Five Tiny Frugal Things
by Katy on July 16, 2025 · 31 comments
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I brought a carabiner to the beach the other day, which meant I didn’t have to hold my thrifted Crocs while walking in the surf. I always think about how I should do this, but actually remembered to bring one along as I recently creating a carabiner storage tin. I’ve had these Crocs since they were like-new and they normally live on my back porch for gardening and such, although they do get to accompany me on trips to the Oregon coast.
I love a little life hack, especially when it’s using something I already own in a new and clever way.
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My sister and nephew are back in NYC after a 15-day trip to Oregon, which means my home and routine shift back to normal. We ended up enjoying a fair number of restaurant meals, although we all took turns footing the bill. Although I’ll miss their company, It’ll be nice to sit in silence for a bit.
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Having time to myself means I can direct love towards my neglected stack of library books!
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We went to our favorite BBQ joint with my mother and step-father last night, and I gifted my leftovers to my daughter, who’s always happy to give them a home.
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I haven’t supported Amazon, Target, Home Depot or My Pillow.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
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I just finished “By Any Other Name”, great book!
I am currently half way through Any Other Name, which I borrowed from the library, and am loving it.
A Queen Bee purse!
I’m on #3 of this model at this point!
1) Had 4 1/2 oven ready lasagna noodles and all the other ingredients for lasagna. Made 3 servings of lasagna. One for me, one for DH, and the 3rd is for someone else. I baked ours in our convection/toaster oven soas to not heat the house. We ate our servings for dinner along with some peach crisp for dessert.
2) DH had a dr appt this morning and we took coffee from home along with us to enjoy while we were waiting.
3) Sorted a bunch of photos, got rid of the duplicates and the blurry or dark ones. Took some out of frames and only keeping the pictures. Empty frames and a bunch of unnecessary refrigerator magnets which will be headed to Salvation Army tomorrow.
4) Broke down and bought a loaf of bread at the grocery store. Needed a break from baking bread every few days. Store bought bread we never seem to eat the “heels” (the last slices at each end of the loaf). Today, I realized how I can use them. I tore them up an put them in a freezer bag for the next time I have to make stuffing. (Which probably won’t be until Thanksgiving.)
5) Had to buy Aquaphor to put on my tattoo while it healed. I hate Aquaphor. Found a travel-size tube of the Equate (Walmart) brand. Since I didn’t need a lot or for very long, I was happy to just be able to get a travel-size. Now that the tattoo is healed, I’m using the rest of the tube on my “lizard feet” just to use it up so I can get rid of it. I’ve had eczema on my feet for over 50 years and the only thing I’ve found that actually clears it up is if I swim in a pool. The pool chemicals in the water seem to take care of it. It’s not as bad now as it was when I was a kid. My feet itched, peeled, and “wept” all the time. While they are relatively “normal” now (except the fact that I have had to have 8 out of 10 toenails removed), I still have to put some kind of lotion on them daily.
My older dog’s ID tag is so beaten up that it’s no longer readable, so I printed out a plastic label with the info, put it on the back of her rabies tag, and sealed it with clear nail polish. This will do until I can get a new tag made.
Went grocery shopping today for the first time since before July 4 and strategically combined sales and coupons, saving $40. Used coupons and register rewards to knock $11 off a $13.65 total at the drugstore.
I saved the gluten-free sandwich bread my husband did not like in the freezer and have been using it up, two grated slices at a time, in meatloaf. It works wonderfully in it.
Mended a separated seam on a thrifted shirt.
I’m curious if you recommended the book Horse or mentioned reading it. I was able to read on Libby and truly enjoyed it. Just wanted to share so others might read it.
I read Horse and thought it was great!
I recommend the author’s latest (and possibly last) book “Memorial Days”. I especially liked the audio version.
We’re at MD Anderson in Houston as younger son had surgery today. We’re staying at the VRBO daughter in law has rented
1. We had to be at hospital by 6 am so we grabbed breakfast at hospital cafeteria
I did however bring my refillable water bottle and have filled it many times. My entertainment has been playing word search on my phone
We will have dinner back at the VRBO whatever may be in there
Kathy, hope your DS’s surgery went well and that he’s already on the mend. I hope the surgery was successful and that he feels better ASAP. Hugs to you all!
1. We had lentil soup for dinner yesterday. So cheap.
2. I’ve been making breakfast smoothies from homemade yogurt and gleaned plums. I also made some jam.
3. I found an entire green bag worth of redeemable cans in the last two days. I think the regular canners can’t take the heat! That’s an extra $8-9 going into my account.
4. I have a long-sleeve thrifted SPF shirt I wear in the sun so I won’t have to use sunscreen on my arms.
5. I’m not gaslighting anyone who wants to know more about that Epstein guy.
I prefer that “Epstein” guy that was in “Welcome Back Kotter.” The “Bozo in Chief” is bringing in excuses from HIS mother that HE obviously had to write himself because his mother is dead.
1) The weather here in Portland has been beautiful for a while, but the really high temps finally prodded me to put up our clothesline and dry loads of laundry outside. The towels are crunchy, but it’s very satisfying.
2) I also got our sun oven out and cooked pinto beans for bean and cheese tacos, garbanzo beans for bean salad and hummus, veggies for dinner and my daughter’s lunch. We are not turning on the oven here today!
3) A lovely neighbor posted on our neighborhood fb page that their fig tree was full of ripe figs that she wanted to share, so my daughter and I took her dog for an walk before the sidewalk got hot and picked some delicious free figs. I’m thinking I’ll grill some of them and top with balsamic. If any survive being eaten fresh. One of the things I love most about Portland is the abundance of different fruit and veg that people plant and share with neighbors.
4) I am great about storing stuff in the freezer and terrible about remembering what’s in there. To help support our no spend month after a month of home repairs, prep for visitors, and hosting, I made a list of the contents of our freezers and a menu. This should keep groceries to a minimum for the next few weeks!
5) I cut open a tube of face scrub in the shower and will probably get another two weeks of product out of it.
The sun oven sounds interesting. Did you build it yourself?
I’m also in Portland, but my neighbor’s fig is nowhere near ready!
For the freezer(s), my partner and I keep a Google spreadsheet with our inventory. It really helped us be organized with the freezer, and we can also check the list from the store if we see a good price and need to know if/how much we already have.
1. I had a 1$ dollar bagel on my Sip Rewards app. I also got an entire baguette loaf w/ a purchase on the app. I used the last bit of a GC to pay for the bagel. Yes, I pay for the Sip Club membership. It is one of my few luxury items. I use it almost every day to get a cold drink. If I don’t want anything I get the hubby a drink. Their hibiscus tea is the bomb! I can get a drink every 2 hours.
2. My Bath & Body work app listed a free item (up to 26.95) with any purchase. The 75% off sale is still going on so I can get a cheap purchase. I like to keep a few items in my gift stash for frugal gift giving.
3. I signed up for Spectrum internet as it was one of only 2 internet providers in my small town in Texas. Lo and behold Spectrum offers 4 or 5 free streaming channels for the TV. I’ll enjoy this perk.
4. Hubby found some old railroad ties to make flower beds with. He has a young strong helper who assisting in loading the ties onto the truck & putting them in place. The ties are treated with creosote so they should last a long time.
5. My Spectrum account also came with free cell phone service for 1 year for one line.
1. Received another batch of plastic newspaper bags from our neighbor that we use for picking up dog poop.
2. Refilled bulk jars and noticed that both pecans and walnuts were on sale. I bought double the usual quantity and froze the extra.
3. Composed a salad of leftover farro, spinach, green onions, radishes, sesame oil, maple vinegar, salt and pepper.
4. I do not make good bread so I’m using up the yeast to make bread to use in an egg bake and to make croutons.
5. Husband negotiated a significantly reduced price for an additional two weeks for our Airbnb winter stay in Arizona.
1. I added plain yogurt and taco sauce to the salty hummus and it was good. I can probably get two more lunches out of it now.
2. I rode the train to the library to exchange books, and stopped at the bank on the way home to “buy” quarters for laundry. It was hot and sultry and not fun, but I’m glad I got those errands done.
3. A summer storm swept through this afternoon, bringing cooler temps that allowed me to turn off the AC units.
4. I ran low on body wash, but I have a lot of Suave shampoo on hand, so I refilled the body wash bottle with it. Seems to be getting me clean. And it smells good.
5. I used my UCard (Medicare Advantage plan) to get $10 worth of free groceries yesterday. Also spent $20 in addition. I got digital deals on blueberries and jalapenos, and Bogo deal on diced tomatoes, and regular sales on English muffins, creamer, Parmesan cheese, biscuits and crescent rolls. The only thing I paid full price for was a can of fried mushrooms, because I’m going to be making green beans casserole — using up pantry items.
Beth W.,
I love Suave’s products and low prices. I think it’s consistently the lowest-priced hair care company out there. It is a great tool in the frugal bag of tricks!
I love my Ucards rewards
Well that is a perfect use for a carabiner. I love that! Glad to hear you had such a wonderful visit with your sister and nephew. Those times together making memories really are precious.
Your staircase is so beautiful!!
1. Dog ate about a 1/2 bag of dark chocolate kisses. We called the poison control line (they wanted $89), called our vet (they recommended the emergency clinic), looked up info online and did a bunch of calculators re: weight and how much they ate. Decided to try to induce vomiting with peroxide and watch. So far so good.
2. We are repainting our kitchen cabinets ourselves. While not free itis 1/10th the cost of new assemble yourselves cabinets. Yes I looked it up during a meltdown of wtf did we get ourselves into. We regrouped and came up with a plan to do this ourselves.
3. I have planned for easy grilled meals over the next week, while this past week I have cooked big so that we have plenty of leftovers in the fridge or freezer to pull from
4. Today was a no-spend day, yay!
5. I just needed a few fill in items this week at the grocery store and got what I needed for $30
Jennifer, our Dane ate 30 full size chocolate bars we purchased to give out on Halloween. He did not so much as vomit after eating them. Years ago, when I lived in a village and we bought huge amounts of food stuffs to last until next year’s barge, our dogs ate a 10 lb sack of chocolate morsels. Our neighbor’s two dogs did the same thing that same weekend! None were treated and none died. Maybe some breeds are able to digest it? This Dane also tries to eat raw onions if they are on the counter, and those are supposed to be deadly, too. All of which is to say, your dog may also have a cast iron stomach.
A small percentage of dogs have issues with chocolate. The rest don’t. It’s genetic.
Thanks for a great visit!
I’m also enjoying some quiet time, after cleaning out the completely moldy cat litter box (was in the basement).
Eww . . .
I wanted to order takeout after I got bitten in a dogfight over, if you can believe it, a horseradish root (YOU IDIOTS DON’T WANT THIS). My hand is swollen and hurts. Instead I made baked ziti, than which there is no simpler meal. I waved my kids to salad ingredients; if they get scurvy it’s not my fault.
Wrote a snarky article about Manalapan which they’re trying to turn into the new Palm Beach. Suuuure. Even Palm Beach is barely Palm Beach any more.
Bought Son a beach lounge chair because apparently the nice ones I invested in back when we were still a family are trash now. I guess there’s a message there. I continue to feel robbed of the future I was supposed to have.
We lived with my EMIL (EVIL MIL) for 7 years. I have done my penance. When we moved in, she had 1 neuteted male cat. Then, DH gets it in his head that our daughter needed a cat, so he caught a feral female and brought it in. While we were saving money to spay her and get shots, EMIL lets another feral cat (msle) in the house (can you tell where this is going?) 5 kittens later, everything we brought with us when we moved in got destroyed by the feline fury. Beds, clothes, furniture, my 6′ clothes drying rack, you name either torn, ripped, or sprayed. Moved out, got used furniture and started life over. EMIL passed in 2011. This is terrible to say (I bit my tongue a lot during my 7 years in purgatory), but I hope she got what she deserved on the othrr side of the rainbow.
1. Gathered up all the scrap LVP from the latest flooring install and stored it in the garage. Used a tall paper yard waste bag, which is surprisingly sturdy, to contain all the planks that are not still in their original boxes. Will have them on hand for future projects. (If not more flooring, I’m thinking about doing the kitchen countertops over in LVP. Wonder if that’d work?)
2. Having already moved 3 very tall bookshelves (bought from Aldi, not Ikea, several years ago)into the new computer room, rounded up bookends and other items I already own to hold the books and decorate the space. Organizing the books and decluttering. Reusing an area rug for the middle of the room, where I’m going to move an antique library table.
3. Signed up for discounted bone density test.
4. Line dried all the laundry.
5. Did not burn up/incinerate/destroy tons of desperately-needed food that had been earmarked for people in Third World countries, thus ensuring that countless thousands of little children will starve to death. This has to be the most dastardly thing Trump and his DOGE lackeys have ever done! If U.S. AID can’t give it out, why didn’t they give it to some other organization that could?