Five Tiny Frugal Things
by Katy on January 1, 2025 · 63 comments
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My neighbor’s family is of on vacation, but first texted to ask if I wanted her produce. You know my answer was in the affirmative, so she walked them right on over. I’ve already used some of the leek and tomatoes in a breakfast scramble and will assemble a vegetable heavy curry stir fry for tonight’s dinner.
Can you imagine if everyone shared their food so it wouldn’t go to waste?
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I cooked up a big pot of blacked eyed pea soup for New Year’s Eve, which was tremendously frugal as the peas were free from my friend Lise and the only other ingredients were plain ol’ chicken broth, onion, carrots, celery, spinach and various herbs and spices. So cheap!
The celery and carrots were on their last legs, so I chopped, sautéed and froze the extra for later use. I now have pre-prepped mirepoix (ooh . . .fancy!) for future use, which is a favor to my future self.
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I use a Mossery brand planner for my date book/journal and figured out a couple years ago that it’s cheaper to buy a blank notebook and write the calendar pages into it instead of buying a preprinted date book. This way I get almost a year and a half from each book instead of a single year. Yes, it’s a bit of effort, but it’s the kind of thing I can do while watching TV and the time is going to pass either way, so I might as well be productive with it. Apparently I stopped at 2025, so I spent a bit of time adding more calendar graphics to my book.
I like the Mossery brand as you keep the hardback outer cover and replace the inner pages, instead of buying an entirely new book each year. Plus, there’s an adorable local store near me that sells paper goods, so I’m able to support a small business instead of that Schmeff Schmezos guy.
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I’m still sick, so I haven’t actually left the house since Friday. Except for taking out the garbage and my research had indicated that this doesn’t fall under the legal definition of “leaving the house.”
Here’s my new slogan:
“Go nowhere and do nothing — it’s the most frugal lifestyle!”
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I didn’t buy a vulgar gold-plated apartment in the sky.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
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It has been a discussion in my Master Gardener group, how to increase food sharing. I would be so interested to hear from anyone that currently has a good system, or has ideas for food sharing. There’s so little food waste in my house that I don’t have to pass anything on. If I have excess produce, I list it on Buy Nothing or text a close neighbor directly. But my Buy Nothing group spans about 10 minutes drive, and I wouldn’t do that for just a small bit of food. Also, there are some food items I would only accept from someone that I know…
1. I, too, am sick and have declared today a pajama day. Which is actually in keeping with one of my intentions for 2025 which is more rest.
2. My husband is buying a motorcycle (I know, not frugal though we will go down to one car) and he found a new helmet for half the price of the one he had previously bought and returned. I won’t skimp on safety.
3. I signed up for an at-home health screening through my husband’s employer (dot of blood on a card that you mail in). They offer a $25 gift card each for completion of this task.
4. Mixbook photo book platform lost half of my 70 page project (family history photos) and they will give me an account credit for the amount of the finished project. So though it costs me extra time, it will not cost me money.
5. We picked up free rocks before Christmas to continue landscaping our small backyard. They were not as pretty as I have previously found, but we have a little seen section where they are going. I’ll put up with a fair amount if it’s free.
Kara, there is a Catholic hospital in my state that has a cafeteria. It freezes leftover foods, labels and puts them in either individual-sized or family-sized containers and once a week, the local food bank truck pulls up and takes them off. The food is given to needy singles and families. If the cafeteria has a whole serving bin left over, it is frozen in a larger container and taken to the Salvation Army’s canteen/cafeteria, where they feed the homeless, refugees, etc. They’ve also taken the food to Habitat builds to feed volunteer workers; and to the domestic violence shelter. The nuns told us that the hospital workers frown on having to eat the same foods several days in a row, so they’ve decided to pass it along to others.
I think many different institutions such as company cafeterias, catering services, restaurants and schools could adopt this and feed others instead of tossing out the leftovers.
It’s good to know there are institutions out there who are saving food from going to waste. It sounds like fairly large amounts too. Thanks for giving me a piece of good news on this New Years Day when so much bad news is being reported. Today especially, I think of the victims of the terrorist attack in New Orleans and their families and friends.
@Fru-gal Lisa,
I wish the hospital where I work would do this!
There is a local organization that “rescues” food from various organizations (though I think it’s more ingredients than “finished products”, but I could be wrong) – anyway, they make soups and casseroles from the rescued foods, and serve them at public schools in low income areas, as well as other places.
I hope to volunteer with them once I retire.
1. My husband volunteers at an organic that prepares and hands out meals 365 days a year. Local hotels donate food from catering events and sometimes it is a LOT. Also very high end. So glad they do this instead of throwing away
My Buy Nothing is probably a little bigger than yours. We list approximate cross streets and condition (needs to be used right away, past the best by date, good until next year, etc.) Food is almost always taken by someone. If cross streets are listed, they can decide for themselves if it’s worth the drive for them. I just gave away frozen turkeys bought a year ago with a description including the date and had multiple people request them. (The turkeys were too high in sodium for a family member.) Garden produce and even leftovers get requested when offered. People in my group also occasionally ask if anyone is cleaning out their pantry and have items they’d like to share.
Oh, open food packages get requested when offered, too. I received a giant jar of gluten-free taco seasoning from another member who is gluten-free. Here family didn’t like it, but we did.
@Karen,
Food is quickly snapped up on my Buy Nothing group, too.
The arena in my city packs up the unsold food from the vendors and sends it to a food rescue group. This group supplies to multiple walking groups that service the unhoused in our city. It also goes to 24 hour drop in centres. We have some programs that serve school age children during holidays, weekends and summer vacation (24 hours).
There is another program in our city called “ The Leftovers Foundation “. They rescue food from conferences, weddings, food warehouses.
My Buy Nothing group has frequent posts about food to donate, within and outside ofBB dates. Opened and didn’t like the product. People cooking too much and offering their leftovers. It all seems to be claimed.
Also when there is more month than money people will put in a request for assistance. There are multiple people who assist.
I have definitely used Buy Nothing in my village for both giving and receiving food. I have received grapes (still eating the jam I made from them, plus I shared half with another neighbor); pumpkins; specialty vegan food. I have given produce from my garden, lemongrass from a monster plant I grew, and sweets when I go on a sugar-free kick. I would still post it because it does seem to get a lot of interest (at least in my area), even little bits of food. What a great Master Gardener’s project!
In my neighborhood there is a Little Free Pantry where we all can place food that is taken once a week to the food pantry by the owners of the house.
And, one street over, a church has another Little Free Pantry on their lawn for prepared foods.
Happy New Year to all, and get well soon, Katy!
Yes, I agree that we would have less waste, less hunger and a better world if everyone shared their food they didn’t want. (And that includes bringing some nice hot soup to those getting over the flu.) Ditto, other items, too.
My relatives had some neighbors who were such avid gardeners, they later got some farmland in the country. These folks grew all sorts of fruits and veggies and always filled up their freezers (they had more than one) to the brim. But when the next harvest occurred, last year’s produce went into the trashcan. My kinfolk were appalled; they even told them about a ministry that accepted non-commercially frozen food; but their neighbors kept on throwing it away. And what was even more appalling and shocking: these gardeners grew up in the “Dust Bowl” during the Great Depression and often talked about not having enough to eat!
In the New Testament, mention is made of the brand new group of religious rebels — the early Christians — coming together and sharing everything they had. It was held out as a shining example of what people need to do — share! Be generous! Help one another! Too often, we plink a couple of coins or small bills in the Salvation Army kettle during the holidays — and that’s about all we do all year. There are so many huge problems that could be solved if we’d all just roll up our sleeves and work on it. (Shout out to you, Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter; may you both rest in peace.) A little here, and a little there, and bit by bit, we’d “get ‘er done.”
Katy, I hope you feel better soon. All those lovely homemade meals ought to boost your immune system.
I stayed home and did organizational stuff today, some long-term like putting our end of life paperwork (will, durable powers of attorney, pre-paid cremation) together in one file in the filing cabinet and showing DH and DS which drawer. The other was stuff that just makes my week go better, like filling up the pill organizers and preparing little breakfast containers of food for myself and the dogs.
Ate the last homemade Healthy Choice style meal I had in the freezer. Made a nice salad for the next few days by adding a chopped apple and some walnuts to a sweet kale salad kit. Saved the heavy plastic bags that cat litter is packaged in for reuse as yard clean up bags.
Sorry you still aren’t feeling well. Hope you get better soon.
1. My sister dropped off her dog as she is going to Egypt for 2 weeks. She also brought lots of opened food: sour cream, gorgonzola cheese, 2 pears, celery, ½ an onion, heavy cream, milk, oj and lettuce. I am also happy to take the food instead of her tossing it. She also brought me 3 baskets(empty) that she was gifted for Christmas. I make food baskets for lots of my family so I am happy to take them.
2. I am throwing my youngest a bridal shower later this year. We will be playing games so we will need prizes. I hit up the Christmas clearance at several stores and got some great prizes for 75% off. I also got some stuff that went into my gift closet for next year.
3. My neighbor texted me if I wanted her ham bone. I was happy to take it. I will give them some of the ham and lentil soup when I make it. For now it is in the freezer. There was so much meat still on the bone that I cut off a bunch for omelettes.
4. My son came over for dinner last night and then went out with his friends. I got crab legs that were on sale for $7.99 a pound, scallops that were $8.99 a pound and salmon that was already in the freezer. We had baked potatoes and asparagus with it. That is more than I normally spend but 3 of us ate for less then $30 compared to a nice seafood restaurant that would have been easily $30 or more a person.
5. I made muffins and hard boiled eggs for easy breakfasts. I made decaf Nespresso pods. I hung most of the laundry up inside. I am wearing a sweater and a blanket with the heat set to 65 degrees.
1. Before we left on our trip, I rescued ribbons from my great-nephews’ mound of tissue gift wrap so that I could reuse them next year. I would have rescued the tissue, too, but the boys insisted on opening their own gifts, bit by bit.
2. Using items left in the Airbnb’s cupboards by previous occupants – oil, sugar, cocoa, tea, whiskey (husband).
3. Reading books that I acquired for little or nothing. These will all go to the Little Free Library in town, and I hope to find more things to read there.
4. We went out to lunch today and the portions were large enough that dinner tonight won’t be necessary.
5. This is the first time I haven’t had a fifth frugal thing, tiny or not!
I hope you feel better soon! Dh was very sick before winter break and somehow I never got sick, which is a relief.
1. Dh and spent some time today going over goals and budgeting. Our #3 is getting married this summer and we will have expenses for that. We have a plan for now anyway.
2. We just got back from CO (20+ hour drive each way) We were able to get pretty good hotel prices on both ways of the trip and stayed with family the whole time we were there.
3. We got our heating bill and our usage had tripled and was also far more than December of last year. We do budget billing so we don’t really feel it but lots of people in town are complaining. But November was warm and last December was warmer than average. Regardless we checked our programmable thermostat to make sure it really was dropping down at night and during the day when we aren’t here.
4. I paid 2 bills online.
5. Dh gave himself a haircut.
1. I gave a friend a jar of roasted pecans from our trees. I told him to fill the mason jar ( as a joke) before he returned it. He gave me it back with ingredients and recipe for Instapot split pea soup. That is what I have been eating for lunch several days in a row.
2. Good friends gave us 4 ski lift tickets in Tahoe for wood from our orchard. The ski tickets face value is $1100.
3. A fairly large extravagance this New Year’s holiday was a new pair of cross country ski boots. I do plan on scouting out free courses tomorrow with my son. It is a wonderful sport to keep me in shape as I age. I bought the boots from a small business which guarantees them for two years. Totally worth it.
Other than that I hosted a dinner for some relatives at a restaurant and buy lunch for my family at a ski lodge today watching a football game. I feel grateful to be able to splurge in these areas.
@Mary Ann – I love your number 2! I have a lot of wood too, maybe I should try swapping it. Also hello from a fellow cross country ski beginner. I plan to do my 2nd outing today
1. I spent New Year’s Day getting my printer (which was given to me) online. I need to get an ink cartridge, but the printer works.
2. I had a GC from a rebate for $49.98. I bought a GC for my husband at the hair cutting place he goes to. The cards were 20% off so I got one for $60 that cost $48.
3. I got some Foster Grant readers at the Habitat Store for $2 each. They sell for $16 to $20 dollars at Walgreens. A little more expense that the ones at Dollar Tree but these are sturdier & better quality.
4. I found some extra toiletries in my condo that I forgot about. I will take the extras home to Texas as I am running low on some things.
5. Washed 2 loads in the laundromat & the took home to drip dry. (We are not allowed to have a washer/dryer in my complex. I have been looking at small portable washers.)
1. Partner really wanted to roast a whole chicken, although we get chicken parts (thighs/breasts) free from mystery shops. I convinced him to wait until I could (at least) get it on sale, which I did, for .92 per pound. We are currently making stock from the carcass.
2. Three weeks of not having to drive to work, so between gas & tolls, I save $60 per week.
3. Another professor is using my work apartment, so she will either leave me some cash (which I prefer) or a gift certificate. She just asked to use the apartment 2 more times this winter/spring – so I’ll ask for the $30 per night as we had been doing (but she must have forgotten?).
4. Booked all lodging for summer trip and was able to keep it to $65 per night. I split up among a couple of credit cards so that I can use reward dollars to pay for some of it. It will also be great that it has all been paid for months before we go.
5. My current favorite side dish is sauteed cabbage with some butter and thyme. The cabbage is savoy, which we got free from work CSA.
BTW, I teach [history] at a culinary college and all of the chefs who teach in the kitchens package all of the leftover food and it is given to a local food bank. I’m hoping to teach a class with a chef on reducing food waste, and it seems that the amount of food that is composted could be greatly reduced…. In my neighborhood (Somerville, MA) we have free community refrigerators and even free pantries (like the free libraries, but are stocked with non-perishable foods). My local Buy Nothing group also regularly offers food and from what I can tell, it is picked up by someone in the group.
Hello neighbor. I’m in Charlestown.
I think you might have mentioned that you shop at Market Basket, so I knew that you must be somewhat close!
One of our favorite [non-frugal] restaurants is in Charlestown – Brewer’s Fork!
Now I feel like we need to wear some sort of outfit/pin so that we can recognize each other on the street!
Happy New Year Katy and all the non-consumers! I enjoy this blog and the comments so much. And I have learned so many tips from all of you. I have to share this little story. I finally signed up for the Fetch app a few months ago. I remember Katy mentioning when she happens to find a random receipt somewhere and scans it. Well, I found one recently. It was for 200.00 from the grocery store. Then I found another. This past week I discovered a new hobby of actually looking for them and have since found at least 20 receipts. A few days ago I was picking up several from the place where you return your grocery cart, which happens to be next to the car charging spot. A very chic young woman was plugging in her zillion dollar Tesla and looked at my with such disdain!! I almost got hysterical laughing to myself! I’m over 60 and could care less what anyone thinks of me!! I’m almost up to a 25.00 gift card!
I love this!!!
Yet Ms. Chic has no issue charging her car for likely almost free to her (patrons of the store will be sharing the cost).
1. I posted 4 things on marketplace last week and have sold 2. I am going to attempt ebay next.
2. I didn’t realize I could exchange an open package to cvs. I bought the wrong cough drops. I had purchased buy 2 with the second 50% off. I went to exchange the unopened package and the lovely lady at the cash register told me to go home and get the open one because I could exchange it.
3. I went to a dinner party the other night and brought a chocolate trifle. I had all ingredients on hand to make the brownies and pudding. I only needed to buy heavy cream to make the whipped cream.
4. Dog sitting for and picking up relatives from the airport in a few days. Frugal for them and exhausted fun for me with their dog. It is also really nice to be oicked up from the airport.
5. The usual-coffee and water from home, buying loss leaders and cold water laundry loads.
(1) Watched season 3 of “The Outlaws” on Kanopy right at the end of December.
(2) Gave two free passes to a visiting child and her out of town friend to our cities Museum,Planetarium, Science Centre. I received the passes when renewing a membership.
(3) I purchased a very large suitcase (30% off with coupon )for said daughter to fill with her Christmas presents,additional food gifts and a lovely 100% wool blanket from my In-laws estate. So many happy memories of using this blanket at my in-laws home. My children also said the smell of the blanket reminded them of my Mil❤️. She flew out with a carryon bag. I said book the return with a suitcase, it’s the least expensive way to send items home.
(4) I joke with my family when we purchase items that are donated back to the thrift shop or are given away. We are just “ renting “ the items from the charity.
This suitcase was huge and in impeccable condition. It came with a bright neon strap and a bright coloured bag tied to the handle. My daughter used a luggage tag that was a prize in her Christmas cracker. She lives in a shoebox in the sky and will offer the suitcase in her Buy Nothing group ( last one went to a dog rescue) or will leave by her apartment’s dumpsters. Furniture, household items, clothing , recyclables that have a deposit and food are all items scooped up quickly from this location. She lives in a high rise dense area and when I’ve visited I’ve see multiple free piles at each apartment block.
(5) Same daughter and friend claimed the plant cuttings I had almost composted.
I like your planner idea, Katy.
I use a spiral notebook for my “to-do’s”. I divide each page into 4 squares, so when it’s laid open there’s a total of 8 boxes. Top left is “to do”, where I list things I want to get done that week, but aren’t assigned to a certain day. I then label the rest Monday-Sunday, and fill in whatever is going on each day.
Anything in the “to do” box that didn’t get done that week has to be written down on the next week, so it usually motivates me to finish it up rather than have to write it down again.
I reserve several pages at the front and back of the spiral for gift ideas, lists of books I want to read, big projects I’d like to get done in the coming months, etc.
@Michelle – I like your weekly to do and gentle motivation to “do” things rather than copying them again. I do something similar on old envelopes, two columns, one with all the days of the week amd things that need to happen on these days, the other one with more general tasks. I use a bulldog clip to hang the envelope, keeping old ones with unfinished tasks at the back. It’s so satisfying to go back and mark old tasks as done (erm ‘clean the fridge’ has been repeated quite a few times but it wil happen today!)
Katy, I’m sorry to hear you are still ill. Staying sick at home might be frugal, but it’s not fun. Also I love that your neighbours feel comfortable sharing their food. We have a whatsapp group in the village where people give away furniture, clean jars and excess produce. Other than that, there is not much food sharing.
Here are five food-related frugal things:
1. Dinner last night was leftovers: pasta gratin for the BF, butter chicken and rice for me. Butter chicken was cooked by my SIL after xmas, I rescued the yummy sauce and bulked it up with some pork from the freezer.
2. I had multiple onion pickle jars in the fridge so I made hot candied pickled onions using a recipe from Delicious magazine: add the same weight in sugar to the onion + liquid from the jar + 1 TB of hot sauce. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. They go really well with with cheese!
3. I am making banana bread and muffins from very ripe bananas.
4. Dinner tonight will be home made ravioli with stuffing, sage and chestnuts. Stuffing was frozen from xmas meal, sage from the garden and chestnuts foraged last year and frozen.
5. The fridge is quite empty as we ate most leftovers so I will clean it up, check dates and make a plan to eat anything past best before date. I don’t expect to throw much away.
Reporting back from the fridge-cleaning endeavor: I only composted three things: a tiny slice of yule log from the 24th, a jar of home made fermented hot sauce which my BF did not like and wild garlic bud pickles with a rusty lid.
The menu plan for the next days will include
– tikka masala pork fricassee to use up tikka paste
– Condensed milk cookies to use up old butter and condensed milk
– Feijoada stew to use up chorizo, a half jar of pepper paste and black beans
– Chicken dijonnaise to use up mustard (I somehow have 4 opened jars and tubes of mustard?!)
– Roasted halloumi and veg to use expired halloumi
I am so gonna try that onion idea. I often think you Swiss are MY people: potatoes, pickles, and melted cheese? YES PLEASE!
@Rose you’d have loved our village christmas raclette party: we prepared potatoes, mulled wine and soip and everyone brought their own cheese and pickles. It was great
Interesting discussion above about food waste and ways to avoid it. I’ve just done a few of these myself:
FTFT, Anti-Waste and New Year’s Edition:
(1) As noted earlier, I took the Bestest Neighbors to the airport on Dec. 31 for their annual London theatre trip. They left me a bag of produce that would otherwise have gone bad by their return: lettuce, celery, green onions, radishes, and apples. I already had tomatoes on hand, so healthy salads have been on the menu.
(2) On New Year’s Day morning, I found a 500-ml bottle of mouthwash with unbroken seals on my walk (plus $1.60 in containers to start the 2025 bottlepicking total off right). Later, I found two 8-ounce cans of tomato sauce in a cart in the parking lot at Price Chopper.
(3) And on New Year’s afternoon, I attended the big party thrown by the neighbors on the other side of my next-door neighbor. Naturally, I made sure that none of those pesky shrimp or lobster tails went to waste. 😀
(4) As some of you others have done, I’ve also spent some time organizing paperwork. In my case, I moved my 2024 charitable donation receipts and medical/dental expense receipts from their “standing” folders into separate large envelopes, ready for tax time.
(5) And, of course, I began a new journal for the new year (this is more of a diary than a daily or weekly planner; I keep my to-do lists separately). The new one is a sturdy spiral-bound notebook I found at the Salvation Army, with this inscription on the cover: “She turned her can’ts into cans and her dreams into plans.” I hope this will prove inspirational.
1. I made GF chicken noodle soup with chicken that needed to be used up. I used broken GF spaghetti noodles for the noodles. I used pre-prepped mirepoix that I made with the remnants of a veggie tray a few weeks ago.
2. I had ordered some jeans and didn’t like them though they should have been like a pair I love. I could return them to a mall ten or more miles away but I will send them back. They may or may not charge $7.50 for that privilege but it is still cheaper and faster than going to the mall. The FedEx store is near us and I pass by it regularly.
3. My found change total for the year is $19.54. I will stoop to pick any and all coins.
4. We have a new prescription drug plan. I will stop by the two pharmacies we use to give them the new cards so that it will hopefully be a fast and easy transition.
5. I gave away items on the Buy Nothing group including a juicer that sat for at least 24 hours down the street. Since there was rain forecast ( and we did receive a lot of rain) DH brought it home. It was quickly taken.
Feel better Katy.
1. One of the closet racks fell off the wall in my closet. This prompted a clean out of my closet, and I now have a large pile of clothing to sell/donate.
2. I’ve also been staying home. My knee is almost better. Instead of a doctor visit, I just did all the things I knew they’d tell me to do – ice, elevate, ibuprofen. This saved me time and money. I’ll discuss my knee at my next yearly appointment which is free.
3. My mom invited me to dinner last night. She made burgers, tater tots and mac’n cheese. All the comfort foods and simple for her. Cheaper than take out too.
4. My handyman picked up a headlight assembly for my 15 year old car and replaced it for me for less than the cost of taking it to a mechanic. The headlight was from a junkyard, so cheaper than a new one. I hit a deer earlier in the year and it broke the headlight glass. The deer ran away, in case you were worried.
5. My mom gave me a flannel shirt that belonged to my brother. It will keep me warm, as well as remind me of him.
Get well soon Katy, and happy new year to all my frugal pals on here!
1. Spent New Year’s Day bopping around but not spending much. A split-entree brunch with a friend and a movie were the perfect way to not rot on the couch but not feel exhausted back at work today.
2. Ski season is here! We are heading to a friend’s house who lives closer to the mountains and staying the weekend, launching day trips to ski resorts (on our already paid-for pass) from there. Always grateful for friends who open their homes and love the same sports we do.
3. New Year’s Eve turned into a home event which I was relieved by. We met some friends out and invited them back to ours. Skipped a high cost event and no bathroom line 🙂
4. Got a subscription to the Calm app for free with a referral code for a month. I took Katy’s recommendation to schedule a reminder to cancel 🙂 I’ve been feeling very low and sorting out what will make me feel better, so this is a nice tool to try.
5. I have a big vacation booked for later this month (wahoo!) and do not fit into any of my summer clothes. This year has been very frustrating to try and avoid buying new clothing. Found a 15% off promo code online and was able to use it to buy some already discounted outfits. The website told me my total savings between shopping sales and the promo code was $184. Relieved to be able to feel good in my clothes but avoid paying full price.
Happy new year, everyone!
1. Brought my lunch to work today and drank free tea in the office. Resisted the urge to join my colleagues in ordering lunch.
2. We invited my neighbor friend over for dinner last night and had planned on serving a frozen pizza. Friend supplemented with some appetizers she had bought for a NYE party that hadn’t been opened!
3. Baked cranberry orange shortbread cookies with ingredients I had on hand.
4. A friend invited me to go for a hike later this month and then grab food after. I told her about my no-spend January plan and offered to host her at my apartment for a post-hike meal of soup.
5. No so much a frugal action, but I’ve had a mindset shift. In the past when I have done no- or low-buy months, I have started the month feeling restricted. This time – I am feeling excited about the challenge! I’m not sure what has shifted, but I appreciate it.
Hi Katie! I totally understand your no. 5. I actually feel blessed and full of abundance with what I already have and I am looking forward to the challenge of finding ways to succeed. It sounds like you are doing the same and coming up with great alternatives! Nothing better than homemade soup after a winter hike!
Hope you get feeling better soon! I do something similar or a planner and it suits me well.
1. Found 21 cents in the road on my walk/run yesterday.
2.Used bacon grease to grease the cast iron pans or cornbread.
3. Husband has been calling around to see if there’s a cheaper internet plan, sounds like not. But if we’re a little more careful, we should be able to not go over our limit anymore. He also switched us to an electric plan where we’ll have free electricity 8pm-5am. This should help the bill. We also had a family talk about ways to save on bills (don’t take too long of showers, remember to turn off fans and lights when you leave rooms, etc…).
4. I put on a jacket instead of turning up the heater.
5. Ate mostly leftovers for lunch.
It would so great if people shared food instead of wasted it. The Buy Nothing Group in my village is pretty good with this but it could even be better. Lots of praise for your neighbor!
1. This year is a hardcore no spend for me. I don’t want to say it too loudly, but my “head” is basically on the proverbial chopping block awaiting word if Fed workers will have a job this year. I’ve been working as a public servant for nearly all my adult life (and I am in my 50s now). Anyway, instead of constant worry, I am taking control of my finances and prepping for whatever shall come. Day 1 & 2, I’ve succeeded in not spending a cent outside the normal bill crap.
2. I also made black-eyed pea stew with brown rice (everything from the pantry or refrigerator. I did buy some collard greens on NY’s Eve and they went well with the stew. There’s also enough for another meal this weekend.
3. On NY day, the dog and I took a nice, long hike in a nearby nature preserve. It’s free and good for the soul and body. It makes us both happy. We watched a sweet group of mallard ducks enjoying a rare warm day in upstate NY.
4. Reading library books and a book I received for the holidays. I made a pact to myself to read at least two books a month. The books must be ones I have already, from the public library, gifts/free ones, or from the Little Free Libraries around the village. I also received my own LFL as a holiday. I need to get it painted and installed, but looking forward to this spring project.
5. Paid the county taxes for a piece of forest property I have in one installment. This saves me $20. Not so frugal, the taxes seem to be increasing by approximately 10% each year. I do love this forest as it was one of my big “whys” for frugal life some years ago and I go there to escape the city and just relax, but the taxes are a lot. My house taxes are also high. New York is expensive and there seems to be no way around it.
Happy New Year!!
Sorry for all the typos! 🙂
Gina: I am sorry you are uncertain about your job future.
I have never ordered from them, but read about them on this blog, and I get Facebook notices from Penzey’s Spices. Their current post is: “Penzeys Spices does hereby officially declare the year 2025 to be: The Year of the American Government Worker. We declare this because it needs to be declared.”
Thank you for your many years of service!
Being an optimist and knowing that any part and parcel attempt at eliminating career federal workers will end up in court. The Founding Fathers must be rolling in their graves.
But it is always good to be prepared for an interruption in income. And this is where living below one’s means helps immensely.
Question for Katy and the Commentariat:
I’m doing a massive decluttering/minimizing/death cleaning/you-name-it and I want to start a buy-nothing-new challenge. My first thought was: make it a year, since a new one has already started and so on. But would it be smarter to say: make it a month? Then try another month? If I try for a month and don’t do so well I get a fresh try the next month, while if I set myself for a year and mess up it may be (psychologically) harder to start again. Any thoughts?
Anyone who has taken on a large weight loss journey may want to weigh in as well, as I think the same questions apply, as far as long term, medium term goals.
PS not buying books ( close to midnight, in bed, on Amazon of all places) is going to be the very hardest thing I predict.
Check out Abe books – I usually find good deals there. If books are your weakness, try to balance it out by a discount seller and/or your local library if you are fortunate to have one.
My little library is still closed (repairs from hurricane storm surge) so I have resorted to using free Libby app. I have the maximum number of books on hold – when they occasionally get delivered to me it is such a treat. I also have bringing and taking books/magazines to/from a little neighborhood “birdhouse “ library. Reading/listening to books is my favorite hobby.
Cynthia: Good luck to you on starting your challenges!
I guess you write the rules for what you are doing. If you don’t meet the ideal you set for yourself, figure out what derailed you, (the situation was too good and unusual to pass up, like meeting an old friend, or your goal was too high or inflexible), and decide what the time frame to start over is. Maybe time by seasons to set a medium-range goal between months and years. I am having trouble imagining spring right now, but I sure would like to have my basement cleaned out by then.
Heidi Louise–thank you for engaging. I like the idea of seasonal goals, it makes a sort of organic sense to me. I know I make the rules: just trying to make ones that will work for me.
Oh, the basement! I need to enforce my brother’s participation in that, as he left a ton of stuff down there that he hasn’t come to reclaim. I hate to give him a deadline, but I think I’m going to. He can leave some things, I just want him to sort, organize, and cull them.
If he is close by, maybe ask him to come for short chunks of time? Like 45 minutes? That might not seem as overwhelming as planning for an entire day, and he might realize it isn’t as bad as he thought. (or he might realize it is worse; at least that would be progress).
@Cynthia – any proverbial “carrot” for him (baked goods, meal)? What he culls, you expect him to haul off or are you willing to do some work yourself? To quote The Godfather, make him an offer he can’t refuse.
I have some things my kids left at home. I told them they could come and sort what is here and I would store the few things that they needed/wanted, or I would drive the whole lot over to them and drop it all off. They were over here sorting faster than I can say!
@Kara – you were much more accommodating than my folks. Things my kids could play with/use remained at their house but one day they showed up at my house with plenty of other things lol. Suffice it to say the things the kids could play with/use are still in their house. Meaning I’ll still have to deal with them at some point in time.
I would say a whole year is a nice challenge, but you could split it in focus areas by month, let’s say books, clothes, food (eat from your pantry/freezer that month), focus areas could also be specific rooms. Also accountability is key: find someone to hold you accountable, even us here 🙂
Lately I have been making a lot of soups using Frontier mixes. No, $7.50 for a bag of dehydrated vegetables and spices etc is not frugal, but for the perpetually exhausted me, it’s less stressful than cooking from scratch. Tonight was a creamy tomato soup and it’s SO good. I added a can of tomato sauce, a little brown sugar and a little cream, and it was really delicious. we had quesadillas with it. Frugal compared to my other options when I am completely worn out. Plus I like that it’s all real food.
Not sure how many meals you’ll get out the mix but I’m pretty sure more than one. Even a bowl of soup (and face it, some restaurants just use canned soups that are typically high in sodium) is hard to find for what you paid for the mix. Nothing wrong with semi-homemade. Sandra Lee made a good living doing it.
I just made chili – using a hodgepodge of cans that were taking up a lot of real estate in my limited cupboard space. Was a no brainer since I had browned some ground turkey and some leftover shallots (i was out of onions) a couple days ago. Made a ton – will freeze half (future me will thank me). I love Penzey’s Chili 9000 or Chili 3000 seasoning plus cumin. Every time I make chili it’s different- but always delicious. And easy.
I love chili, and it’s so easy. My secret weapon is canned chipotle chilis in mojo sauce. I usually add dried chilis and fresh cilantro. The rest is usually ground beef with lots of beans, canned tomatoes, and so on. Yes, my chili always tastes different too. I use the little of this, little of that method, add some lime juice, oops we don’t have any, how about a splash of vinegar, add a pinch of sugar, etc etc.
I love being known as a person who accepts free food!
And I love that your neighbor thought to give food to you vs. throwing it out.
I do not love that you are still sick. Feel better soon!
I did finally take a Covid test last night, which was thankfully negative. I’m on day eight of being sick and think I might just start pretending that I’m okay because I can’t take another day at home without losing my marbles!
Nobody likes that I’m still sick. It’s getting very boring at this point.