Five Tiny Frugal Things
by Katy on September 6, 2024 · 49 comments
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I sold my $7.99 thrifted kitchen cart for $75 through Facebook Marketplace. I’m still waiting on a buyer for my framed Nagel print, but patience is key.
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I curb picked a drafting table near my daughter’s apartment. I’ll hold onto it for a bit as my son likely needs a smaller desk, but will definitely put it up on Marketplace if he ends up passing on it. It doesn’t show in the photo, but the table top does tilt down.
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I ordered two used copies of books my niece wants for her birthday from Powell’s Books. I called them up and was able to pay using gift cards, and they’ll send the books to their location in my neighborhood. Needless to say, the gift cards are from selling books I got for free in the first place.
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• My step mother loaded me down with ripe cherry tomatoes from her garden. Thanks, Lindy!
• My husband and I started watching the new season of Only Murders in The Building through my friend’s Hulu account. Thanks, Lisa!
• My husband stopped off at Costco on his way home from hockey practice and picked up a $5 rotisserie chicken, olive oil and bananas. Zero impulse purchases.
• I also curb picked a fancy dish drain system and listed it on Marketplace.
• I cleaned and reorganized my refrigerator freezer and only threw out/composted some ancient bread crusts and a laughably iced over bag of strawberries. I’m now more aware of what’s on hand, which’ll help to minimize food waste.
• I bought a cantaloupe at Trader Joe’s and timed the cutting of it perfectly. My personal method is to buy the biggest one, (as Trader Joe’s prices per item, rather than by weight.) I then just wait a few days until the smell is nice and strong. This may seem like a “duh” moment to you, but I’ve only recently figured this out. It’s so disappointing and a waste of money to cut into an unripe cantaloupe.
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I didn’t curb pick any Lear Jets.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
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5 small frugal things this week:
1) I discovered that a tree that grows close to my backyard back fence is actually a peach tree. The neighbor who lives there was very chill about me picking a bowl of delightful peaches! They are still firm, some with a blush of green, but have incredible flavor and fragrance.
2) Same neighbor has pears and apples, too and told me to come pick!
3) Also- super ripe figs from down the street from me. Like biting into honey.
4) I bought 2/$1 melons from the close dated store- a very ripe muskmelon and watermelon, plus $1 pineapple. All were on the edge of too ripe, but once refrigerated became a perfect snack and breakfast.
5) I did not bother with the portable a/c during this heat wave- it smells, it leaks and honestly using heavy curtains to block off the sun, cold water and having fans work just as well.
We got tomatoes and cantaloupe in our CSA share–and a recipe that used both in a bread salad. I’ve never loved cantaloupe, but with garlic, olive oil, toasted croutons, and basil it’s delicious.
1. Moving back into our recently renovated kitchen (not frugal, but we bought an old house and it had to happen). Went right through everything a second time and posted a bunch of items on Buy Nothing, and put three boxes aside for an aid mission to a school overseas. Four boxes of miscellaneous stuff for the op shop. So many items that we just don’t use but have had forever or no longer use now our kids are adults. Feels great to be passing on to people that actually can use it.
2. Kitchen painting almost completed and it feels so good. Discussed painting the hallway as well and my husband just about cried. So will put that on the back burner. Painting is a labour intensive task but if you can do it yourself you can save thousands of dollars.
3. Grocery delivery subbed wrong type of coffee so got an immediate refund. They said to keep it but as we can’t use it I posted it on Buy Nothing and gave it away to a very happy lady who said it’s her favourite. So she gets a freebie which is frugal for her, no loss to us.
4. Will be eating almost entirely out of the garden for the next few weeks.
That’s about it. So happy to be back in my kitchen with an actual oven and stove and we can finally cook every meal at home again instead of eating pre-prepared and frozen dinners and takeaway. We haven’t had an oven for two years. Back to the frugal cooking life. Can’t wait!
Two years??? You have the patience of a very patient saint! Congratulations on finishing the renovation. I’m with your husband on hall painting. So onerous when it’s done in isolation. On the back of such a project…aargh!
1. We’ve had a frost, so this morning I dug up the dahlia and the tuberous begonia tubers and the rose bush. They are drying out for a few days in the garage before I store them in a cool part of the garage for the winter. This is frugal in that I don’t have to buy new bulbs in the spring. The number of plants I have would cost me about $400 to replace. Since the tubers multiply over the summer, I always have extras to donate to the annual hospice spring plant sale.
2. Dropped a carton of 18 eggs on the kitchen floor. They stayed in the container but all but two broke. I pulled out the shells and poured the eggs through a sieve to catch all the shells and then they went into a frying pan. Scrambled, they will be added to the dogs’ food for supper. I rinsed off the shells and when they dry, I will add them to the bag of crushed to powder shells I save and periodically give to the neighbor to feed to her chickens. That way she does not have to buy calcium to feed the chickens to keep their shells hard, and I get paid in chicken eggs.
3. Husband loves, loves, loves corn dogs. (Disgusting to me.) They are $3 each here and fried. I mixed up some corn muffins, added some cheese and chopped up hot dogs (gross) and baked. He loved them. Cheaper and not fried. He only eats them about once a month and pronounced himself happy with my homemade version in the future.
4. Library for books and a puzzle exchange.
5. Have a post office mystery shop so am mailing off a birthday box for free, plus I earn $15 just for doing it.
6. Needed some return labels and I like to make them holiday themed. Husband designed some satisfactorily revolting Halloween ones and had them printed off for $4. It would have cost $30 (including postage) to order them. He also surprised me with some Christmas ones of the manager scene. “Look!” he said proudly, “A chocolate manger scene! What do you think?” He was very deflated when I pointed out that it was impossible to tell if the holy family was made of chocolate or poop. We once saw an all-chocolate manger scene in a fancy shop in London, so all he could see was that one in his mind’s eye.
Lindsey, your #2 reminds me of the time I dropped a carton of eggs on the pavement as DH and I were heading from London’s Portobello Rd. Market to the flat where we were staying. I called the subsequent save the Portobello Omelette, with these directions: “1. Drop egg carton on sidewalk. 2. Curse. 3. Go home and dump carton into giant mixing bowl…” (I didn’t think of using a sieve, though. Never mind; the extra calcium didn’t do DH or me any harm, either.)
And I’m still laughing at your #6 with the chocolate (poop) manger scene. I also kind of like the “Christmas…manager scene” typo. Am currently trying to imagine what Christmas managers would look like.
Bless your heart, but I’m not going to try and recreate that recipe!
I did a post office secret shop a few weeks ago to mail a set of replacement handles for Revere Ware pots. The buyer also paid postage so I made some extra money on that sale!
Double dip!
1. I received a refund from Meijers for a couple coupons I forgot to use last time I was there.
2. I turned in receipts to Ibotta and Fetch.
3. I picked up some Kraft cheese which was free with the Ibotta app.
4. I walked the dog in the park with DD#3. Afterwards I treated her to a latte at the local coffee shop using a gift card I received for my birthday. I ordered the smallest size brewed coffee which is the least expensive thing on the menu.
5. I helped DD#2 upholster her dining room chairs.
Lucky dog to get a latte!
I totally read #4 the same way. Twice. Third time I figured it out….
Oh dear. Well I guess she’s pretty spoiled but that’s overkill.
That’s a nice drafting table. I would have hard time resisting the other free goodies, knowing that if no one picks them they go to the landfill.
I’d have had a hard time too, Suzanne. For instance, I’d have made off with the bird feeder and the Rubbermaid container in a heartbeat.
Those were the two things that caught my eye also!
Luckily I’m not the only person who shops from free piles!
1. Listing and selling fairly steadily. Trying to get through the maternity and baby things I’m selling for my son’s family.
2. Roasted over ripe tomatoes and made tomato sauce which I froze.
3. Chopped and froze free jalapenos.
4. Took a load to the thrift store. Mostly stuff from my daughter and mother. Glad to get it out of my space. Also glad to help them.
5. Dried 2 loads of clothes on the line. I love the speed of summer drying! I use my free electric dryer about 5 times a year. Coming from Europe, the clothes line is always my default method. I have to think to use the electric dryer.
That’s very nice of you to sell things for your son’s family.
It’s my way of putting a bit of money in their pockets without them feeling like they’re taking. Selling is the last thing they have time for, but it certainly helps buy the next size clothes and shoes. I’d have loved someone to do that for me when I was in their stage.
1. There are very few free kerbside picks generally in England – it’s catching on, but where I live, it’s very rare. I have been looking for a bookcase for ages. Found a beautiful one, handmade in oak, fresh from a store. Only £650. Nope. And then I drove past a fancy house a few minutes’ walk from mine: fantastic tall bookcase with a paper sign “free” on it. Perfect. Except I’ve got a smallish hatchback car and no way to get it home. Then I realised that hiring “a man with a van” (well, two men) would still be way cheaper than having to buy new. Ran to the house in time to see a man with an American style truck loading it into the back of his truck. The bugger saw me and actually laughed and said “You snooze, you lose.” While true, it made me want to smack him. Who knew that kerbside picking could get so competitive?? And potentially violent…
2. Frugal fail: I bought a puppy – black English Cocker Spaniel whom I’ve named Elodie. But there is nothing frugal about puppies…Adorable, yes. Frugal? No.
3. Second (and third) frugal fails: Due to said puppy, I had to order some home-delivered groceries, delivered Tuesday morning (second frugal fail). I always wash my fresh fruit and vegetables, air dry them then put them in the fridge. Strawberries looked perfect, went into a Tupperware container with some kitchen towel to absorb moisture – usually keeps them fresh for 7+ days. Opened them this morning – advanced stage of decay. Third frugal fail. So annoyed. As well as eating them with breakfast pancakes (oat flour and oat milk), I was going to make Eton Mess with them tomorrow. No pudding for me then. Perhaps the universe’s way of telling me to lose the lard.
4. I finally learned how to use some power tools (58 years old – I didn’t rush into anything!) and have done some picture and mirror and towel rail holder drilling and hanging. Honestly, I’m like a child, soooo pleased with myself.
5. I have two small lawns bisected by a path. Overhanging trees have ruined the grass which is straggly and weedy with bare patches. I had the worst offender, a non-fruiting cherry tree (which had a fungal disease), removed, the other one pruned heavily. I’ve decided to renovate the slightly larger lawn and to turn the other (tree free) lawn into a vegetable patch. Neighbours who did the lawn renovation thing last year have offered me their equipment and leftover grass seeds. Wish me luck!
“Yah boo sucks” (see, I’ve read the Molesworth books!) to the guy in your #1, Denise. And congratulations on your new puppy, who does sound adorable. I love spaniels.
I have so many memories the items I’ve snoozed and lost on.
And good luck with your garden!
That drafting table is a great find! Looks like it’s in pristine condition. If I was standing in front of that free pile I would also grab the Tupperware container, it’s a decent size! Is that onions in it?
* I have repurposed my former office wedge cushion as a kneeling cushion for garden work as it was too worn down to do its actual job any more.
* A friend of mine had an operation and instead of buying flowers or similar I gifted her with some homemade vegetable soup (I used my own stock, all organic veg and thyme from our garden) and homemade oat bread when she was back home. She was delighted and swears the soup really helped with her recovery!
* A different friend brought me back a huge bar of chocolate from their holidays as a thank you for helping her with booking their train journey to the holiday destination. The teens had it devoured in no time!
* One of our teens needed cargo/work pants and we bought a gently used pair on Depop that turned out to be too big (the description of the size was very confusing). Thankfully the pants fit my husband so he will wear them instead. I ended up finding cargo pants in the exact size needed in one of our local charity shops – it was only 6 Euro. I have had good luck with pants in charity shops lately!
* Lidl had 20% off cat food again through the app and I bought enough for about 3 months.
I think it was sidewalk chalk inside the Rubbermaid container. I don’t like plastic leftover containers, but I’m sure that someone else was happy to take it.
Such the perfect gift to give homemade soup!
DH and I took a mini vacation to Cape Cod, two hours away. While vacations are rarely frugal, we kept spending to a minimum and enjoyed the natural beauty of the surroundings.
1. After Labor Day, the hotel rates drop dramatically on Cape Cod. We booked two nights and made sure a free breakfast was included.
2. We limited ourselves to two meals a day, breakfast and dinner, with the breakfast being free with the room.
3. We had packed a cooler with water and soft drinks before we left.
4. Instead of shopping in gift shops, we shopped in thrift shops. Came away with yoga pants, a black dressy shirt, a hard cover book I’ve been wanting to read, two fall decorations for me, for DH , sweat pants and a hiking shirt, all for $20. Our souvenirs!
4. We walked a trail at the National Seashore, free.
5. We were delighted to see gas prices were .30 lower than in area so gassed up the car before the ride home.
Souvenir thrift shopping is the best as you can buy you actually need rather than a knick knack.
100% agree and much more fun than an overpriced gift shop.
A bit jealous of your Cape Cod trip but good to know rates drop dramatically after Labor Day (and easier to get pet/house sitters when it not so dang hot outside). Sad to say better half could not do without eating lunch – just eating dinner would suffice for me. And I do like the idea of shopping thrift shops. I was never comfortably going to a thrift shop in the area we frequented during the kids formative years. I felt the locals needed the thrift shop more than I/we did.
Selena, you would not believe the number of thrift stores on Cape Cod. I think most churches and many organizations have them there. Seems you can’t drive a half mile without one popping up. Needless to say perhaps but the quality and value of the items is phenomenal. It can be a high income area and the donated items reflect that. Lots of fun to go thrifting on Cape Cod!
At long last the materials to rebuild our porch finally arrived and demolition starts Monday, so we put our vintage patio set on curb to find a new home. It’s uncomfortable to sit on at our age and always was too big for the porch. Either a vintage-lover or a metal scrapper will love it.
Either way, a treat for the new owners.
The whole set was gone early this morning, most likely to someone who will use it because the detachable wooden seats and the glass table top were not left behind. Scrappers take only what they can sell and would have left the non-metal parts.
I enjoy Katy’s curbside shoppin’. I am that country girl who has curbside items in the back of the truck that I “add to” other people’s curbside. I have a townie friend who welcomes my additions to her Little Library and curbside collection.
Picked some galas, fuji, honeycrisp and prunes for the give away table at church.
Wearing my new to me, bought at a schwanky garage sale outfit for today (linen pants, jeans jacket style & silk sleeveless blouse all bought for $3 ea).
I am using my collection of 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s table cloths for the reunion serving tables. I am serving on my collection of high quality melamine plates and my collection of 1940’s silverware scored from a collector in the family. The glasses are french working glasses, bought from a local museum/gallery’s cafe when it closed a few years ago.
I picked 3 huge bouquets of hydrangeas and dahlias for the tables. I will bring plastic vases for folks to take home the flowers.
What a treat for people to be able to bring home their own bouquet of flowers.
1. Pool liner people are coming to measure before I close the pool this fall. We will schedule a discounted installation for spring. I’m game to install ourselves, but DH is leery, so we’ll leave installation to the pros. Pool’s not frugal except it’s paid for itself many times over when we were younger and renting the house out for a month each summer. Maintaining pool myself saves weekly fees, and means the liner lasts much longer: I use far less chemicals as I stay on top of it. My 97yr old Florida aunt still maintains her own pool, vacuuming and doing the chemicals!
2. Am borrowing walking sticks from niece for an upcoming hiking trip, rather than buying.
3. Maybe not frugal, but fun. We will be in Italy three weeks, leveraging our airfare! DH can work remotely. The first 9 days are with friends in a hotel that I would not necessarily choose myself, but the next two weeks we booked convenient and inexpensive apartments, located in regular neighborhoods, where we can cook many of our meals, eat at relatively inexpensive local restaurants, and live like locals, frugally and really experiencing Italy.
4. An old friend is visiting for a week, and treated me to lovely plants for my garden. I gave her a painting of her old house, which I painted years ago while vacationing with her. I love the painting but I know she does, too, and I am glad she will have it. Her annual visit gives us a chance to catch up, and gives her a break from being caretaker for her husband. (Her son takes over this week.)
5. Meals this week include more tomatoes from a friend’s brother’s garden.
I am off to weed and work in the garden! (wearing a large hat=less sunscreen!)
I love lending and borrowing seldom used items, it just makes so much sense.
FTFT, Rainy Saturday Morning/Decluttering Edition:
(1) For the second time, it rained hard on the morning the FFL (one of our finest local libraries) had scheduled a “Buy Nothing” event in its parking lot. This time, I confess I bailed out on Thursday, based on the weather forecast. (But never fear, FFL Barbara; I will donate the three boxes of books I was going to bring to this event directly to the FFL.)
(2) I’ve already donated much of the other stuff I was going to bring to the “Buy Nothing” event to the Salvation Army, and will be dropping the other boxes off at the Rescue Mission donation trailer behind my Wegmans tomorrow.
(3) And no regrets about either (1) or (2), as I’ve accomplished a good deal of much-needed decluttering.
(4) My friend Mr. Fix-It paid another call on Wednesday and performed further cardiac surgery on my balky garage door opener. My yard man/snowblowing wizard (hereafter referred to as King James) came by to mow the lawn while Mr. Fix-It was here, and I discovered that they were already slightly acquainted. They exchanged phone numbers and other info, and I invited them both to help themselves from the pile of donations in the garage I’d started for the Habitat for Humanity ReStore. Just call me the Matchmaker–and I think they’ve saved me a trip to the ReStore!
(5) Finally, it just stopped raining, and the sun is out. I think I’ll go do a bit of yard work while I sing the last verse of Allan Sherman’s “Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah”: “Wait a minute, it’s stopped hailing/Guys are swimming, guys are sailing/Playing baseball, gee, that’s bettah/Muddah, Faddah, kindly disregard this lettah!”
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Laughing at #5. I had totally forgotten the “Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah” song. Had one miserable summer at Camp Alsikhkan (and still remember the song that spelled the name) and this song always reminds me of that summer. Years later one of my jobs had a sleep away training for all staff, held in a huge church. We were supposed to sleep on the floor, in sleeping bags, all in one room. I remembered my camp experience and categorically refused to spend the night, telling my boss that I did not sleep in the same room with anyone I am not having sex with (only I used a more vulgar word). I was allowed to drive the 60 miles home and then back the next morning. The next year, there was a mutiny based on remembering my refusal and it was turned into a long one day retreat.
Oh, I love your reasons for refusing, I am so going to remember it. And that it only took a year for a full mutiny? you are a workplace hero to me!
I still remember winter camp with my Girl Scout troop and having to sleep in a big room on a wood floor in my sleeping bag. Never again and that was about 55 years ago! Good call on the refusal.
@A. Marie – just don’t be Leonard Spivy, he came down with poison ivy. I doubt you’ll be Leonard Skinner (not to be confused with Lynyrd Skynyrd).
Hi A. Marie!
Double bummer about the Buy Nothing event. I’m going to continue collecting items with fingers crossed the October event takes place. I look forward to adding your books to our stock ; the November sale is shaping up nicely. Hope to see you there!
I am officially a graduate nurse and am studying full time for my NCLEX exam at month’s end. Reading everyone’s comments here is helping me maintain my sanity and serves as a great study break.
I’ve learned much from all of you as we are still squeaking by on one income for a bit longer……..
Hello, Barbara, and congratulations on your graduation! I know you’ll knock that NCLEX exam out of the park.
The FFL did tell me about the next Buy Nothing event in October–but I’ll be partying like it’s 1813 at the JASNA Annual General Meeting in Cleveland that weekend. I hope to see you at the November book sale, however.
1. Sold hubbys golf shirts and western wear that were too large on FB marketplace
$45
2. Loading receipts on fetch
3. Taking advantage of BOGO with the $$ deposit into Venmo
4. My friend sent me a coupon to try Farmers Dog for free. They sent a weeks worth for each of my 4 dogs. I’m using it as a topper for their kibble
5. Reading from Libby app
Howdy all!!
My frugal 5:
1. I’m home for two more weeks on disability before heading back to work. I’m going to miss my afternoon naps.
2. Each week, I have chosen a new place that I have saved in my favorites on my Maps to check out. The majority of them have been free. The ones I had to pay for, I reserved a reduced rate card from the library. It’s been a good summer.
3. I have done so many puzzles this summer. I love puzzles. But I’m getting sick of puzzles. I am also knitting! That is part of my PT.
4. Because I’ve been doing so many puzzles, I haven’t been driving that much. So when I fill up my car it last weeks. I’ve also been keeping track of what I spend each day on groceries. I haven’t done that in a while and it was interesting to see that I do spend roughly what I thought I was spending per month.
5. The boy and his boyfriend are coming to the house tomorrow. Unfortunately, their roomates cat got into their bedroom and killed one of his boyfriend’s birds. They decorated a nice envelope for the ‘remains’ (his BF is quite the artist) and they are going to bury it in my yard. I feel really bad for all the boys, it was so traumatic for all of them. A local grocery store has cod on sale for 6.99 pound, so I will make a nice meal before they head home.
I went dumpster picking this weekend. I found nothing. However, when I looked into a dumpster behind some apartments, I saw a family of 3 racoons huddled together. I’m assuming they got trapped in the dumpster. I threw a box in the dumpster for them to climb onto & propped the dumpster lid open. They quickly scrambled out & went into the woods.
1. I used a 7/$120 purchase at the grocery store. I knew I was a bit short of the $120 total, so I added a store gift card to the purchase so I was able to use it. I also had another $1.50 off coupon and submitted my receipts to fetch and ibotta to get another $2 back.
2. All those groceries earned me enough gas points to get .40 off a gallon. I filled up and saved $5.70.
3. I made 2 ebay sales for a total of $115 and one facebook marketplace sale for $25.
4. Found a penny on the ground in the library parking lot while I was returning a book.
5. I didn’t give into the temptation to get takeout this week, even though I really really wanted to. I also had a physical therapy appointment get cancelled whcih will save me the $20 copay, gas and 90 minutes in the car. And I finally had some errands to do that would take me by a Walmart and Target so my son could exchange some birthday gifts he received doubles of. He now has some store gift cards for each place to use at a later date.
Wow, I’m impressed with your grocery shopping and how smoart you are to squeeze out every last drop!