remind myself to check things out more often in the future. The library’s check-out slip helpfully reminded me that I’d saved $70 by not buying the books at retail prices.

(3) Our JASNA region’s planning meeting on Saturday had to go to Zoom because two of our committee members have tested positive for COVID (see my comment to Heidi Louise, above). Although I was not at all happy about the reason, I did at least save half a tank of gas and NYS Thruway tolls that I would otherwise have spent, plus wear and tear on my dear old Honda Element.

(4) And speaking of the Element, I’m now down to one manual key for it, because I’ve thoroughly mislaid my extra manual key. (The two electronic key fobs went missing long ago, when DH lost two sets of keys. But I shouldn’t grumble; the folks on alzconnected.org have all kinds of horror stories about expensive mistakes their loved ones with dementia have made. The lady whose stepfather lost $360K in day trading before she and her mother wrestled his Internet away from him still haunts me.) But all the same, if that extra key doesn’t turn up in a few days, I’m going to have to call the Honda dealership and find out how much a replacement is going to cost me. It’s not smart to have just one key.

(5) But I continue to clear out the freezer, in anticipation of the arrival later this summer of the 1/4 steer. I won’t be spending much on groceries for a while.

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Barbara June 30, 2024 at 11:34 am

A. Marie
When I lost the fob for my Toyota Corolla and bemoaned to a friend the high cost of replacing it at the dealer, she told me to go online; found one for $25 and followed someone’s You Tube instructions to program it. Just a matter of putting the key in the ignition and opening and closing the driver’s side door multiple times. Just put in the make, model and year of your car.
Good Luck!

.

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Michele July 3, 2024 at 12:55 pm

We had a locksmith program a replacement fob, hundreds cheaper.

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MEM June 30, 2024 at 12:34 pm

1. Found a dime while walking to dinner with my DH, DS30 and DD28. Usually DD scolds me about picking up “dirty” money – “you don’t know where that’s been!” She restrained herself this time. I told her about my Scottish granddad who was a dedicated walker of several miles every day. He saved all the money he found on his walks, in a jar, on his dresser. We grandchildren could only see the money as potential toys and ice cream cones.
2. With retirement only a few months away, I am catching up on various medical tests and dental work. Had my endoscopy and colonoscopy last week with zero co-pay and only 65 cents OOP for 10 Zofran. The Prep makes me ill. The Prep was $0 OOP.
3. I knew enough not to buy any liquids for the purge that I ordinarily like to drink because I will end up with an aversion afterwards. Looking at you Sprite, 7-Up, white grape juice and apple juice! I bought some Gatorade Glacier Cherry because it’s clear. It’s terrible and I had 7 bottles left over after the purge. DD28 and her boyfriend actually like it so I gave it to them – frugal for them.
4. Eating our way through the freezer, fridge and pantry. For two days I lived on liquids so I saved a little money there.
5. I love to grow zucchini but we don’t like to eat it! I have three ripe zucchini so far this Summer so I shredded them and froze to make zucchini bread at some point.
6. Our 8 year old Central A/C compressor died the day before the massive heat wave hit the U.S. It was 98 degrees some days here in the Boston area and quite miserable. It took the A/C tech a week to fit us into his schedule. He cleaned and tuned up the unit and got it working just fine. It was still under warranty so no charge, as far as I know. However. He said the unit that was installed – by his company! – is too small for our 3200 sq ft unit (we own a two family and live in half of it. Family lives in the other half. We are not landlords) and he would send a guy around to give us a quote for a bigger unit. WTH?! They do this for a living yet installed a unit they are now claiming is too small to keep up with heat waves.

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Selena June 30, 2024 at 7:08 pm

Not uncommon for too small units to have been installed to handle heat waves. Back in the mid-90s, the data center where I worked had issues. The installed unit could *not* handle sustained temps above the 90s (the year a the large city in my state stored bodies of those that perished in refrigerated semi trailers – said city implemented systems/regulations for when the temps got hot OR cold which has cut the death rate substantially). So the computer room proper was okay but the rest of the building was not. My previous employer had A/C issue had issues during an earlier but not as sustained heat wave. Good old HR sent a memo re: appropriate (read too vague) dress code during this stint.

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Blue Gate Farmgirl June 30, 2024 at 7:52 pm

Drove around yesterday at the nearby town and picked the curbside offerings after garage sales: 2 steel lawn chairs w/o cushions, 2 rough cornhole boxes that I will refurbish and sell, 2 end tables, 2 standing lights, a gas edger, a fire pit w/metal top and a stainless steel stock pot w/inside rack.
Picked 5 gallons of pie cherries this morning. I will be sitting under the apple tree pitting to my hearts content getting the fruit ready to dehydrate. If I have a helper to lift me up in the tractor bucket, I will pick the remainder in the top of the tree and freeze dry them for powder.
Frugal Fail: I collected 14 eggs, placed the basket on the counter and walked away, came out to the kitchen and something knocked the basket off the counter and all 14 were cracked, 3 were beyond saving, I cracked them into a pint jar and will make a couple of batches of GF brownies for the freezer. I like to wrap them individually and serve cold on hot days. We also had pasta carbonarra for dinner tonight.

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Ecoteri June 30, 2024 at 9:24 pm

Oh, those egg fail days! I had moved my central ‘island’ to an odd corner of the kitchen (what were we doing? cleaning the floor, maybe? ) and had a dozen (washed! in the carton) eggs on the counter = but poking out a bit due to the skewjiff location. Went out for a couple of hours, came home to a guilty looking dog, a flipped on the floor carton and half the eggs smashed and eaten. I think she got tired of eggs and didn’t do the best job cleaning up. OH, cleaning up dried up egg…. I couldn’t lecture the dog though (see Lindsay’s story about Clobber Paws and the Halloween Chocolate) so all I could do was laugh… and scrub

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Lynda McCrimmon July 1, 2024 at 4:18 am

I looked at your eBay listings. Do you have the ability to take Visa and Mastercard payments? I ask because I want to list something on eBay and can’t figure out how to get rid of those payment options as I don’t have the capability to accept payment by credit card.

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