Five Tiny Frugal Things
by Katy on December 26, 2024 · 27 comments
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I sold a pair of reproduction prints* that I forgot I even had up for sale. Definitely not going to make me rich, but I’ll take the $28! (minus eBay fees.) I joke that my hobbies of thrifting, blogging and perusing the neighborhood’s “free piles” are all money makers; and frankly it’s true!
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I’m taking the day to recombobulate, both myself and my home. The elusive Portland sun is peeking out from behind the clouds and I’m taking it as sign to open up a few windows and refresh the stale air in the house. Staying at home is an extremely frugal activity, especially when the heat is off.
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I’m definitely not hitting any after-Christmas sales as I’ve put my spending patterns back into sleep mode. It doesn’t matter if an item is 50%-75% off, if it wasn’t something I would’ve bought in the first place!
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• I’m listening to The Lost Library audiobook through the library’s free Libby app while I putter around the house.
• I’m also reading my overdue library copy of The Echo of Lost Books, which I’ll hopefully finish up before bedtime. I really like the book, it’s just that my focus has been elsewhere.
• I arranged for the mail carrier to pick up my husband’s baseball glove, which he’s sending out to be re-laced. It wasn’t our regular carrier, otherwise I would’ve handed him the tin of treats that I picked up at Trader Joe’s for him. Being able to schedule these free USPS pickups saves me a couple of post office trips per week, so I really appreciate this service!
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I didn’t buy any vulgar gold plated apartments in the sky.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
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{ 27 comments… read them below or add one }
I like the word recombobulate.
1. I went down to breakfast at our hotel even though there was nothing I could eat. I took a plate of cold things my husband can eat and put it in the ice chest. If breakfast is included, I’m getting something for someone.
2. I kept good track of leftovers and put all of mine in the ice chest. I also took the offered excess homemade cookies that my daughter was going to throw out. I’ll put them in my freezer when I get home today.
3. I didn’t bring in some of the chocolate that I’d brought for our family celebration because there was already so many sweets. So my husband can ration those out over the next week or so. I can’t eat chocolate.
4. We got gas at Costco in the town our kids live. It is significantly cheaper there.
5. I’m spending the week scanning family photos and we are not buying any food.
1. I ordered a shutterfly book with a 50% off promo code. It still was pretty expensive, but better than full price.
2. I ordered an annivesary gift for my husband off etsy that was on sale.
3. I “saved” $8 at the grocery store by buying sale items.
4. I saved a gift bag that a gift came in. It’s in good shape and we can re-use it.
5. I also saved the bows off gifts. They’ve been used multiple times.
I save bags and bows too and sometimes wrapping paper if it’s in good shape. If the wrapping paper is too far gone, I recycle it. I remember my frugal grandmother doing this back in the 60s and 70s and occasionally rolling my eyes. I didn’t realize then that everything costs money and it was a good practice. Although she probably didn’t think of it at the time, she was an early pioneer in the movement to save our planet! Thanks Grandma.
My grandma ironed used wrapping paper. I didn’t realize for years that this was not the norm.
Family get together Xmas Eve( started when grandchildren were small , dividing Xmas day between parents, I opted out of the madness, suggested they choose a day, any day, that suited, and I’d be fine with that. $5 Secret Santa, family know I’m fine with thrifted, re gifted or consumable, happy with nice regifted perfume. My daughter’s health is precarious, so we kept it low key, lunch so she could head to bed afterwards. Friends and I either don’t gift or randomly, through the year, gift when something particularly appropriate has popped up.
Wishing better health for your daughter as we head into the New Year. Sending hugs.
Coral, I second Christine’s sentiments.
Happy Chanukah (if that’s how you spell it…) and Happy Kwanzaa (ditto) to Katy and everyone celebrating those holidays! And I hope everyone else had a merry Christmas!
1. Decided against going back to Target to see if the clock box had been put on clearance so it’d be more affordable. I kept one for myself that I’d bought right before Christmas but returned the other two when I discovered they were not on sale, after all.
2. Worked the day shift at the store. Nice lady had a “We Dissent” button (people who voted blue will understand) and when I complimented her on it, she gave one to me. I wore it proudly and later got chewed out by some ignoramus who, in the course of our conversation, revealed she did not know that Germany was no longer a Communist country or that the Berlin Wall had been torn down. (That happened during Reagan’s presidency, for God’s sake!) But she voted for Trump, all right, and said God sent us Trump to make our country better. (I wanted to throw up!) Note to self: send contribution to League of Women Voters in hopes they can educate the ignorant masses before next election.
3. Mrs. Ignoramus later came in with a book to give me, one written by a crackpot conservative televangelist, saying Jesus told her to buy it at Hobby Lobby and give it to me. (If so, the good Lord must have a wicked sense of humor. My BFF used to work for Hobby Lobby and I could write a book about how they mistreat their employees. Like not allowing the women — married women included — to get birth control covered on Hobby Lobby’s employee health insurance plan. We’re talking birth control pills, mind you, not abortions.) I thanked the ignoramus, only because I had to…. and she prissed out. Since there was no one else in my line, waited ’til she got into her car; I then stepped outside and made a big show of dropping it into the outside trashcan. Which was filled with rainwater, fast food wrappers and cigarette butts. Not sure if she saw me, but I hope she did. The front end manager saw me and laughed.
4. Before I left I bought a package of red and green plaid tissue paper for next year’s gift bags. Marked down on final clearance, of course.
5. Used my 10 cent/gallon off coupon card to fill up with gas. It expires on New Years so I’m using it all I can.
Hey Fru-gal Lisa, do you have a gas can for your lawnmower? Might be worthwhile to fill that up too! We never get coupons like that, at least I don’t know where they would be found…
Exactly why I will never give Hobby Lobby one cent of my money. Isn’t that rich…someone who doesn’t realize the Berlin wall was torn down decades ago makes the voting choice she did. Good call with the book. Hopefully she saw you give it its new home. Sometimes people are too much trying to shove beliefs down others’ throats.
Thank you, Christine! I am a retired teacher, had trouble getting a job teaching my first choice subject area –Social Studies. (I had to settle for English, which I also enjoy, but…) Instead, they usually hired athletic coaches, the majority of whom didn’t give a rat’s posterior end as to whether the students fully understood history or how our government works or how to think critically in evaluating candidates and issues; the coaches are just cooling their heels until football practice begins and usually don’t teach much of anything. So it really, really burns me up to see uninformed people — including those who think Germany is Communist when it’s not — vote on the basis of what they heard on the conservative talk radio (esp. the shows that allow comments from all the Bubba types out there), saw on Fox ‘News’ (really a propaganda outlet) or saw on a very biased and slanted political TV commercial or sound byte. No wonder we elect mediocre candidates! (And, ironically the Berlin Wall came down after Reagan, the idol of most conservatives, told Gorbachev to “tear down this wall!” You’d think Mrs. Ignoramus would’ve known THAT!)
I so much wanted to tell Mrs. Ignoramus that she can keep her “prayer” book; I get my devotionals out of the Book of Common Prayer which has served my church for centuries and was NOT written by some phony baloney preacher who just wants to be famous and make a million dollars instead of humbly serving God. (I’m still seething, can you tell?) But thanks for the vote of confidence!
I second your opinion of Fox “News”. Funny how conservatives still turn to it (or should I say: are still glued to it) although Fox network has admitted they are not a news outlet but rather an entertainment outlet. Or as I call it…drivel.
Adventures in moving continue . . .
1. In the seven weeks since we decided to move I have rehomed 1450 items. Having given ourselves permission to move on anything we haven’t used in ten years (may move that criteria to five years), we got rid of all the China except for eight dinner plates that fit in the toaster oven. Also donating half of the service for twelve of flatware that I’ve been moving around since 1978. Now we don’t need the China cabinets—we’re moving someplace with actual cupboards.
2. Found a taker for the kitchen ware, the brass bed, the queen futon, the table in the basement, and tools and bolts. They fit out refugees with basic apartments, so I may throw in gas money to sweeten the deal.
3. I have a friend who gave up liquor a few years ago and has had a box of same sitting near her front door for months. I took it off her hands and gave bottles to several of the neighbors.
4. Got a buttload of moving boxes and packing material via freecycle. Got an estimate for the move from the company whose boxes I received. The mover had me walk around the house face-timing so he could do an accurate estimate.
5. Persons who thought they wanted to buy our house decided against it. But their interest did prod us into interviewing agents. Will sign with one sometime next week.
6. Indoor temp at 62 degrees. Long underwear, fingerless gloves, quilts on the couch, wool socks.
7. I’ve aged out of fixing a big Xmas dinner for just us two, so we went full Jewish and got Chinese carryout. Three meals so far, and the Mister used the empty containers for sorting bolts to donate.
8. Seven more weeks until we move. Oofta.
1. I vacuumed my car during the 50%-off happy hour at my local car cleaning center. My home vacuum cleaner is not strong enough to get all the dog hair out
2. Dinner out with family, mum treated us all (thanks mum!)
3. I got a bottle of delicious salad dressing at the restaurant, I’ve never been able to reverse engineer it, so I’m happy when I get the chance to buy some and support this family owned restaurant
4. I really want to try cross-country skiing as a way to get out and move during my lunch breaks (there’s a track 5 min from my home) so instead of buying equipment I rented and borrowed some, to see first if I actually like it
5. I spent a chunk of my afternoon playing out in the snow with the dogs
It’s back to the regular at my house, with a fair amount of leftovers. I found a pack of Pledge wipes under the sink that had mostly dried out, refreshed them with a little water and used them to clean our faux wicker ceiling fan.
Also refreshed the kitchen chairs and the table legs with some Old English scratch cover. Used a coupon at Ace Hardware to cover all but 99 cents of the cost of a hair catcher for the shower drain, an item that I hope will save us a blocked drain. Had the last of the “use up this chicken thigh” soup from the freezer for dinner as the leftover ham is too salty for me. Mended the old Dollar Tree polypropylene shopping bag that holds odds and ends in the pantry.
1. I’m having my BIL and his family over for pizza. My treat which is my gift to them. Most of my gifting has been money or consumables this year.
2. My sisters and I bought my mother a new TV since hers needed to be replaced.
She would have bought one anyway so it was a good gift.
3. I had my family for Christmas. I made homemade cinnamon rolls and egg strudel with bacon for breakfast. We had prime rib, roasted baby potatoes and veggies for dinner with desserts provided by my mom. Not a cheap meal but definitely less than taking everyone out to dinner and breakfast.
4. I used wrapping paper and gift bags that I already owned. Most either gifted to me or purchased at estate sales.
5. My children gifted me with puzzles. We having been enjoying doing puzzles together so it’s a gift that includes time with spent with them. My mom also joined in and we worked on a puzzle Christmas day in between cooking meals.
5.
The book looks interesting but it’s Goldie Fawn who interests me more. I love that little deer…such an easy decoration for the holidays with a red nose stuck on.
1. I stayed in all day and it was just what I needed. I had 12 people over for my annual Christmas Eve party and then went to DS and DIL ‘s house about 35 minutes away for another party on Christmas Day. Both lots of fun but the fatigue is real. Frugality at its best is staying home snuggling on the couch in flannel pajama pants and a sweatshirt with a cup of hot tea in between easy but necessary chores…laundry catch up, mostly. No money spent.
2. I join Katy in not wanting to shop for after Christmas sales. I don’t need anything and can’t think of anything I will need for next year’s holiday season.
3. We’re eating leftovers from Christmas Eve. We had so much, we frozen some.
4. My 4 grandkids ages 23 to almost 17 seemed happy with cash and one small gift each. Our kids were happy with the consumables we ended up getting them. Although I wasn’t going to buy for the adults, I rethought it and figured with the price of groceries they could use a little help. Each couple and the one single guy each got a nut tray, overflowing with cashews, pistachios and candy coated peanuts. Semi healthy!
5. A small, low, corner table I had picked up at the thrift shop for $10 is now serving as a coffee table in the middle of the living room sectional. I had been looking for the right size coffee table at the Salvation Army and then realized I already own one. This always feels like such a frugal win to me.
I hope everyone had good holidays.
Christine, I love your idea of frugality at its best, being at home, snuggling up with hot tea, reading a book, wearing PJs and comfy clothes! I’m about to do just that, having found a really good history book (reads like a novel) at the Little Free Library. So glad I got a natural gas fireplace after that horrible Winter Storm Uri a few years ago. It’s more than paid for itself. And finding your coffee table without having to buy another — brilliant!
I have a friend who affectionately calls these days “pajama days”. They really are the coziest and comfiest while being ultra frugal days. That natural gas fireplace sounds awesome! What book are you reading? Maybe I’ll put it on hold at the library.
Shopping the house, @Christine! I love it when I find a random ‘thing’ that is already here and it meets a need I have identified. Currently one of my two chair-side tables is a wooden crate on its side = might not be pretty but it is perfect for what I need, and I really do NOT want to use one of the other side tables because they might be pretty but they are less functional. Weird, right, to think a crate is a more functional side table than an actual table….
Funny you should mention crates…my DD stayed with us for a few days. The room she was sleeping in is really small, like a twin bed and dresser fit in ok but that’s about it. I wanted a little bedside table for her and thought of an old milk crate I have from my father’s dairy…turned it over and there was a little table. Great minds think alike…lol!
Just popping in to thank Katy for some great posts and the commenters for such interesting content. I love hearing about how people celebrated and the practical and frugal gifts.
We had a tame Christmas day which was nice after having guests for 4 nights this past weekend. We are still in cleanup mode from the October hurricanes – progress is being made but it’s slow. I did make an assortment of cookies to share with friends / neighbors which I enjoy doing.
I have a Christmas tree that I hang on the wall. I take down a picture and hang the tree on the same hook. The whole process (including putting on two dozen ornaments) takes like 15 minutes max. When I take it down it folds up neatly and does not take up much space. It was a great investment.
1. Made a double batch of GF muffins since I had some milk that was starting to turn. I threw in some cranberry sauce and pumpkin that were extra in the refrigerator.
2. DH bought savings bonds through payroll deduction many years ago. We have cashed most of them but there were a few that had recently matured. He took them to the bank and cashed them. We will owe federal income tax on the difference between the purchase price and the maturity value but it still will keep us in spending money for a while.
3. We had Christmas lunch leftovers for lunch today.
4. We walked to the drug store to buy a gift card for a relative that has done a lot for DD this past year. No need to drive when it is less than a mile away.
5. DH looked up the availability and price of flannel lined jeans. I will continue to wear Cuddle Duds underneath my current jeans. I already have them and it means the jeans can be worn often instead of just on cold days.
Re your #5 – I have a pair of flannel lined jeans – got them on some ridiculous discount, more than 10 years ago. I feel like the tin man when I wear them – they are so stiff! They are warm, and worn only 3 times a year, it seams. No problem, I can store them for when I need them. I think you are wiser to use your existing method, the lined ones are useful for only a few days, unless you live in a really cold place.
Greetings from Oklahoma on day one of our trek to Arizona! Couple frugal things: We packed our own food and lowered the hotel pet rate from $75 to $25, just by asking nicely.
That’s an impressively made $50!
1. We did our annual Christmas bingo party with the whole family. Teenagers through Octegarians and it was a big hit. Everybody brought prizes, so that was the extent of our Christmas giftgiving.
2. My stepdaughter hosted at her house and she did decorate, but not over the top. We all contributed to the dinner which was frozen pizzas that had been doctored up with extra cheese and pepperoni, chili con queso with chips, a big vegetable tray, hot cocoa.
3. On Christmas Day I reached out to each of the older grandchildren and ask them what they got for Christmas. As they texted me back, I sent them money via Venmo. They were thrilled. My hasn’t the world changed!
4. We made a shepherds pie for Christmas day for just the two of us. I’m kicking myself for not draining the fat more thoroughly as the pie ended up a tad greasy. We are eating the leftovers as we should.
5. Work is very quiet right now, but I’m not having to take PTO. Just doing some end-of-the-year cleanup/admin work but also since I work from home, just taking it easy and doing jobs around the house. A very nice time of year.