Five Tiny Frugal Things
by Katy on July 27, 2025 · 61 comments
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I took my $20 Safeway voucher to the store, (Thanks, American Red Cross!) and grabbed a few items that added up to $19.55. I bought supplies to make blackberry jam, as well as on-sale milk and bananas. When the clerk asked if I wanted a 10¢ bag, I said “no” because . . .
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There was a bin filled with perfectly good free bags not ten feet away. (I’d forgotten my reusable bags.) I grabbed four bags to bring home, as they were the nice sturdy variety and work perfectly as kitchen can liners. One bag even had a receipt still in it, which I scanned into the Fetch app.
I feel precisely 0.0% guilty for taking bags from their recycle bin.
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I recently saw a news piece about “shrinkflation” vs. “sneakflation” and wanted to check it out for myself. I think we’re all aware of the “shrinkflation” phenomenom, where food manufacturers redesign their packaging to contain less product, yet appear the same. (Think shallow boxes of cereal or peanut butter jars with concave bottoms.) It’s been a few years since a “half-gallon” of ice cream became 1-1/2 quarts, so we’re all a bit numb to it at this point.
However, manufacturers have taken it one step further with “sneakflation” where not just size, but also quality is being dropped in order to preserve corporate profits. One example they used was Breyers brand ice cream, which is now made with cheaper ingredients to the point where it no longer meets the legal requirement to be called “ice cream!” I guess another reason to stick with Tillamook ice cream, you know . . . when it’s on sale.
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I made a nice big mixed fruit crisp using foraged blackberries, figs from my step-mother’s tree and a forgotten apple. No recipe needed.
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I picked up crackers and another pair of helium balloons from Dollar Tree, as my eave pigeons have ramped up their defication campaign since the last balloons lost their floatiness. This odd anti-pigeons solution works perfectly, as long as I replace the balloons every few weeks. My car and front steps thank me for my efforts.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
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{ 61 comments… read them below or add one }
I remember when Breyer’s was great ice cream, almost like homemade. Its corporate success has been it’s downfall as a product. I’ve never tried Tillamook, but I will try it, if I can find it. I have seen the cheese, so maybe….
1. Amy D once said that a lot of frugality was doing nothing — not going out to eat, not going to the mall, not driving, not throwing good food away, etc. I’ve had a doing nothing day. Didn’t go out, except for taking out the garbage. Just did little house chores, read a lot, watched a few episodes of Grantchester.
2. Pantry project — yesterday’s breakfast was half a bagel and some prunes; lunch was the other half of the bagel and bean soup. Didn’t have a real supper but snacked on popcorn, toast and peanuts. This morning’s breakfast was an English muffin and prunes.
3. Got my AARP magazine and read through it. A reader had mentioned a tool on the Department of Labor website that identifies retirement plans in your name. I tried it out, even though I was pretty sure I had a handle on that. I was surprised that the plan from my longest-running employment wasn’t even there, so I wasn’t impressed.
4. Still reading The Tightwad Gazette. I ran across an interesting article on safety-pin upholstery. I might try it out on my couch cushions. And a recipe for tuna-cheddar soup. I like the recipes in this book. They are so basic, with ingredients you always have on hand. And you can rely on them to be good.
5. I made my appointment for my annual mammogram as soon as I got the reminder. Staying proactive in healthcare.
I am having a do-nothing frugal day as well! Thanks for the reminder to pull my copy of TWG off the shelf and look for forgotten recipes.
1. Walked thirty minutes this morning at 6 a.m. in my neighborhood.
2. Air is off , windows open, and fan is going this morning u lntil it becomes so unbearable I have to turn on air.
3. I will take a nap later in the day since it is Sunday.
4. I am eating my food I have in my house.
5. I am trying to avoid drama. It is peaceful over here.
I like your #5. I try to avoid it for my own well being.
I had not heard about sneakflation, that is totally crazy.
1. We’re on vacation and had our one restaurant meal for the 2 weeks we’re gone.
2. Using the library in our vacation town. It’s so fun to see the daily-life places in other cities.
3. Our Airbnb host stocked the kitchen with snacks and there were cans of soup that I’m guessing were left by previous renters. We’ve made good use of both.
4. I downloaded the Ralph’s (Kroger) app to get the offers/member prices while we’re here. We don’t have Ralph’s or Kroger at home.
Just looked at the sizes today, and tubs of greens have dropped from 6 to 4 ounces, shrinkflation.
I like what you said about seeing “daily-life places” in other cities.
1. Sold 2 items online and got them in the mail.
2. Revamping online listings
3. Found a nwt item to donate for dog club fundraiser
4. Dinner from freezer just need some fresh veggies
5. Prepping for work week
My favorite ice cream is Umpqua an Oregon product.
Since neither Tillamook and Umpqua ice cream were on sale at Safeway, went for Fat Boy ice cream sandwiches, 2.99, sale price. Think I have a new favorite!!
Not a lot going on here. As Beth said, I’ve just been doing nothing. Well, we have been doing things, but today is a do nothing day!
Yesterday was my MIL’s birthday. She is camping with my SIL’s family, so we got a cake and drove to the campsite. I took her a birthday card that I had found thrifting from my granddaughter – she loved it. I took her some flowers in a fancy glass pop bottle. She honestly did not seem as impressed with those as others I’ve gifted them to, but that’s okay, too.
Came home and turned on “cozy autumn ambience” on YouTube. I am not a fan of AI, but I needed something peaceful while my hubby went golfing and I sat quietly, recharging my social battery and stitching.
My hubby and I took a “stupid mental health walk” (trademark pending ) this morning after we dropped off some breakfast to my daughter and snuggled the grandbaby.
The rest of the day will be spent getting ready for the workweek and relaxing at my house. I’ve already paid the mortgage; I might as well enjoy it.
Alice, I like your #5. I no longer have a workweek to get ready for (yay, retirement!), but I’m happier here at home than anywhere else. Not only is the mortgage long since paid off, and not only is this my dream house–but DH and I fought tooth and nail to obtain the property next door after the crazy cat lady there tried to burn down her house (there’s probably a book to be written here), and I probably have a Scarlett O’Hara complex about our house and its now double lot. Geez, it’s going to be hard to move to assisted living when the time comes, as it inevitably will.
Well, now we need the crazy cat lady story! We are so close to paying our mortgage off, my biggest goal as we are both 65
My goal is to get our house paid off before my husband retires at 57, in 4.5 more years. We should be fine financially, but that will be a big burden to get rid of!
Sometimes I let comparison be the thief of my joy, but not usually. My front porch is possibly my favorite place on earth.
And I agree – we need the crazy cat lady story!
1. ran into an elderly acquaintance yesterday & she mentioned she was headed home where she has AC set to 69 degrees. I joked that I wouldn’t want to have to pay that electric bill but turns out it’s included in her rent! I turn on the ceiling fan instead when I want to feel cooler.
2. I’ve learned that I can make a sorta “milk shake” by blending about a half scoop of ice cream or sorbet with a green banana and a little kefir or milk. Tastes great (to me), feels healthier. ha
3. recently found 5 dimes & a penny — love free range money!
4. continuing to cook mostly from scratch but not above scooping up clearance buys, like the marked down chicken tenders bought yesterday to add to salads
5. still drying laundry only 10 minutes to shake the wrinkles out before hanging to dry the rest of the way. hoping this will extend the life of our clothing. Using only 1 tbs of detergent for lightly soiled loads, something I first learned about from the David Suzuki Foundation & have since read that the NYT backs it up: “To effectively clean your clothes, you need to use only 2 tablespoons per load at most—and that’s for big loads weighing 12 pounds or more.”
On your #5, DMarie, I can testify that it works. I’ve done this for many years. Yesterday I wore a blouse that I’d bought from Kmart in Florida when I first moved there — in 2000. Wanting to look extra nice in a casual setting, I’d bought it to go to a church picnic. So it is 25 years old. Many of my garments are even older; exactly how old, I don’t know bc most of them were purchased secondhand. I also put things — only if they are wrinkled — in the dryer for 10 minutes on “de-wrinkle,” then hang them up to dry the rest of the way. My T-shirt hems are not messed up, nothing has shrunk, and the elastic in my bras and underwear is still, well, *elastic* enough to still be used. (However, some elastic waistbands on secondhand shorts, slacks and skirts eventually either get so twisted up they’re not fixable, or they rot. I think it may be bc the original owner(s) use the clothes dryer on Hot.) A lot of my things are only mildly wrinkled; I’ve found if I hang them up on hangers, the weight of the garment pretty much straightens them out. My friend Allison used to do a similar thing: she would also refill her “wrinkle release” spray bottles with water and spray and smooth out any remaining wrinkles. After a while, she figured, the stuff she was spraying on her clothes was 99.9% tap water. I used to use that wrinkle release spray, but after I ran out during the pandemic, I never bought another one, so it’s mostly the short time in the dryer and hanging things up that’s working for me.
Elastic replacement is one of the easier mending jobs – I finally trashed a skirt I’ve worn for at least 20 years through two elastic replacements because the fabric was finally shot.
#5 – yes, reduced detergent and drying time are great. I read somewhere this week that there are enough clothes already in existence to clothe the next 5 generations world wide. I try to take care of and keep mine until they are thread-bare and then use them for rags.
I find the five generations estimate to be frightening but completely believable!
Quite a contrast to the stories about WWII in Britain, where clothing was remade, handed down, rationed, and the like.
1) I was gifted over 200 lbs of new potatoes. I set 20 lbs aside to eat over the next couple of months, but they won’t store well beyond that. I have started the big process of canning them. Tomorrow I will mash some up and dehydrate into potato flakes.
2) I picked up more canning lids at a locally owned hardware store. They cost a few cents more there than they do from the Bozo-website, but I had a coupon that made them slightly cheaper. I would have bought them at the hardware store anyway, but spending less to shop local is a bonus.
3) I blanched and dehydrated green beans and zucchini from the garden. There’s no shrinkflation or sneakflation from homegrown food!
4) I finally sorted the three boxes of china I got on By Nothing. I’m keeping a third and passing on a third. Our eldest son mentioned that he wanted a nice tea set for the holidays this year (he and his partner are very, very into tea and tea room culture). I set aside a beautiful willow ware teapot, milk jug, serving platter, and set of four cups and saucers for him. I’ll pair it with a tin of nice tea for the perfect gift.
5) We treated our adult son and his girlfriend to a night out at the container village — a waterfront area with beer gardens, pump tracks, pop-up shops, an entertainment stage, and lots of food trucks. We did buy a $4 kid’s waffle cone for each of us, but otherwise simply enjoyed the vibe, the view, and the music cost-free. $16 isn’t bad for an evening out for four adults!
That is a lot of potatoes, Jenny!
Jenny, Waffle House uses dehydrated shredded potatoes for their hash browns, then rehydrates with hot water. You could probably shred with a grater attachment. I grate blocks of cheese with mine and it works very well.
200 pounds is a lot of mashed potatoes
You could probably leave the peels on also
Always nice to hear of people who appreciate fine dishes!
I just saw a blurb that said keeping a sprig of rosemary with potatoes keeps them from sprouting as quickly in storage. Had not seen that before.
Jenny, our local Goodwill often sells canning jars, some with lids and/or rings. You might try thrifting to see if you can get some cheap. Another great source is an estate sale. Sometimes, garage sales (esp. big ones, like multi-family sales or those supporting a church, school, club or charity) as well. Sounds like you’re going to need tons of jars for those 180 pounds of spuds! (Whew! Happy mashing!)
Fru-gal Lisa,
The Goodwills and other thrift shops in my area never have canning jars with lids or rings, and sometimes ask prices that are bonkers (to me) for just the jars. I would guess it varies in other parts of the US. BUT!! I did buy a case of never-used, plastic-case-wrap-still-on-the-case Ball jelly jars for $3 yesterday at a yard sale. I’m planning on making peach preserves with my (not so frugal, but delicious) Peach Truck peaches. It’s my DH’s favorite.
Jenny,
I adore willow ware! What a lovely gift for your son and his partner.
And yay you for making sure those potatoes will be preserved for future use…..thats a lot!
Jenny, Curious what you do with the dehydrated zucchini?
If you have the freezer space, it’s great to make extra potatoes into bags of homemade french fries for later use.i parboil and cool them after cutting. I also cut hash browns and wedges, partially roast them in the oven, then cool and freeze them.
1. I finally found something that effectively helps my painful arm. Plain old aspirin! My Rx painkiller and all the fancier OTC products didn’t do the job. Lesson learned: sometimes the most frugal/simple things work the best. Next time, I need to try them first.
2. I had an Ollie’s Outlet 10% discount coupon so I went over there and stocked up on pig femur bones for Snuggles. Those bones are basted, plus they are only 1.99 to start with. Cheaper than other stores! Using my coupon, I got every package on the shelf (shame on me)! Each bone will keep Snuggy-Dog occupied for a full day, sometimes even longer.
3. Got home and what was in the mail? Another 10% Ollie’s coupon!
4. Frugal fail: an antique cup that was on a whatnot shelf fell and broke when the roofers were putting up the metal panels (due to the vibrations from their drills). So I took down all the breakable items displayed on the walls.
5. Also emptying the breakfront cabinets of the fragile antique glassware, just in case.
Have you checked out prices for marrow bones at your local supermarket? You should be able to get some decent sized ones for less than $2 each.
Knuckle bones are fantastic, too. We got them raw from an old-school butcher and our chewer was mad for them.
1. Found an almost-full bottle of shower cleaner at my county’s Reuse Room. Free.
2. Enjoying my library book, Attainable Sustainable Pantry, recommended here.
3. Had a friend over and she brought me a lovely gift bag containing a candle and foaming hand soap. I will bring the candle to the consignment store. After giving proper thanks to gift-givers, I have no problem getting rid of gifts I don’t need or want.
4. Made a couple birthday cards on my computer using cardstock from Buy Nothing.
5. Watched a Zoom presentation on the proliferation of plastics. Downside: Depressing. Upside: Free.
1) We were gifted fresh caught Alaskan salmon & halibut from a friend, and we are making both for dinner tonight (I prefer one, DH prefers the other).
2) Dropped off 4 old/broken items at the school fundraiser eWaste event. Not sure how they make money off of eWaste, but out of my house, to a good cause & free to make sure everything is safely handled.
3) The biggest of all… planning a trip to Greece for my 50th + my BFFs 50th, and bringing my sister (the OG BFF). Flights were insane. Remembered that last year, we bought an item to keep DH’s British Airways miles from expiring. He had a credit card way back that pre-dated our marriage, and we’re celebrating 20 years. Entered the details in, and it’s enough for two flights to Greece in Premium Economy! I’ll cover my sister’s flight. I’m so, so excited.
4) Related, BFF & I are pooling together miles, points, etc to maximize redemption for the hotel side, to make the trip as frugal as possible. We will likely spend the money on: food, activities & a rental car.
In Canada Breyers has both their classic ice cream as well as their frozen dairy dessert for as long as I can remember. The frozen dairy dessert is less expensive and not as tasty.
Hmm . . . interesting.
DH wanted a salad and I jazzed up the lettuce and cabbage base by grating some carrots and huge radishes that went uneaten in a fresh veggie tray.
My container garden is nearly done for the year but provided two small peppers and five cherry tomatoes for lunch. Very hot here and I am enjoying lots of Lipton iced tea courtesy of a sale at Ollie’s Outlet.
Our local grocery store applied two digital coupons and a paper one to the purchase of three boxes of cereal for DH, knocking $4.50 off the total.
Forgot to add that I repurposed a weekly pill holder box with one broken lid (Thursday would not stay shut) to hold wound bobbins of sewing thread. Two bobbins fit in each day’s compartment. I used up several bobbins with just a bit on each doing some mending today and refilled them with new thread. It’s nice to not have them jumbled together in a baggie any more.
@Ruby
What a great idea!! Thank you for sharing!
There are still a few Breyer’s flavors that are labeled as ice cream, including strawberry and vanilla. I do buy the strawberry occasionally.
1. Someone picked up an occasional table we rescued on builk trash recycling day. It needed repairs but was solid wood. DH was happy to make the repairs and I’m happy to keep it out of the landfill.
2. Our Amex Blue credit card (no annual fee and 3% cash back on groceries) offered full cash back on a month of Paramount+ so I signed up. We also received a free week. I went to cancel the subscription and was offered two free months, which I accepted. We’ll have three months with no out of pocket cost.
Hi KD (another KD here!)
Regarding #2 free entertainment, bank of america offers it’s customers that the first weekend of each month is “museums on us”. Each state has some museums listed and admittance is free. I just learned this and can’t wait to try! Thought I would spread the word.
Check out Olive Street Design on YouTube to see her transform old furniture with paint and wood refinishing. It’s very satisfying to see those solid wood pieces given a new lease on life!
1. A local friend and I are planning to pick wild grapes next month and see if we can turn it into wine, just for the hell of it. Sounds like fun.
2. Another nice thing about being covered in grapevines is that I sometimes braid and dry them into wreaths. I was thinking maybe I’d try to make an actual basket this year. Who dares, wins.
3. Also, can stuff the leaves into dolmades though I have not done it lately. Maybe I’ll try to remember this week.
4. Uh, that’s it for grapes. I have yet to get a single ripe tomato even though the plants are towering, healthy and covered with green fruit. Unlike the rest of the US, this summer has been mostly cloudy and cool.
5. I’m not committing genocide against anything except the black houseflies bugging me.
Rose,
Your plan to try making wine out of your wild grapes reminded me of a story about one of my brothers-in law. Back story – my DH’s grandmother was a lifetime teetotaler, and adamantly against alcohol consumption for *anyone*.
. She grew up in Appalachian Kentucky, and continued her thrifty ways even after she and her hubby moved to Ohio, and achieved a more comfortable life. (I have some of her gorgeous handmade quilts, as well as her set of China that is vintage early 1910s). Anyway, after she and grandpa moved to assisted living in their 90s, family was cleaning out their house, and found some large jars of home-canned pears. There was nothing wrong with them, but no one wanted them….until my brother-in-law, who had dabbled in making wine with locally grown grapes, said he would try making wine out of the pears. Which he did, and shared with the rest of us at a family dinner….it was actually pretty good! We joked for years after that, that Grandma was whirling in her grave, knowing “her” pears were made into wine. 🙂
One day in the late 1970s, my great grandmother told us kids she’d give us a treat. It was pineapple juice, which we all enjoyed. Then me being me I noticed a coupon on the label for the next can of pineapple juice, which expired in 1963. “But Mom,” I said. SHUSH, my mother hissed. My great grandmother and my father vied for number one with my mom. I was ranked far lower because I was “fresh” and mouthy and difficult and couldn’t care less what other people thought.
@Rose,
I’ve never tried this but…..
“Grape leaves contain a substance that inhibits the enzymes that make pickles soft. However, removing the blossom ends (the source of undesirable enzymes) will make the addition of grape leaves unnecessary.”
https://nchfp.uga.edu/faqs/general-pickling/category/faq-pickling#:~:text=Grape%20leaves%20contain%20a%20substance,enzymes%20that%20make%20pickles%20soft.
I use grape leaves in most of my ferments – the tannins keep everything crisp.
You know, I now do remember reading something about that. I’ll try it on this week’s batch of pickles. And I’m def making the dolmades with some avgolemono sauce (lemony, creamy) on top for din this week. Imma have to make a billion because we’re big eaters.
Rose, I had a couple years of gorgeous plants but, no fruit. I went to my local nursery and they suggested a product that you spray on the flowers that will help them stay open long enough for the bees to get to them to polynate. They were 6 foot plants I had raised from seed so I was really disappointed that I worked so hard to raise those children and they weren’t producing anything. After I got the spray, it worked great and I had gorgeous tomatoes, that I am allergic to and, gave to friends.
1. I worked last night. I was fed dinner while I was there. It was an extra shift. I brought a book and magazines with me from the library.
2. Hubby made a double batch of scratch pancakes and bacon. The extra pancakes went into the freezer for easy breakfasts. The extra bacon will be BLTs for lunches. The bacon fat went on the dogs food.
3. Hubby and I went to a farmers market. It was a beautiful morning to walk around. At one stand, if you follow them on Instagram you got a free treat. So I followed them. I can always unfollow later.
4. I bought a bar of lavender/oatmeal soap from one stand. It is good for my eczema. She gave me several samples of other soaps. I like supporting small business so I always try to buy a consumable item when we go.
5.I did not adopt another puppy. I did buy a raffle ticket to support the dog rescue. I played with several cute puppies.
I hadn’t heard the term “sneakflation” before, but I’ve definitely seen it over the last couple of years. I always check ingredients because I have several food allergies and intolerances. Unfortunately, many of the lower-quality ingredients that companies add to save money are things I can’t eat. This is a major reason I’ve switched to cooking from scratch much more often – and to save money, of course.
Unfortunately, I feel like I haven’t been very frugal lately. It’s turning out to be an expensive summer with repeated plumbing issues and my mother having surgery. I’m spending most of my time and energy just trying to keep everyone fed and the house in some kind of order. But I’m still doing as many of the usual things as possible, cooking (or opening packages and heating) rather than buying food from restaurants, using washable things instead of disposable whenever possible, washing my clothes in cold water with minimal detergent, and checking the weekly ads for any good deals on things we use. For entertainment, I’ve been going for walks when it isn’t too hot out, reading free books, and watching free Youtube videos when I have time to relax.
1) Eating leftover wild turkey (the bird, not the bottled) salad leftover from DH’s family reunion yesterday. DH’s DB gave DH some leftover baked beans today DH will be eating those. Free food for DH – I don’t like baked beans. Got to see DH’s nephew from CA and his mom (DH’s SIL) from GA who came in for the reunion. DSIL brought a box of peaches to the reunion for everyone. Peach crisp in my future.
2) At DH’s reunion, you’re to take an auction item. Money received is used to pay for meat, paper products, and beverages for the next year. We took a sandwich bag with15 packets of flower seeds given to us that we won’t use and 3 dishcloths I had crocheted with yarn I had left over from other projects. Didn’t have to buy something to donate; didn’t take any cash so we couldn’t buy anything.
3) Did a load of laundry and hung it in the spare room as the forecast was for showers and thunderstorms. I could have hung it outside. No rain yet.
4) We had a late lunch of turkey salad sandwiches, then went to visit DH’s DB who gave us the baked beans (see #1). He served us each a dish of chocolate pudding, so neither.of us are hungry. If you want something to eat tonight, you have to fend for yourself. The cook is on strike!
5) Did not deny travel visas to a group of young boys, their coaches, and their families the right, that they earned, to come to the US and play in the Little League World Series in my hometown of Williamsport, Pennsylvania – birthplace of Little League Baseball – BECAUSE THEY’RE FROM VENEZUELA. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that the Orange Ogre stole from them.
Re: your #5. It seems so the Orange Ogre has reached a new level of petty, small-mindedness.
I’ll bet your Buy Nothing group would be amused if you requested gently used birthday balloons for pigeon control!
Louise, that’s a great idea. My group regularly has those balloons available.
Helium balloons are illegal in my town. Which is fine by me, as they litter the beaches and harm wildlife.
That said, people do have dove releases for their weddings, which means I often have a domestic white dove on my roof looking confused. Animal Control catches them and rehomes them. People are just mean and stupid a lot of the time.
1.Picked and canned 35 quarts of green beans along with the DD’s
2. picked cucumbers and have started another recipe of sweet lime pickles
3. eating leftover chines food from our girls day out thrifting. We all share so it is like a buffet.
4. laundry done in cold with minimal homemade detergent. I don’t get filthy dirty so it works for me.
5.picking blackberries as they ripen, birds are eying them also
1. Publix sent me a 1/2 off coupon for one their branded ice creams. I got a 1/2 gal of chocolate.
2. I walked the soles off 2 pr of athletic shoes. Those went in the trash. I saved the shoestrings for another use.
3. I lost one of the rubber covers for the leg of my desk stool. Bingo! I found one in the clubhouse at the condo.
4. I won a tray of cookies at Bingo at the senior center. Saving them for the husband when he comes to fix the water heater.
5. After Katy said Dollar Tree prices are going up, I went. I got a large bottle of White Rain conditioner (like Katy got). I also saw signs at the store saying prices going up soon.
1. My son and I team mowed our lawn over the last week and it looks so nice. We’re in a heatwave and hiring out the job would be easy. But we’re not like that….early morning and late evening mowing and working in shade as much as possible, we got it done.
2. I weeded and planted old pea and zinnia seeds in my second planter bed. I hope I get something.
3. I staye home and redid some coconut liners for my outdoor spider plants. I bought these months ago and finally did it. I love gardening, need to do it more.
4. I went to Publix this morning and bought $100 worth of groceries, saved $50 with sales, bogos, and coupons. Then scanned the receipt to social nature for rebates, fetch for points, receipt hog for points, and ibotta for rebates. I was able to redeem about $40 in rebates after receipt scanning. It’s a slow role, but nice to have some payouts.
5. I went Shopkick scanning on Friday morning and earned a $10 gift card that I then used toward groceries.
6. I used a reward at Michael’s for $5 and purchased clearance dipping chocolates for .99 a bag. 5 were free.
7. I plan on stopping at Staples and making a one dollar puchase with rewards to get a free 16 gig USB memory stick as part of their rewards program.
1) The heat dome is terrible. We gave up and have spent most of the day in the bedroom with the door shut and the AC set to refrigerate. Since it’s just one room, I don’t feel too bad about the cost or the carbon. I have a genetic tendency to be exceptionally miserable in the heat and any time spent unable to function really is wasted. I’m canceling/switching out more streaming services, so we’re finishing up what we wanted to watch on each.
2) I hit the clearance jackpot at Kroger – fancy jams and nut butters at 90% off, from Bonne Maman “nutella” for .55/jar to organic almond butter for .70/jar. These expire next month but will last months after, and I use them to make GF treats, so we’ll definitely go through them. I also picked up a bunch of fancy jams that were marked down by only 60%, but this is not a fruit preserving year for me, so far, and I do love jam.
3) Someone posted two cases of tofu on the local free group, so I met up with her, handed off a case to my son (who eats and makes it for his housemates frequently, and will need soft foods after jaw surgery), and distributed the rest to other families and the free fridge.
4) Also from the free group, picked up a stainless growler for kombucha, a couple of shirts and a near-gallon of wetsuit detergent, which I will split with a friend. I no longer use wetsuits, but this stuff is great for preventing souring laundry in high humidity, just too pricey to buy for that purpose.
5) I ordered some nearly free toothpaste and razors for pickup from CVS and weeded the parking lot of purslane for my son’s chickens, got some large Ibotta rebates on specialty eye drops for son and husband, picked up some fresh herbs from a friend when I dropped off tofu, pulled a free oven mitt out of storage to pinch hit until I can repair the one that tore, and didn’t, not even once, traffick desperate underage Eastern European girls into sex slavery through my model management company.
I love this channel. So impressed by how thrifty and frugal you guys are! At my ancient age of 84 years young and no longer living on my own, there’s not a whole lot that might fit your subject matter. I have always used less laundry detergent and less drying. Home-cooked meals are healthier and can stretch a budget to the max!
I didn’t go anywhere, I rarely do, and cleaned,rearranged my bedroom.
I haven’t bought one thing from bozos company since December. Ugh.
I always check out the bogos at publix each week. This week I saved over 45 dollars.
Im eating from my pantry, which is well stocked. I only buy what’s needed or is a good buy to replace what’s eaten.
Im feeding my neighbors beautiful Bengal cat while he’s away. Its a return for him feeding mine when I went away for 5 days. Chester is a lovely cat and since he’s an old fellow, I stick around and give him lovins.
I have a new pup(4.5 months old) and have utilized both farmers dog and Ollie’s dog foods with half off the first order. I then stopped the auto delivery. My pup gets good foods and im not on the hook for expensive food. I recieved a nice container and insulated bag from farmers and a real nice container and scoops from Ollie’s.
I didn’t have a best friend that sexually abused young girls, nor have I ever inspected a teen beauty pagent dressing room.