Five Tiny Frugal Things
by Katy on August 27, 2025 · 6 comments
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My friend Lise invited me to Ikea as she was shopping for a specific item, but the only thing I brought home were these two unopened cans of Poppi soda from their dumpster. Don’t worry, I gave them a good scrub before slotting them into the refrigerator. And no, I didn’t get the bananas.
It’s hard to get ahead financially when all your money is tied up in two cans of soda.
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Of course I had to treat myself to one of their $1.25 veggie dogs. I love their combination of pickled red cabbage and crunchy onions, although the slogan “Heavenly flavors from the soil” makes it sound like they’re slathered in mud. Also, I can’t hear the word “soil” without thinking of “night soil!”
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It wouldn’t be a trip to Ikea without stopping in the cafeteria for free coffee! I brought my recently thrifted Hydroflask bottle, which meant I was able to bring a cup home to enjoy later as an iced coffee. I also brought cards and taught Lise how to play gin rummy, which is part of my masterplan to get more people to play cards with me.
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I made a huge batch of Thai red curry with tofu and mixed vegetables. I added cabbage, carrots, mushrooms and onions. Note that the veggies are all on the humble side, no need to choose pricier options when I can cobble together something healthy and delicious from cheaper ingredients.
So tasty and plentiful, with enough leftovers to share with my adult kids.
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My husband and I spent $40 on my gold band and $30 on his in 1993. A far cry from Taylor Swift’s $550,000 engagment ring. Of course, that’s a drop in the bucket for her.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
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1. Received a dog dental kit from Buy Nothing. Gave away a muffin pan.
2. Husband went to the Minnesota State Fair on senior citizen day, saving $3 on admission. He parked at my sister’s place and she drove him to and from the fair.
3. Looking into research surveys and mystery shopping, inspired by readers here and on The Frugal Girl.
4. Finished reading a library book: The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan. Delightful.
5. Picked up a free gallon of paint for one of our bathrooms at our county’s ReUse Room. It seems to be almost full.
LOL — I probably would have taken the bananas. We love banana bread.
1) I brought home a pot of parsley from the compost bin at work.
2) Canned more seven more pints of blackberries.
3) My neighbor is cleaning out his workshop and gifted me 50 1-gallon pots and 11 bags of potting soil. This solves some of my budget concerns for building a raised bed, deer-proof garden for next year. I already have a plan!
4) I need to rent a car for a family trip next week. I was delighted to stack deals from my insurance provider with my travel credit card, plus points, in order to rent a midsize car for a week at less than $100 out of pocket.
5) We have fruit flies, a fact of life during canning season, it seems. Fortunately, fruit fly traps with cider vinegar, a jar, and a paper cone are free and effective!
It’s a nice cool morning here in Pa.
1. Made scrambled eggs for breakfast. Eggs from backyard hens. Also I add puréed cauliflower to my scrambled eggs. Stretches the eggs, added veggies, and it makes the eggs fluffier. I steam a bunch of cauliflower, purée it and freeze it in ice cube trays. I store the frozen cubes in a ziplock bag in the freezer. I defrost 2-3 cubes for about 7 eggs. Mix it in before cooking. No one but me knows it’s in there! Sneaky! lol
2. Will hang out a load of laundry for solar drying.
3. Bundling errands: Thrift store, Goodwill outlet and picking up cowgirl boots ($5. I need them for a themed conference in Sept) return an item to a store.
4. Walking with a friend tonight.
5. Lunch is egg salad, again from the hens.
I tried IKEA’s vegetarian meatballs 10 years ago, and I didn’t like them. They tasted like mud. Usually, I’m game for a good vegetarian bargain, but I assumed that the vegetarian hotdog would also taste like mud, so I steered clear. I suppose $1.25 is a reasonable risk to take.
1. I found 12 redeemable cans while I was walking around the neighborhood yesterday. I haven’t been finding as many lately. I suppose a heat wave helps!
2. There’s a plum tree in my neighborhood with a sign that asks passers by to please help themselves to plums! They even provide a long pole to help me reach the high hanging fruit. I helped myself to enough for a batch of plum jam.
3. We went to a baseball game and ate an early dinner at home beforehand. This saved us from buying expensive stadium food that isn’t very good.
4. Today is the day I take my kid to the dentist in the opposite quadrant of town. I plan to check the Fred Meyer for deals. Maybe I’ll find a free pile on the way. Wish me luck! It’s like a frugal staycation!
5. My wedding band came from an estate sale.
I was at Dollar Tree yesterday and saw Katy’s favorite Monet crackers and grabbed a box to try.
Our wedding rings came from an outlet store for a national jewelry chain. Mine was pre-owned and exactly what I wanted for far less than we had budgeted, and my husband’s wedding band cost $20 out of pocket after trading in a necklace from a previous boyfriend. (I’m not a believer that you have to get rid of jewelry from previous partners, but this was a 90’s rapper style gold rope that was not my taste at all, and I only wore it while we were dating, and then never again.)
We’re fixing up a rental house to get ready for new tenants, and doing my best to save money everywhere I can:
1. Taking advantage of 5% off with my Lowe’s card, and combining that with cash back from Swagbucks whenever I can order online.
2. We are doing most of the work ourselves (as usual), and while I am absolutely sick of painting the inside of that house, I just keep reminding myself how much $$ I’m saving. $200 worth of paint is a drop in the bucket compared to labor costs!
3. Got some drywall scraps from a neighbor instead of having to buy a half sheet when we were just shy of enough for a repair. She was happy to get it out of her garage, and I was happy to save the time it would take to go to the store.
4. The dropcloths, painters tape, and various misc supplies came from another neighbor that moved out in the spring and was giving away most of what was in their garage and laundry room.
5. Planning quick and easy dinners while we work on that house so I’m not tempted to order pizza or other delivery when I’m tired in the evenings.