Five Tiny Frugal Things
by Katy on August 13, 2025 · 38 comments
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I picked up my hold copy of Poorcraft: Wish You Were Here — The Tightwad’s Guide to Travel from the library. I don’t remember how this graphic novel by Ryan Estrada came across my radar, but I’m glad that it did as I’m always happy to find fun frugal inspiration!
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I printed out my $30 Kroger gift card, which was a thank you from the American red Cross for donating platelets. I’ll also get a $15 gift card, which should come in the next few days.
But let’s face it, donating blood is really about the Nutter Butters!
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My husband and I enjoyed leftovers for dinner, for both the meal and the dessert. My plan is to clean out the fridge tomorrow in anticipation of a big Winco grocery shop. You know how it can be that a refrigerator is full, but there’s somehow nothing to eat? That’s where we are.
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I ran a series of errands today, making sure to drive an efficient route, to save both time and gasoline. My husband and I later ran a single errand across town. Neither of the trips prompted any impulsive snacky side quests. To quote every single cliché parent:
“We have food at home!”*
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I made an online appointment at CVS for a Covid-19 booster and was able to be seen almost immediately. There was no co-payment and I can move forward knowing that I’m protected against the worst of this ongoing pandemic.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
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*Kind of.
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I posted this last night, but on.the WRONG thread.
1) DH helped me clean out our bathroom cabinet this afternoon. Amazing how much we had stuffed in there. I sorted everything and put like things together (novel idea for me). I was afraid I would have to purchase more bins for “stuff,” but once everything was sorted, old prescriptions gathered to take to the pharmacy for disposal, junk hauled out (for Pete’s sake, I had a “hat” – for collecting fat lady urine samples in there) and labeled, evertthing, I had EXACTLY enough bins! No need to buy bins! They don’t all match (some people are persnickity about that), but I don’t care.
2) Had our bus/van driver’s meeting this (Tuesday) morning and had a psychologist appointment right after. No need to make 2 trips! (I got exactly the same route/kids I had last year! Doing the “happy dance!”) I start driving on Monday, August 18.
3) Eating leftover taco salad from Sunday night. Still eating the Overnight Oats for breakfast. Keeping me full and getting 4 servings out of what is supposed to be only 2 servings.
4) Have to get an oil change and tire rotation on Friday. Our punch card is full (5 oil change/tire changes, 6th one free), so this one will be free! Normally, it costs around $90.
5) While cleaning out the bathroom cabinet, we found a brand new can of shave gel. DH now uses an electric razor, so passed the shave gel on to his brother.
Melissa: I answered you on the other thread:
There is an advantage to not all storage matching. If you have family members, (who I will not name), who cannot find things being stored in their regular places in the closet, it is easier to say, “In the red bin”, or “In the Chinese box”, to point them to what is generally right in front of their noses if all the bins are different.
Yes, we have food at home! Does the frugal travel book have any great tips?
1. I brought my breakfast and lunch to work
2. I walked 30 minutes outside my front door and didn’t spend gas going to a gym for exercise.
3. I wore the same clothes I wear every week to work and the same clothes I wear every week at home. Washed, of course.
4. I paid off my credit card to save on interest.
5. I am limping along with one stove burner working, my frig is leaking and on its last hurrah, and I am waiting until both completely give out before purchasing new to me replacements.
I haven’t read the book yet, but it looks like fun.
Labor Day sales already being advertised! And please consider the added tariffs if you wait too long. Truly reasons to purchase sooner.
Thanks to y’all, I am starting to develop a backbone! I was just in the grocery store (same chain I used to work for, different location). There was a bag of flour on the damaged cart (top flap was open, but no “markdown sticker). I purchased my other items, went to the service desk, told the gal it was there and I would have bought it had the sticker been there. When I worked there, a manager had to approve it. She told me to go back and get it; she would take care of it!
A 5 lb bag of all purpose flour regularly $2.59 suddenly dropped to $1.34! $1.25 in my pocket!
Good for you for asking. My mom used to say, “let THEM say no,” meaning that if you’re wanting a reasonable concession, don’t talk yourself out of it – just ask (politely, always).
Stayed home on a very rainy day and decluttered a desk and a filing cabinet, which resulted in several bags of stuff to donate to a new thrift shop supporting a shelter for homeless women and their children.
Ate the last of the frozen homemade shepherd’s pie even though I was not thrilled about it. Adding some cherry tomatoes and a tiny sweet pepper from the container garden helped. Made a gallon of refrigerator iced tea with clearance tea bags.
A while back I bought an inexpensive book light that I have not used much because it’s too bright. Had an idea and colored the lens over the bulb with a red Sharpie marker, making the light a soft pink. Much better.
Love just coloring over the light. I’ve made light filters out of various detritus (like one of those translucent plastic school folders), but never thought to try it on something smaller.
It’s so funny that you said “we have food at home”! I was at my Hospice sewing group yesterday, and ran some errands on my way back, and got hungry. Thought about stopping for fast food, but the exact words you used appeared in my brain, so I went home and ate leftovers. Frugal wins!
Damn – you get Nutter Butters when you donate blood? We get ( hideous) lemon Blueberry cookies or ( off brand) Cheez it’s
1. I threw my yoga mats in with a load of towels. One I bought about twelve years ago and the other I found in the street many years ago. After washing them I hung them out to dry. They’re another item that does not need to be the latest and greatest.
2. I had two pump bottles of body lotion that were no longer pumping. I cut them open and used a spatula to put the remaining lotion in a jar for easy use.
3. I invited a yoga friend to join me on a community walk next month, led by a former yoga teacher. It is a free event.
4. A friend is here from another country. She came to help her daughter’s family welcome a new family member. She had a day off and wanted to get together yesterday for a walk. Since it was hot and humid I did a bit of driving to a shaded trail. We had a great time catching up and then chatted some more at her daughter’s house.
5. Our basement freezer seems a bit full. Since it is hurricane season I will focus on using what we have.
FTFT, Eyeballs and Advice Edition:
(1) The Bestest Neighbors were my drivers today for a minor eye procedure (getting my post-cataract lenses laser-buzzed to remove fuzziness). Painless, no anesthesia required, and I probably could have driven myself if the eye clinic hadn’t insisted on my having drivers. Blessings on the BNs, as always. (And they got to enjoy breakfast at a nearby favorite diner.)
(2) The BNs mentioned during the drive that the library near their lake house is accepting donations for its antiques/collectibles auction through tomorrow–and they’re going out there again tomorrow. So I’ll be making another pass through my house for possible further donations, both for that library’s auction and for the friendly Catholic church’s garage sale.
(3) Today’s post over at The Frugal Girl is a guest post by me, in response to a question from a reader whose husband has Alzheimer’s about life with AZ (or any other type of dementia, for that matter) vs. frugality. I mention this here not to blow my own horn, but to help anyone here who may have a loved one with dementia. And many of the commenters are raising important points I didn’t include, to which I’m trying to respond.
(4) The folks doing continuing cleanout at NDN2’s house (NDN2 is the neighbor whose entire house was flooded by a burst pipe last winter) have been chucking NY State deposit water bottles into their dumpsters. Today, I introduced myself and courteously provided them with a 5-gallon bucket for the water bottles. Let’s see if this works. 🙂
(5) And I haven’t imposed what amounts to martial law in DC, or threatened to do it to other US cities.
A. Marie – Your #3 (I haven’t read ypur post, I’m not on FB), could probably apply to persons with mental illness. DH has bipolar disorder, schizoaffecrive disorder, anxiety, depression, etc. When he first “crashed” in 2010, he had 30+ electroconvulsive therapy treatments, which affected parts of his memory. Somedays it’s like living with a dementia patient (both our mom’s had dementia, we’ve been around the block a time or two). As far as frugality, I had to break him of being a “food hoarder.” He grew up as the youngest of 9 in an extremely dysfunctional, abusive (physically, emotionally, and psychologically) family. There were many days the only food he had to eat was the good he could find in the garbage cans at school. In terms of frugality, I have to work with him daily on it. Do you NEED it? Are you going to use it MORE THAN ONCE? Is there someone we could maybe BORROW from? I can’t control everything (for Mother”s Day he spent $$$ having professional portraits taken of himself.) I really tried to show appreciation, but I was internally screaming “What a waste of money we could have used for XYZ that we really DO NEED?! Like work done on our car?!”
Melissa, I’m not on FB either; The Frugal Girl is a blog. See Katy’s link to it.
And I add sympathy to you and your DH with his many difficulties, not least the ECT treatments. One of my sisters had some of those back in the 1970s, and those have had effects on her as well.
Dear A. Marie, I didn’t realize your husband past from AZ. I’m very sorry. I have a family member with Dementia and it’s been a very difficult road. Thank you for writing this. Sending love.
Melissa – it’s rough when you’re making a tight budget work, but perhaps professional portraits aren’t a waste for someone who might never have had school pictures?
I spent more than 30 years irritated by my husband’s spendthrift, wastrel ways, especially never drinking plain water and buying sodas, etc. when we’re a few minutes from home. Added up, it’s a galling amount of money. But in the last year, we’ve learned that 1) he has Sjogren’s, an autoimmune disorder that makes his mouth and throat painfully dry, so his “thirsty” is not my “thirsty,” and he’s non-obviously autistic, which makes the many moods of a reusable water bottle stressful for him in a way I don’t experience. It’s put a whole new complexion on these expenses, even if they’re still not really sustainable.
Thank you for directing me to The Frugal Girl, I immediately clicked onto her site to read your advice about caring for someone with Alzheimer’s. Thank you so much for sharing your story and advice!
1. Took my car in to get a slow leak dealt with. I had neglected to take in the summer tires (which are even on rims!) and have them switched out, however I don’t drive a tonne so am just letting it slide. I did have them rotate the tires for me as I think that is good practice and reduces uneven wear.
When he quoted the total price, I expressed surprise. He started to break down the line items for me, then stopped and said “well, I can do better than that!” and promptly took $20 off. Yes Please!
Of course, I then booked another slow leak/rotation for another vehicle! I have taken cars/trucks to this place very frequently so they know me, and I make them laugh so they like me. Good manners for the Win!
HOWEVER – Frugal not so great fail – the tires on Vehicle # 2 are from 2012 and two were leaking, the tire guys weren’t wanting to risk taking them off as they aren’t really allowed to put them back on when they are that old (and tbh, my grandfather ended his career with 20 years in a tire shop, so I got the ‘drive on good tires’ message loud and clear). They DID have good used tires so I got a set of those (sigh). Never ends, right? But they took the cost of the leak search off the bill, again.
Now I need to figure out how to get the riding lawnmower tire off as we are having to fill a slow leak on it, too… Rains, pours… but it does feel good to get at least the car tires into better shape.
2. My son and his partner were travelling this weekend, and got home very late. They asked me to come, for as many hours as I could, to help with my grandbaby. I don’t do well in the morning however got up earlier than my usual, and then pulled some veggies and a new-to-us Soya Free Tofu out of my fridge.
The baby and Daughter outlaw were sleeping when I got there, so I happily cut things up for two different salads, made rice, cooked the tofu, boiled some corn, made some dressings and prepped some things for the grandbaby.
I got to have lunch with my Son during a break in his online work (YAY! So rare to get time with him, the Grandbaby was nursing with his mom so it was just us). Earlier, I got to play with my grandbaby and hang out with my Daughter outlaw. Frugal for them, as they had hardly anything fresh in the house, frugal and fun for me as food is one of my love languages.
3. Later, #1 Son and I met at the bank to sort out the money I loaned him from my HELOC (Home Equity Line Of Credit), now that they have their own HELOC set up.
It feels good to have been able to help them – with no skin off my nose – and they are thrilled with the van they purchased (the one that would have sold to one of the 14 other eager buyers if they hadn’t accessed the $ in time). My HELOC is back to zero, YAY.
4. While at the bank, the teller said something about ‘your chequing account’ to my son, and my ears perked up. So OF COURSE I asked questions about fees and such.
It turned out that my son’s partner, who is very financially challenged (as in, she has some kind of dyslexia with numbers and it screwed her up when she was a kid, so now she is kind of gun-shy and twitchy about finances) was the one who set up the bank account portions of their HELOC.
He figures that she just clicked on boxes, online, to get the accounts. We both know that she doesn’t like to think about money, so she won’t be aware of the fees that almost always are attached to chequing accounts.
In any case, the $17.50 / month fee for the chequing account was stupid, as was putting $6000 into the account to avoid the fee. My son soon figured he would be fine paying $1 for some transactions on his free savings account, and he proceeded to close the chequing account.
I am SO glad I have the kind of relationship with my son that I could stand beside him at the bank and ask the teller questions about the account – without him taking offence. He was, of course, pretty happy to avoid the fees once he heard what I was asking about!
5. Everyone’s stories of their gluts of figs make me laugh, as figs are as rare as hens teeth up here. I do have 4 fig trees, but only one is producing (well, another one has ONE fig on it, so it hardly counts). This year I’ll probably harvest a couple of dozen figs, they are being picked with joy as they get all ripe and squishy. I then stand in the garden and scarf down at least half of what I pick. Only a few more left, and bam, that’s the season…
So glad you mentioned vaccines! I am a preschool teacher and meant to get a covid booster over the summer but never got around to it – I just went online and made an appointment for tomorrow! Now I will be protected against covid and flu and shingles…
I’m visiting a friend out of state. Today’s entertainment was visiting a couple of retirement homes she is considering for eventual long-term care. It was interesting. I never really understood before how it all worked. Very expensive, though, I doubt if I could swing it myself. Anyway, I got a free bottle of water and a free bag of popcorn for sitting there and listening.
2. We went out to eat at Cracker Barrel last night. The bill, with tip, was less than $18 and there was enough food left over to make a hearty lunch today. I was pleasantly surprised at the reasonable price.
3. I picked up the free pair of sandals I mentioned last week. They fit very well and they are comfortable enough to walk around in — and pretty cute, besides!
4. I forgot to pack my phone charger. I was almost resigned to buying one. My friend has an iPhone and I have an android, so borrowing one wasn’t an option. I happened to think of my car charger, and sure enough, the cord was detachable from the piece that fits into the lighter. My friend had an extra plug, and so I was able to charge my phone after all. A frugal save.
5. Went shopping with my friend and advised her on cookware — she was using a Kohl’s coupon, and got a great deal on a couple of frying pans. I didn’t spend anything but did check out toasters, as I think my toaster oven is dying. Another day.
1. Processed 15 pounds of tomatoes into sauce.
2. Received 60 pounds of apples from 2 friends. Gave one rhubarb, and one a bottle of wine in return.
3. Dehydrated 3 gallon bags of kale/swiss chard.
4. Picked green beans, raspberries and blackberries. Planted kale for fall/spring crop.
5. Took in a pair of shorts for myself.
6. We had both joined Panera free sip club when we left on vacation, and it goes for 3 months. The Panera in our town is not close by, but whenever I do pass it, I stop in. Each time I ask if I can pick up for my husband too, and they’ve always said yes. So today I was passing and took in both of our reusable cups and brought home enough coffee to last my husband 4 mornings.
7. Had listed an older bike of my husbands on FB marketplace. The young man who came for it had walked all the way to come get it, he has no other transportation. I told him to keep his money and take the bike (he clearly needed it). I also told him about our town’s community bike non-profit that offers exceedingly cheap bike repairs. I was happy to see him so happy.
August is certainly harvest/preserving time in our part of the world. I love all the free food that gets passed around. We picked 416 pounds of tomatoes (among many other things) at the community garden where I volunteer. They all go to the food bank and it makes me so happy to think of the people receiving them.
1. I have been woefully neglecting making dinner from home recently, as my energy levels have been low and work has been busy. Thus, my vegetables in my crisper have been getting a little wilty. Tonight, I am batch roasting zucchini and green beans (free from my friend’s volunteer CSA) and some sprouted sweet potatoes. I also chopped up a head of lettuce and mixed it with some sprouts in a salad to get me through the next couple work days!
2. On the days I haven’t been cooking, my partner has been bringing home free food from work. He works at a local Mediterranean restaurant where they make everything from scratch, so I feel pretty lucky in that department. (My life is very food-centric)
3. I recently acquired a copy of New Moon from the library, which I have been devouring (no pun intended). I’ve been on a Twilight kick recently!
4. Instead of using plastic shopping bags that are typically reserved for lining small trash cans in the house, I’ve taken to using bread bags and other small, miscellaneous plastic bags to clean my cat’s litter box. I try to limit my plastic usage, but instead of tossing the bags, I feel about giving them a second (yet stinky) purpose.
5. I’m on the hunt for new work shoes, since mine are wearing out. Unfortunately, I have a job where I walk several miles a day and my shoes wear out after 5-6 months. I’m particularly partial to Hoka Bondi 8s, but at $185 a pair, the cost racks up. I wish they had a punch card!
Kara, that was so nice of you to give your bike to that young man! Heartwarming.
Kara, I love your #7. We need more kindness in the world.
Nutter butters?! Dang, my Red Cross doesn’t offer those, but they do have a variety of Cooper Street granola bars that are more delicious than they sound. I pair those with a bag of potato chips and I’m a happy blood donator.
Benefited again from my Buy Nothing group:
1. Pedometer
2. Phone stand for husband
3. Resistance bands for husband
4. Special battery that I requested for the dead pedometer
5. Dr. Teal’s sleep lotion with melatonin (an insomnia experiment)
The picture of your kitty with the white chin is adorable!
1. I found a few odds & ends in a box by a dumpster. A 13 gal wastebasket w/ a swing top, a device to hold paper towels, a small glass Pyrex dish w/ a lid, some blue isolation gowns (which I will take to school) & some pencils.
2. I had to buy 2 tires. My husband has a car parts store so he was able to get the tax taken off as he has a tax number for his business. I put the purchase on the tire store’s credit card so that knocked 5% off the price. I’ll pay the bill off when it comes due. (Husband does not sell tires at his business.)
3. My work friend is cat sitting the 2 cats. I will get her a GC to thank her. It is expensive to board an animal, let alone 2 of them.
4. 2 of my toes are trying to curl under & become crooked. I went to the podiatrist who was no help. I read online that taping the 2 together can help. I have been doing this w/ foam tape & it seems to be preventing them from further contracting.
5. I read several readers got a COVID booster. I went to my local Walgreens here in FL for my booster. I was told my insurance would not cover it. That is ridiculous. I have gotten all my immunizations under my insurance in the past. When I return to TX I will get this sorted out.
For #2 – don’t you then have to pay use tax on the tires? My state is very picky about this, but perhaps yours handles it differently. If unsure, check your state’s back-to-school tax holiday guidelines – our includes tires up to $500 with no fuss!
#5 – I hope insurance works out. If not, check with your health department. Some are still offering free Covid vaccines.
I had a couple of turned under toes that hurt like crazy. The podiatrist suggested toe crutches–rings of silicone that go around the toes with a thicker bit under the toe to keep the nail from hitting the ground. Found them online and the pain is gone as long as I wear them. FYI–for me it’s the middle toe on each foot. Life-changing.
Happy to help!
1) Yesterday was my son’s big surgery, and this morning his first day home. He did the math when selecting his health insurance and chose the low-deductible plan – even with the extra premium, he came out ahead. The surgery, and most of the complex diagnostic work he’s had to have done this year, including ER visits, endoscopy, MRIs, and a ton of blood tests, were “free.” I’d much rather have single payer, but given the great lashings of money we’ve either lost or had to fight insurance for over the years, this is very, very satisfying.
2) In the minor freebie department, we kept a special syringe that will be perfect for medicating chickens, and they sent home a ton of gauze (Halloween is coming) and some new scissors.
3) Not really a frugal fail: he is on a clear liquid diet and having a ton of his favorite pho broth from a local restaurant, For Morale. It’s very expensive, and we don’t care. I’ve made it before, but it’s hard to get it just right, and the ingredients are no longer as affordable as they once were. We did order by phone to save on the convenience fee, and a supportive friend picked it up, so no DoorDash. Also, while at the hospital, we did eat in the cafe, but in a cost-conscious way (protein and greens by the ounce from the salad bar – affordable because the hospital encourages healthy eating), and I brought my own drinks.
4) I used a 40% off coupon, a sale and a pile of Extrabucks to set my husband up with razor cartridges for the forseeable future.
5) I didn’t need to tread water furiously in a desperate attempt to conceal my longtime friendship with a notorious pedophile.
Sending best wishes for fast and thorough healing for your son!
My husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease at 55; he would hallucinate and have conversations with who he was seeing. Last year he turned 64 and was no longer able to walk; his speech was becoming impaired. The doctor prescribed Seroquel. It helped, but not for long. Around January this year we started him on the Neuro x program that was introduced to us by his primary care doctor, 2 months into treatment he improved dramatically. At the end of the full treatment course, the disease is totally under control. No case of dementia, hallucination, memory loss, the disease is totally under control. visit www. uinehealthcentre I hope someone finds it helpful.
How wonderful for you both! Thank you for this!
I’ve been doing the Neuro x treatment from uine healthcentre. n et for about 5 months. My husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease at 55; he would hallucinate and have conversations with who he was seeing. Last year he turned 64 and was no longer able to walk; his speech was becoming impaired. The doctor prescribed Seroquel. It helped, but not for long. Around January this year we started him on the Neuro x program that was introduced to us by his primary care doctor, 2 months into treatment he improved dramatically. At the end of the full treatment course, the disease is totally under control. No case of dementia, hallucination, memory loss, the disease is totally under control.
You’d more money donating plasma.
Yes, but I’d rather donate.