Five Tiny Frugal Things
by Katy on February 5, 2025 · 19 comments
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We had my mother and stepfather over for dinner and served a simple but tasty meal of marinated Winco chicken thighs. (I got the recipe from a Struggle Meals YouTube video.) Rice and a big green salad rounded out the meal and my mother brought dessert. We all drank ice water and I’m guessing that the total for the five of us was around $20. There were even leftovers!
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My sister just finished a six day visit from New York and although this always costs a little extra for me, there are money savings for her. Here’s how which she saved money while visiting Portland:
• I picked her up and dropped her off at the airport, thus saving her the price of an Uber.
• I loaded a Safeway e-coupon for Tillamook cheese and sent her off loaded down with a pair of two-pound cheddar loaves for $6.99 apiece. My treat.
• We ate all but two meals at home, one of which she paid for, (a shared fish and chips entree) the other, (dim sum) was on us.
• Lodging was obviously free, complete with a hotel-style robe, suitcase stand and pillow mint.
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We kept the house at a higher temperature while my sister was visiting, but reset the programmable thermostat after she flew back to the East coast. We’re fine keeping the house a bit colder than most households, but always crank up the temperature when we have guests.
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We watched the Star Trek: Section 31 TV movie through our $1.99/month Paramount Plus subscription last night and still feel like we overpaid. My husband, sister and I all love Star Trek, but this movie was abominable. Worse even, the movie served to set up a future television series!
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I didn’t buy an election so I could dismantle the inner workings of my country.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
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{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
You are such a sweet hostess. It sounds like you all had a great time.
We are in the midst of the second very low spend month of the year. Aside from groceries, which I aim to cut by 50%, and pet food, I have bought a used book and a sewing pattern, both from eBay. My best friend from college asked for donations for her church yard sale, so I have a bag of decluttered items going for her.
I returned a roll of surgical tape bought from CVS. Unfortunately, my daughter was jostled by a dog while handing me some boiling soup, so I got a large burn. I had gauze for a loose bandage but not tape. I put the tape on and had an immediate, horrible reaction. I’ve decided it isn’t getting bandaged. Sigh.
Clipped the dogs’ nails myself, which made me sad since our crazy coonhound, who freaked out when anyone touched her nails, died in October.
Returned the new tank printer I ordered from Schmeff Schmezos, as the ink bottles exploded, making a huge mess all over the printer, and it didn’t come with a power cord. Ya mean this printer runs on electricity, rather than a pack of beagles to act as a turnspit? who knew? sigh.
Sewed and repaired the end of a feather cushion America’s Li’l Cutie (aka the puppy) chewed up.
I didn’t plan to turn Gaza into a vacation resort because my daughter’s inlaws want that beach.
Rose, for your burn I would recommend wrapping gauze (with whatever ointment would help with the pain) around your arm, and then securing it with an Ace bandage. I did this when my son got a bad burn on his leg from hot pizza falling on it–it was too large for any kind of tape and in any case, we also react badly to adhesive tape. I hope it heals quickly for you!
That’s a good idea, Karen, thanks. Although it is kinda fun to gross out my children with it. “Check it out, it looks like blue cheese now!”
Ha! But no, seriously, if it’s that bad it should be dressed. For my son’s burn eventually I switched from the Neosporin to Manuka honey, and he doesn’t even have a scar now. It’s pricey but works a treat for burns and other deep abrasions. Said DS also had a habit of falling on his knees hard and getting nasty road-rash gouges, and manuka honey was the only thing that really helped slough off the dead cells.
Or slide the cut-off top of a sock over the gauze to hold it?
Burns hurt SO much more than I expect when I bump something hot.
Hmm….maybe I should look into manuka honey. Former stepFIL raved about it, but then he raved about a lot of things. And heaven knows I am always tripping, stabbing. cutting myself, as well as braving the stupid deer fencing to feed the ferals and also the dogs pawing my arms. I did use Neosporin because that’s what my mom always put on our cuts, etc.
Heidi, I kept thinking about how painful self-immolation is. Uh, my mind is weird? Safe to say I will NOT being doing any self-immolation political protests.
Katy, the cheese was a great idea. Tillamook is one of a kind. <3
1. My daughters wanted take out burgers for our weekly dinner. The restaurant has frequent mystery shops offered, so I signed up for one. This paid for 75% of our meal. They also gave us a couple free burgers and a fry because they had accidently filled an order twice.
2. I mentioned to my mom that I was on the lookout for a couple new to me photo frames for my daughter’s wedding photos. She let me choose from a box of frames she had stored in her basement. I found two that were perfect for what I needed.
3. I ran some errands with my mother and we both got hungry. We stopped at McDonald’s and ordered 2 McChicken sandwiches from the value menu which cost a total of $2.42. My mom treated me. What can I say? I’m a cheap date.
4. I made a huge seven layer salad which my daughter and I have been eating the last few days. This used up half a head of lettuce and a small head of romaine my mom gave me. The only things I needed to buy was a small cucumber, a red onion and a few radishes. The rest came from the fridge and freezer.
5. I’m making some nachos tonight for dinner which will use up some leftover taco meat from the freezer and a half a green pepper leftover from making lasagna. This along with a serving of the above salad will fill us up.
I was SOOOOOO excited about Section 31 when I first heard about it! Made popcorn and everything in anticipation…. Halfway thru I gave up in disgust and picked up a book. (There may have been some sulking involved..)
1. I made the save-it-up-vegetable soup from the bag in the freezer. The broth was rather red from beet stems, but (after straining) with some chopped ham, a can of beans, and a spoonful of bouillon, it was delicious. I felt very frugal. And then composted the mushy bits.
2. I had an extra binder from thrifting, and my recipe binder was out of control. I split it into two — food/meals, and foody crafts (candy, liqueurs, food gifts, preserving). I am out of those plastic sleeves, but I just went through my other binder — my former “look book” from when we were renovating, and I can purge those magazine photos and use the sleeves in my recipe binder. No spend!
3. Going to pick up some extra old egg cartons from a friend, for seed starting, on my way back from physical therapy.
4. I am on hiatus from thrift shopping because of budget, until March 1. But I get a lot of free/no spend entertainment from watching other thrifters on IG and YouTube.
5. My eBay and Etsy stores are doing pretty well. (My store is called AnotherWordforStory– get it — yarn is…) I was delighted to earn ~$350 via eBay in January. I started reselling in October. Side gig now that husband is officially retired (he has been out on disability for some time but the switch to Social Security makes it official.) Now if only those muskrats don’t mess up SS, now that we’re dependent on it.
1. Meeting a friend and her husband for dinner tonight after an after-school activity. We’ll get done about 6, and we will all be ravenous. Instead of eating at a restaurant for $20 or more a plate, she’s picking up a pizza and we’re eating at our house. I’ll make a salad, and provide drinks.
2. I’ve been picking up extra days subbing, which makes doing laundry harder. My wonderful husband hung out the laundry last night. It might have gotten some dew on it, but it’ll be dry by the time we get home tonight. If I remember to bring it in as soon as we get home!
3. Dropping off used, washed, reusable dog diapers to a woman on Craigslist. She’s going to list them on Marketplace, but since I don’t use that I’m just going to be happy they’re out of my house, on the way to someone else, and able to help someone else make a little money.
4. Adding a pretty patch to my good jeans, and adding a serviceable patch to my husband’s work jeans. I need something to keep my occupied while I’m subbing, and we have enough socks for a long time.
5. Our chickens laid their first (two) eggs for this first time since November. Not really something I’m responsible for, but I’m happy anyway!
1. Found a penny in a restaurant parking lot.
2. Friends treated us to dinner. Brought leftovers home in my trusty thrifted stainless container.
3. Annual premium for umbrella insurance came in $140 less than last year. After verifying that the coverage amount remained the same, I’m not complaining.
4. Received $47 from the consignment shop where I dropped off some things a month ago.
5. Watched a free Zoom presentation about the political landscape hosted by our library. Depressing as hell but important.
1. Got our old internet canceled. With the new one we should save about $30 a month. That’s nothing to sneeze at.
2. Driving all day today. We had Jame and cheese rolls, grapes, veggie sticks and snacks in the car.
3. Got a free ebook.
4. Found a penny.
5. My mother-in-law let me snap a picture of her reciecpt for fetch rewards
Wow! I’ve been eating struggle chicken all along and never knew it!
1. I finally roasted my pie pumpkins from Halloween. They were the same price as regular pumpkins, so that’s what I used for Halloween decor (and Christmas – haha). They were still good. I’ll make curried pumpkin soup for dinner later this week!
2. I walked to Trader Joe’s yesterday and got excited to see cheap eggs in stock, so I bought a dozen. When I got home, I discovered that I already had plenty of eggs. A glut of cheap eggs! In order to save face, I ate an omelette for lunch and made a big batch of custard for desserts (in thrifted ramekins)!
3. I made a vegan cauliflower soup from The NY Times recipe site. I find that eating vegetarian meals is a good way to save money.
4. I’m listening to Hillary Clinton’s latest book on my Libby app, and it’s hard not to be angry about how the US was robbed.
5. I am not actively destroying the US government.
Yum, Tillamook cheese! What a nice gift.
1. I sold my old computer (after wiping the hard drive) and reused a box to ship it. It was a very old computer, so I didn’t make a lot, but after the fees, I was left with enough to pay for a week’s groceries. Not bad for something that would have been trash otherwise.
2. I found my portable charger/battery pack which I hadn’t used in years. The cord turned out to be damaged, and I was all set to buy a new one, but then I remembered I had an old phone cord that might work. It did, and my portable charger is back in business with no money spent.
3. I wasn’t feeling well last week and wanted Jello to eat. I made lime gelatin using ingredients I already had instead of buying the ready-made version.
4. When I last bought groceries, I did not buy any eggs because they just didn’t fit into my budget. Instead, I have found and tested several recipes for gluten-free baked goods that don’t call for eggs. Since that’s the main thing I use them for, I’m now better able to avoid buying eggs when the price is too high.
5. I used an iron-on fabric patch to repair a torn sleeve. I bought the patch a few years ago and only used part of it. I’m glad I saved the rest. I am truly terrible at sewing, which makes it challenging to repair clothes, but ironing is something I can handle. The patch isn’t pretty but at least it should be functional.
I do the same thing with the heater for guests, and we leave it turned off during the day when it’s just my husband or I working from home and then turn it back on right before we pickup the kids from school.
Visited the library on my lunch break today to get more books for my kids. I work in a large city so the book selection is much better here than in the smaller city I live in, and since we read at least 3 books a night every night, we go through a lot of children’s books. So grateful for the libraries, would never be able to buy that many!
Doing the reverse of meatless Monday, and only having meat 1-2 days a week for dinner, and meatless the rest of the days. I put tofu cubes into our soup last night instead of the usual chicken and the kids loved it and ate more of it than usual so a success. I also had success with beans, twice baked potatoes and corn and bean burritos or quesadillas earlier this week
My kids each need to make a box for valentines at school. Luckily I have 2 shoe boxes and we already have construction paper, stickers and markers so shouldn’t need to buy anything.
My mom picks up my kids from school on Wednesdays and watches them at our house until we get home from work. Today is her birthday so we decorated our house last night with decorations we already had to surprise her. My sister is making a cake and bringing it over later so we can all celebrate together.
I’m starting to look into summer camps for my kids (we both work fulltime so it’s childcare in the summer), it’s tricky because some need to be booked now or they fill up but it’s so far out that sometimes plans change (or children’s interests change!) So far I’ve only signed up for one and it had a generous cancellation policy (you can cancel as late as a week ahead and only pay a $25 cancellation fee)
1. Took some plastic shopping bags (a big wad of them!) to the used bookstore bc their quarterly sale is tomorrow. Reduce-reuse-recycle — I’m getting them reused. Good for the environment, and helps me declutter, even if it may or may not be frugal for me. But…. I noticed they loaded up their “free-take one” pile with books they can’t sell. Many were large-print books, so I took an armful. Also got some repair manuals which I can donate to Habitat ReStore and a similar charitable thrift store specializing in DIY stuff. Did I mention everything was free?
2. Finally bit the bullet and went to a local store and ordered replacements for the circa 1964 ceiling light fixtures that are hanging down from the ceiling like loose teeth. While not inexpensive, they are LED lights so it will be cheap to operate.
3. While there, I picked up some free calendars — a desk blotter calendar and a huge wall calendar. Will give the latter to a friend for her small business, as it is designed for writing down project deadlines and such.
4. Got paid for freelance writing!!!! It was a very short religious piece for a church denomination’s devotional booklet. Before you get overly excited, my pay was a mere $20 and the editors had received it a long time ago, during the pandemic quarantine. But, hey, it’s $20 more than I would otherwise have and hopefully my writing will brighten someone’s day.
5. I did not tear down, tear apart and ruin the beautiful democracy that, prior to this past Jan. 20, was the United States of America.
1. Made a couple creative lunches with remnants from supper
2. Brought my sister in law home made soup and a quick bread from the freezer after she’d had another long hospital day.
3. Filled up tank when gas was tiny bit lower and used a coupon.
4. Used flax seed eggs for baking, saving precious real eggs for meals
5. Can I borrow your #5?