My tiny propagated Christmas cactus is about to bloom!
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I put aside a few minutes to make free phone calls to my U.S. senators and congresswoman to leave messages encouraging them to do “everything in your power and then some” to fight against Trump and Musk. It is wholly unacceptable for the richest people on our planet to victimize our most vulnerable. I am so horrified to be an American right now.
Click HERE to find the contact information for your senator.
Click HERE to find the contact information for your congressperson.
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I also made free phone calls to the corporate departments of Target and Costco to give feedback on whether they kept (Costco) or eliminated (Target) their “diversity, equity and inclusion” programs. I was extremely polite and hopefully these calls can balance out the awful phone calls these operators are likely receiving on a daily basis.
Click HERE for Costco’s contact information.
Click HERE for Target’s contact information.
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I took my daughter to the credit union to get more papers notarized for free. This saved her around $10. This is me, once again encouraging you to put your money in a member owned credit union instead of a corporately owned bank.
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I got another notice for a 7 A.M. to 10 A.M. “Peak Times Rebate” electricity event, so I unplugged a couple of vampire energy devices and turned off a small light we normally keep on before going to bed. There’s not much else to minimize during these early hours, as the thermostat is already set to 64°F and I ain’t going lower! I saved a massive 46¢ during the last “event.”
I was curious how our electricity usage compares to other households, so I went to the Portland General Electric website to find this information. This graph shows our electricity usage being less than an “efficient similar home,” except in the summer when we use window air conditioners to ensure the house is cooled down to a livable temperature.
For reference we live in a 1914 2000-ish square-foot uninsulated house. Cute, but drafty.
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I didn’t spend 290 million dollars to buy myself into an unelected federal government position.
{ 31 comments… read them below or add one }
Katy, thank you! For your phone calls, your advocacy, and your willingness to post so regularly.
I guess I should have saved my #6 on FFT for this post. Finding a lot of incredible, truthful, factual writers and journalists posting on Substack, BlueSky, even Facebook. So far, I’m subscribing for free. I don’t get all the content, but it leaves money for me to donate to worthy organizations.
1. I have been making the Resist.bot text messages via my phone daily. The choice is always snail mail, email, etc. I choose email because it is free to me.
2. I have called and emailed my reps almost every day. I will surely end up on a reeducation list some day. Send me a cake with a file in it?
3. I wrote to AARP, my credit union and attempted to reach Bank of America to ask what they are doing to safeguard our privacy, Social Security, and money, respectively. AARP sent me back a strong text that gave me hope. So did my credit union. I couldn’t find the BofA email anywhere so I reached out to them on Threads. No response yet.
4. I think I mentioned before that we run our appliances up to 4 pm or after 9 to get a better rate on PG&E. We have also turned the thermostat down to 66. It is cold, but we are wearing socks, hoodies, hats, and using our electric blanket to warm up the bed at night, just for a little while.
5. I just spent $180 on a nuc (“nuke”) of bees (that’s a queen and 10K bees), which is pricier than I would like, but these bees are bred locally so they are more likely to survive the summers and winters than the ones I had before. Local bees are always better. I paid with my CC but will pay it off later in the month with my eBay sales.
Thank you for making those calls and encouraging others to do likewise. I’ve sent emails to my representatives. Our president and his allies are such an embarrassment for our country. He has no idea how to be kind, compassionate or neighborly. I mean why, why would he pick a fight with Canada?? Sheesh! Forget what they did for us on 9/11 and fighting fires in California alongside firefighters from Mexico. I think we can forget ever asking to borrow a cup of maple syrup now from our neighbors to the north.
1. I also called my senator. And increased my giving to an international humanitarian organization.
2. I picked up 2 different lots of free food from Buy Nothing. And a free coffee table from FB marketplace that I will sell. I keep listing on FB marketplace and ebay, both for my own income and things I’m selling for my son.
3. I looked in my storage tub of picture frames and found one the size and color my son’s family needed. I also looked in my storage tub of curtains and found a set also needed by my son’s family.
4. I had our city water people out yesterday for a free look at where our small water leak might be. They didn’t definitively find it but I did learn some things.
5. I have earned my first hours at our local timebank. It’s a very exciting way to receive help and skilled services (like electrician or appliance repair) outside of the cash economy.
My son, who’s applying to law school, wrote an essay for his application about how great it was to take part in Hong Kong’s 2019 demonstrations for freedom blah blah in America we take liberty for granted. He asked me to proofread it, which I did, while sourly thinking about the current administration. I hate every single thing about it and their smug fat faces. Every day the news makes me want to cry. And so few people seem to care.
Uh, that’s all I got except that I’ve been reading B. Seebohm Rountree’s books about British labor/the poor around 1900 for free online. When I said I liked weird books, I meant it.
My fervent wish is for everyone who voted for the white slug to suffer the most. Better half has friends who think all their problems are due to Clinton/Obama/Biden. News flash for them – it doesn’t matter who is in office when you a) can’t manage your money and b) your wife can’t keep a job, in a field where workers are in short supply. When you’ve been fired from every business in the area that employs those with your skills, the problem is you, not who is in the White House.
I have also been calling my senators and congressperson daily – even though they are all 3 orange menace boot lickers — I am using the “5Calls” app, its super easy , free, and they even give you a script if you want to use it! (they have a website as well https://5calls.org/ )
I am so disheartened and scared of what has been going on in our country – I feel like calling is one thing I CAN do…as I refuse to stand by and do nothing but worry & complain.
Cheryl,
Thank you for your efforts. Let’s keep on keeping on!
That’s what I’ve been using as well. It’s nice that they provide scripts for a variety of issues. My understanding is that legislators pay a lot more attention to phone calls than to written communication. My legislators are very blue, but I call anyway.
I had not previously heard of 5Calls. Thank you for sharing!!!
I also called some of my “blue” friends and told them about it. We’re going to be calling a LOT.
1. Deposited my freelance writing check, all twenty bucks of it, in my credit union account.
2. Brown bagged all my work lunches. Better to bring stuff from home than to get ripped off in the teacher’s lounge vending machines, which just upped the prices to $1.35 a can for soda pop and $3 for bags of chips. Individual-sized, not family- sized, chips, and not too many chips in the bag at that. Good grief!
3. Goodwill Industries in my area put out a plea for shoes. So I donated some sneakers I never wear, and received a coupon for 20% off. Cleaning out closets, so I will likely have more to give….and will get coupons for those donations, too.
4. Negotiated the price for hiring laborers to do some moving and yardwork (stuff I physically cannot do). Got a cash discount and a senior discount.
5. Sending Valentine’s greeting cards obtained very, very cheaply (real greeting cards: most were a dime, some were a quarter and no, they were not the kind the kiddies hand out at school.). Bought them at a thrift shop more than a year ago. When it was nowhere near February. If I don’t have enough, I also got some red note cards, blank inside, after Xmas on sale at another shop.
1. Made coffee at home even though I drive by my favorite coffee place twice to feed my sister’s cats.
2. Made a tuna and cheese hot dish but fancied it up with Italian seasoned bread crumbs. Dinner plus lunch for two for under $5, or $1.25 serving
3. Remembered to turn down heat before going to bed.
4. Didn’t turn it up again and put slippers on feet to work from home
5. Didn’t have lawyer fees as I resisted tearing down a neighbor’s Trump flag on the next block over.
I thought this was about 5 Frugal things. Not 5 things about politics.
There is no division between politics and daily life.
Katy: the personal is political as we used to say in the 80s.
AMEN, Katy, Amen!
Pretty hard to be frugal when President Jerkoff eliminates your job, and ridiculous tariffs, only approved by Pumpkinhead cronies, jacks up your cost of living. But don’t worry, Susan, all the immigrant, gay, trans, disabled people you blame for the nation’s troubles are getting punished.
Our library offers free notary services if you call ahead! And passport photos! I love the library.
I don’t have any reps to call, as I don’t live in the US but I’m cheering al of you who fight for democracy! Also thinking of switching to a local email provider instead of googlemail.
FFT birthday edition:
1. I treated myself to a skin cleaning at the local beautician, I paid using a coupon I got at the village christmas raffle and money my grandma gave me for my birthday
2. I resisted buying sushi and instead made shrimp pasta at home, using up ingredients from the fridge and freezer
3. I resisted going to the thrift shop to get new jeans and instead patched a pair that was lingering in my “repair” pile
4. Afternoon little adventure to the local sauna by the lake: after getting nice and toasty I swam in the lake, which is at 6 dec Celsius. The sauna place also provides hot and cold drinks. My friend paid for me as a birthday gift
5. I went out to eat with friends as a birthday party, they all kindly split the bill and invited me. Also got treats: potted flowers, chocolate, delicious flavored green tea and homemade walnut oil, which tastes and smells AMAZING. The best part however was catching up with my friends who live in different cities.
Happy birthday!
6 degrees C = 42.8 degrees F, for all us Americans who don’t understand celsius or centigrade or whatever it’s called.
Thank you all for calling and emailing your representatives and senators. Mine are the same party as my believes but it helps to ask them to get a move on it and protest louder. I have been telling all my friends to please do the same.
I love the PGE rebates. Last one I earned $3.37. Since I am over 80 and live alone I don’t have to worry about anyone being cold or hungry. I get up at 5 turn the heat on until 7 (that was the hous today) and then spend until 10 in a warm bed reading. Love the library as most of you. Also thanks for all the book suggestions from you all.
I have to say that I have followed you for a number of years. I am not always frugal but when I’m not and making a decision your voice is in my head! It helps.
Brisbane, Australia, Horrified, grief stricken, for all my American sistas! The power that has been given to the unelected to delve deeply into government files, and to do as they will with regard to government spending defies belief. It’s like watching Monty Python, an exercise in craziness, but we don’t get to leave the cinema, laughing! I keep hoping that , soon, normal programmes will be resumed,
1. Neighbors moved and left a pile of mostly junk but I did rescue a hand held mixer, a one burner hot plate, 2 new rubber mats for under dog bowls, 2 large mirrors, a clean cat litter box, a new in box stand for two dog bowls. Some I’ll keep some I’ll sell.
2. Made chicken fried rice for dinner. All ingredients were already here.
3. Found a dime!
4. I’m currently wear 10 year old sweater pants and a fleece pullover that’s probably also 10 years old.
5. Dehydrated 3 bags of shredded carrots I bought on clearance. I use them in stews and also to top dress my Guinea pigs food.
I also called our 2 Oregon senators. Every voice is needed for this tragedy.
After speaking with a friend, I put a credit freeze on all 3 credit bureau’s. His thought is Musk tinkering in all of our business could be dangerous.
On a lighter note, I made tomato vegetable soup. Cleaned out the crisper drawer and not a canned good was opened. Even used the 4 wrinkled mushrooms. Now have soup for 3 days
And made a loaf of peasant bread to accompany the soup.
No#5
Thank you for the suggestion of the credit freeze, that’s a great idea.
1. Snowy and icy out today so stayed put.
2. I cut an hour out for myself to read my library book with a cat in my lap.
3. I made DH a breakfast for lunch to use up some leftovers. I’m trying to have a no spend and no food waste month.
4. Washing out food storage bags and aluminum foil so I can use them multiple times, watering plants with yesterday’s tea kettle water, bought candy canes at 75% off and using one in my tea to give it a peppermint kick, making all meals, coffee and tea at home and reading library books.
5. I’m here on the sidelines cheering on the Congress men and women who are trying their hardest to get answers on why Musk is in charge.
Had a no-waste cooking day and turned a bowl of nectarines that would not soften up into a pan of mixed fruit baked oatmeal after cooking the peeled, diced fruit in a saucepan with some ginger, vanilla and brown sugar. Threw in a chopped apple and a handful of frozen raspberries. It is so good.
Washed my wool house slippers and let them dry on the garden bench on a sunny, breezy day, line dried some bath mats and towels, used an empty cat litter bag to clean up the back yard, and refilled reusable K-cups with discounted coffee.
We bank at locally owned banks. Which do not charge for notarizing documents. So sad some areas don’t have locally owned banks and it is NOT because of “regulations”. While my father is still at a locally owned bank, the shareholders of his prior bank – of which all but one inherited their stock – sold out. They deserved to pay the capital gains tax.
I think about all the brave young American men & women who fought and died fighting fascism in WW2. I think they would be horrified by the events of the last few weeks.
Thank you, Katy, for the Congressional contact info. It’s not hard to make a phone call. I intend to do just that first thing tomorrow morn.