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It worked to lower my eBay prices, as I made two sales just this morning! A mug for $15 and a single marble for $36! (I accepted an “offer” down from the $40 asking price.) I thrifted a florist’s vase full of antique marbles in 2005 or so and researched the subject so deeply, that I’m still able to identify valuable marbles when I see them. I think I made around a thousand dollars from that solitary vase of marbles. This marble was a more recent purchase.
I packaged both items in secondhand supplies and set them out on my porch before the mail carrier hit the house.
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I asked for fake plants on my Buy Nothing group, as I’m wanting to fill my built-in window box that perches outside my second story bedroom window. You may remember that I curb picked four fake plants last week and I’m still giddy with how real they look when viewed from the sidewalk. Let’s see if I can fill the window box without spending any money.
I was actually behind someone donating a handful of fake plants to Goodwill the other day and it took every last bit of my self-discipline to not ask for them.
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My step-mother had an excess of apples and tomatoes and sent me home with a baggie of free fruit. I then enjoyed an entire tomato in my breakfast burrito and have plans for a tomato-tastic salad this evening.
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I drove a family member to a doctor’s appointment yesterday and brought along a library copy of The Berry Pickers to pass the time. I’m only about four chapters in so far, but it’s already so good!
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I didn’t dismantle a government agency.
Five Tiny Frugal Things
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1. Went to Goodwill and used my 20% off coupon. The college students are winding down their apartments and donating household items, so it is a bargain hunter’s paradise. I got a small metal step-on trashcan for the bathroom for 4.99 (minus 20%, so actually about 4.01); those things cost a fortune if bought new; this is the 3rd one for my 3 bathrooms, and I got them all real cheap from thrift stores. Also got 2 hand towels in a set, and with the discount, they cost 80 cents each; a nice large-sized beach towel (or should I say beach blanket?)for $3.21 with discount; three gray-colored bath towels for $1.61 each, figuring in the discount; a stained-glass-look Dr Pepper drinking glass like the ones I have (very rare these days), $3.29; a plate hanger for the wall, $1.50; a college T-shirt from my alma mater for $3.98; and some colorful holiday (Xmas tree) lights that can also be used at Mardi Gras and Halloween, under $2. Also got a cotton bath mat that matches the rugs in the guest bathroom, and a couple of storybooks that appear to not ever be used (kids’ summer book drive coming up). Oh, and I always use their great big plastic bag as a free trash bag.
2. Repotted some house ivy growing in water. Combined it with some house ivy looking scraggly in a vintage green glass flower pot. Used potting soil I already had. Looks lots better.
3. Neighbor brought me a huge jug of liquid Coffee Mate — French vanilla, yum!– and I gave her a book I’ve read that was from a Little Free Library. Also returned the book she lent me, which I also have read and enjoyed. Love these trades!
4. Got 2 more LFL books.
5. Did not think my bachelor’s degree qualifies me to dictate to learned professors with Ph.D’s what to teach — and what not to teach — in their esteemed university’s courses.
Indeed, I think our country’s problems in a nutshell are that the stupid are now dictating to the intelligent.
Hooray for book trades, boo to #5.
Cross post from The Frugal Girl, since I have not done enough to have five different ones for each blog:
1. Accepted 3 rotisserie carcasses from our bachelor friend who eats only the breast meat and then freezes the bones until the next time he sees me. Made a huge batch of stock and three freezer chicken casseroles for the future. And have enough bits to add to the dogs’ food bowls for the next few days.
2. Did four mystery shops.
3. Had to buy a new fence gate so priced it first and then went to Safeway to get Home Depot gift cards for that amount, which gave us a bunch of gas points.
4. A friend’s mother is in a dementia unit. I accompanied her to see her mom, bringing along a play list of gospel music sung by the guy who used to play Gomer Pyle (if you are old enough to recognize that name). He has a beautiful voice and we spent an hour all singing along to the songs, with her mother joining right in remembering all the words. Afterwards my friend wanted to go to lunch but I convinced her to come back to our house instead of spending money at a restaurant.
5. Husband cut my hair.
6. For Easter I made the husband his favorite caramel corn with almonds. He bought me a giant chocolate rabbit that cost only two dollars because the ears had cracked off and were now lying at his feet. I loved that I got a cheap damaged bunny! He also did a chore I wanted done that he saw no point in doing but did it as an Easter gift for me.
Frugal fail: A few years ago I was spending a lot of time in bad after multiple surgeries. A family member bought me an 80 inch television so I could watch movies, since I had no concentration for reading. We seldom use that TV, as we have a more normal sized one in the living room. However, last night we decided to watch a movie on the big screen. The character in the show had a dog that started barking. All of a sudden, our Dane came roaring into the room and charged into the front of the television to try to reach the TV dog. The glass cracked into a web covering the entire screen. This dog is making me crazy…
If I’m old enough to remember that name?! I watch Gomer Pyle reruns on TV most nights. Sargeant Carter used to scare the bejesus out of me as a kid…he reminded me of some mean dad’s in the neighborhood…but now I see the guy who played him was a pretty funny actor as was Jim Nabors. Wonderful idea of yours to bring along some music of days gone by for your friend’s mother. I love Jim Nabor’s singing voice although so very different from Gomer’s talking voice!
Frank Sutton played Sgt. Carter.
Frank Sutton was a WWII veteran.
Jim Nabors had a gorgeous voice and his singing diction was so clear. It’s no wonder your friend’s mom loved and remembered the songs.
That is a bummer about the TV, but you got to love the Dane’s big heart and his desire to protect his mom and dad from dogs that appear on the wall.
I’m only 37 but The Andy Griffith Show was my favorite growing up! Watched it with my dad frequently. :-)
I won’t tell Kristen . . .
So sorry about your TV, that must have been a dramatic moment!
Katy, maybe you should have asked for the fake plants. We were taking a fake Christmas tree to Goodwill a few years ago. We were approached by a couple of teen girls who asked if we were donating it. They were there with a small budget to shop for Christmas decor. They referred to each other as “sister “. I am pretty sure they were not biological sisters. I got the idea they were foster kids. They were so joyful when we gave them the tree . Then they went in the store to spend all their money on decorations. It is one of my best memories.
This story warms my heart.
Mine too!
Nah, she was donating them and it would’ve felt life stealing from Goodwill.
Maybe this isn’t how I ought to be, but until it hits the donation bin, it’s fair game for a request/offer to buy. Perhaps this is because I haul them others’ donations on the regular, and their dumpsters are overflowing with salable items they don’t have room for.
There was a Goodwill employee helping with receiving donations, so It would’ve been awkward.
That marble vase has served you well!! Think of how many taco truck tacos those marbles have turned into??
1. Living on leftovers to avoid grocery shopping before another week away. Avoiding pulling things out of the freezer is helping not waste bits later – a lesson learned from earlier this year.
2. Part of that is doctoring plain yogurt for breakfast as we’ve used up all the nice honey vanilla yogurt. Well, we’ve got honey and we’ve got vanilla, so we can do it ourselves. While the convenience of the flavored kind is nice (and it has price parity), it’s a good reminder of the ingredients in our kitchen.
3. Drinking soooo much tap water to counteract the decongestants and antihistamines needed to fight allergy season and allow me to go in public without being a snotty mess. Very thankful we do not pay for water.
4. Have been browsing for summer dresses/formalwear as my summer has filled up with a few formal events. Nothing is really impressing me, so into my own closet I go for something I know I already like.
5. Same situation for family portraits next weekend – turns out the best outfit for photos (color scheme and level of formality) is something I already own.
Hooray for tap water!
Hooray for tap water anda Brita pitcher!
Wow! and the shipping for a marble shouldn’t cost much!
1. Went to 2 Goodwills, donated a few items and got a coupon. My son got dress shoes, work shoes for my daughter, I got a pair of shorts, and we got a few other misc. things.
2. At a Restore I found several Mary Higgins Clark books. My daughter’s trying to collect them, so I bought some for her b-day.
3. We ate at a favorite place for 1/2 price taco Tuesday.
4. Husband got tools at pawn shops for his work. He says he’s saved thousands of dollars by purchasing tools this way!
5. We took our little car today, which gets better gas than our van.
I always have buyers pay shipping. Hooray for tacos any day of the week!
1. Work plans changed so I have postponed the errands that I was going to do near work today. I ran local errands instead, using the cheap car since my husband rode his motorcycle to work.
2. Sold an item on ebay. I talk about my re-selling and several friends that are more financially comfortable drop things off at my house that they don’t want. They are clear that I can sell or donate the items, and I can keep the money if I sell them. For both of them my house is closer than the thrift store. They seem really happy with the arrangement. I am too.
3. Challenged myself to stay within food budget even though I’ve been buying extra of some non-perishables. And I think I’ll make it. I read an article this morning that on average a US household throws away one-third of the food that they buy. It is horrific. I just imagine myself putting actual dollar bills into the trash if I am tempted to throw something out. Usually I put it in the freezer and am very glad of it another time.
4. I sold some cloth napkins on ebay and the customer contacted me wanting some more. So I sewed another 10. I’m also making shorts for my grandchildren and adding sleeves to a dress that I bought at a consignment store but have not yet worn. I use a lot of thrifted fabric.
5. There are buds/fruits/shoots on so much of the food growing in my garden.
I love that you sew cloth napkins and sell them! I’ve collected quite a few over the years. We use them daily. And I too try hard not to waste food. Fortunately we have a few chickens that make great use of most of the bits that make it to them”waste” category.
I love that you have this arrangement with your friends!
The one-third food waste statistic is horrendous!
I have seen variations on that statistic, that one-third of food produced and processed does not get eaten. That does not make it right, but it makes it a different problem than if households are throwing out that much of what they buy. Especially if it is an average, as we know many people here don’t waste much, so someone else is throwing out even more.
Yes, that statistic often gets misquoted in media, as it’s 30% of food PRODUCED gets wasted, not 30% of food BOUGHT. This is due to food not being harvested, going to waste in transit, not being sold while it’s still fresh and probably a few other factors I can’t think of.
1. I finally did the audit of my three freezer compartments and I am currently enjoying ice cream that needed to go. Now I see exactly what I have and what I no longer need to purchase.
2 Our Easter ham yielded 5 one-pound packages of sliced ham for the freezer plus a soup bone, plus a bag of all the fatty bits, which I intend to use a little at a time in baked beans.
3. I concocted a vegetarian lentil bake using my homemade garam masala mix, and all of the odd bits of vegetables from the freezer, plus two cups of cooked lentils. Nothing wasted!
4. I was supposed to watch my husband‘s softball game last night, but I couldn’t find the field, so I went to Tractor Supply and bought some pine shavings for my chickens, and when I was there, I realized their cat food is cheaper than anywhere else in town. It felt like MAGA heaven, but… We go through a lot of cat food. So I might have to explore this issue some more. in other words, I need to keep looking.
5. I planted my string beans today and made a trellis for them to climb out of leftover lumber scraps and tree trimmings plus a ball of cotton yarn I got at the thrift store. And I beat the storm!
6. I didn’t tank the economy or my entire brand by being generally incompetent and narcissistic.
You had ice cream that you forgot about?!
@Katy – yes that doesn’t seem right. Maybe she hid it and forgot lol…
1. Braked for my first lemonade stand of the season! Had them put some lemonade in my reusable bottle instead of using their plastic cup. Gave them $1.00 for a .50 cent serving. In the old days (i.e., last year), I would have given them several dollars. They were still thrilled and that’s what matters.
2. Received caramelized sugar (and the mason jar it came in) from Buy Nothing. Will use in baked goods.
3. Made our favorite cracker spread: Rosemary White Bean Dip. So frugal, easy and delicious.
4. Mended several items. For the things that I can’t mend myself (like my dog’s harness and a winter coat), I will bring them to the Fix-It Clinic to have it done on their heavier-duty sewing machines. I’m also hoping someone there can fix my favorite mechanical pencil.
5. Used a coupon that we received in the mail for BOGO meal at a chain near us. Total of $10 for two adults for dinner is pretty good.
So smart to hold onto specific items for the fix-it clinic!
Can you share marble research websites and/or books?
I just got a random book from the library, although I no longer remember the name.
The only foundation make-up I like has been discontinued, but I found it on eBay for about the same price as in the drugstore.
My husband dislikes reheated breads, so I figured out how to make a quarter of a box of gluten-free corn muffin mix and stored the unused mix in the freezer with the quarter-size recipe written on the back.
My laptop does not have a CD drive but I dug around in our pile of tech stuff and found a portable drive. Used it to rip the music on some CDs from Goodwill to a memory stick for ease of playing. What little tech-ability I have was tested by having to resurrect Windows Media Player, but it that was just annoying and did not cost anything.
Crocheted some more coasters to give as gifts. Made up a bunch of refillable K-cup pods with discounted coffee.
Bonus: Did not aggravate a pope into the afterlife!
Your #5 wins the internet today!
So smart to make the smaller batch.
Try par-baking GF breads, freezing and finishing them before serving. Muffins, friendship-sized breads etc. are perfect for this.
1) I try to run as many errands as possible on my lunch breaks at work. I work in a big city so there is a lot within walking distance, so saves on gas and allows me to get in some exercise. Plus it saves me my free time, I don’t need to run the errands when I’m off work. Yesterday I walked to Trader Joe’s to get a few things, today I walked to the library and got a cookbook for myself and a big stack of children’s books for my kids.
2) I bought heavy cream to make Swedish meatballs. I froze the rest of the carton in half cup portions since I didn’t have any immediate plans to use the rest and didn’t want it to go bad.
3) Slowly reducing the individually packaged snacks I buy for my kids. The packaging isn’t good for the environment, the food inside isn’t great for their health and it costs a lot. I have large blocks of cheese and just cut off cubes rather than buying cheese sticks, serving them more fresh fruit, and buying things like nuts and dried fruit in a big bag and portioning it out.They haven’t complained or asked for any specific snack they are missing so I guess I transitioned slowly enough that they didn’t notice the change. My next step is to focus more on things I can make for them, like homemade granola bars (not making crackers though, too much work!)
4) Our transition from 3 days in-office to 4 das was delayed by a few months so I will save one day a week of gas costs for a bit longer.
5) I got our current book club read from the library and it’s a good thing too because I do not like it at all, I’d be upset if I’d paid for it!
Happy that you were able to borrow instead of buy a book you didn’t like!
1. Spending some time thinking about and crushing on the blue eyed physiatrist. I haven’t been this smitten since I met my husband in 92.
2. Was invited to my neighbors for Easter and brought along some fruit. Cantaloupe that was on sale for $2, pineapple that was on sale for 2.50 and a $2 package of blueberries. I put half of each piece of fruit and the blueberries in a heavy crystal bowl. It fed 6 of us with some leftovers (not an lot) and I still have more fruit in my fridge that I’ve been noshing on.
3. Went to a consignment shop with a friend. I drove so she bought breakfast. She bought a beautiful jacket for short money with a loose button. So I tightened the button for her.
4. My team is in training offsite tomorrow, so I’m going to work from home. Gas saved.
5. I did not take pictures in the sistene chapel and., like Ruby, did not aggravate the pope enough to go home to sky daddy
Daydreaming = free entertainment!
Your #5! I was in the Sistene chapel when someone was caught taking pictures. One guard made him delete them all while another guard dramatically cried “Why” “Why” “why” complete with dramatic arm waving.
I was so overcome with the beauty of the artwork I bawled like a baby. It was breathtaking.
It’s amazing how many of us didn’t push the pope to cross the rainbow bridge.
5 Things!
1) Awesome:
Last week was my birthday! Now I am firmly middle aged- and what a priviege it is!
2) Oh well:
I paid my federal and state taxes. It was a small amount- actually less than anticipated.
3) Wowzers:
As part of my birthday, picked up luxury foods at the dented veggie store out in Gresham- goat brie. taleggio cheese, Italian lemonade, Kerrygold butter, toum dip! And a case of Brown Cow yogurt, peach flavor, for $3.79. I left there about $20 lighter with at least $70 retail value in food. I also bought cured salmon that was marked down in price at Freddy’s – from $18/package to $6.50 a package. There were 3 packs left, so I took them all. And a pack of day old egg bagels.
4) We have brunch at home:
Because we did! Just a couple of friends, and we had the cured salmon with bagels, herb salad from my garden, fruit salad, mimosa topped off with a bit of Mary Jane chocolate and a walk around Luuwit Park.
5) My soul is clean:
Like Ruby, I too did not aggravate an elderly Pope to say “I’ve seen enough” and pass.
Edie, happy belated birthday!
Thank you so much!
I bought the goat brie yesterday!!! Nice score at the dented vegetable store!
A marble?? You’re good!!
Occasionally.
1. I found two pennies on the floor while the cashier checked out my groceries.
2. I was thrilled to see my electric bill had gone down by almost $80. I was congratulating myself for turning lights off and hanging laundry when I read further and saw we had received a $50 rebate from the electric company. This is from something the state decided must be given to electric customers from an overcharge somewhere. So I can’t take credit for the whole $80 reduction.
3. Took a walk with DH for free exercise.
4. We’re still enjoying cupcakes sent home with us by our son in law after Easter dinner.
5. I did not slam Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell for simply reporting the truth regarding the economy to the American public.
Wow, reducing your electricity use by $30 is a big win, @Christine – I would take it (and that $50 bonus) to the bank with pride!
Hey, $80 is nothing to sneeze at! Thank you for not slamming Jerome Powell.
1. I packed a lunch to bring to work today and it included Easter dinner leftovers.
2. My teen daughter asked me to sew holes in two articles of her clothing — makes me happy that she is catching on that clothes can be repaired.
3. I continue to avoid buying a new car; our family of 5, 3 of whom drove, is getting by fine.
4. I watered my seedlings by pouring water into a Solo cup that I punched holes in, as my watering can broke a while back. It works for now.
5. I didn’t disappear anybody. (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/22/us/venezuela-immigrant-disappear-deport-ice.html)
Hooray for teens who’d rather mend than replace!
Way to go!
You are such a huge inspiration to me, but I like to think you got it all from me in the first place since I am your big sister (just kidding of course!).
Love the fake plant hack. Do you think that will discourage the pigeons from roosting in that spot?
Thanks for stirring up a how to get rid of roosting pigeons memory. Early in our marriage we bought a house in San Diego with a palm tree in front overhanging the walk. It turned out to be the night roosting spot for a large flock of pigeons as the mess on the sidewalk attested. We actually had the tree cut down thinking that would solve the problem but they just moved to the roof instead. So we got a live trap from some city agency and put it on the roof. None were caught but eventually they moved down the street creating a problem for someone else unfortunately.
I doubt it, as they like to roost in the eaves.
1. On street sweeping day I have to move the car out of the neighborhood. Ostensibly, I can park on the other side of the street, but there’s never room, since parking spaces are automatically reduced by half. So I have adjusted by doing errands on street sweeping day.
2. First “errand” — the gym. Free to me, because I am a senior and have a plan like Silver Sneakers.
3. Next stop — Goodwill. I shopped in a leisurely fashion, since I was killing time. I bought a Calphalon frying pan in superb condition for $9.99. The best part is that I needed a frying pan in that size. It doesn’t have a non-stick surface, so I think it might go in the dishwasher, but I’ll research that to make sure. Other good buys — small glass casserole/storage dishes for $2 and $3. Also needed. A photo box, a pack of large envelopes and protector sleeves, all needed for my photo sorting project, and all for pennies on the dollar. Stocking stuffers for my kids — card games, ornaments. ($7) Gifts for a friend — crossbody purse, an adorable bird-themed mug. ($3)
4. The fail — I bought myself five Santa ornaments (which I collect). They were all Hallmark collectibles still in their boxes, and each was $4. They retail for $15 each, but I still ended up feeling guilty because they weren’t really a need
5. I still had plenty of time before I could return home, so I had lunch at McDonald’s for $5 which was cheaper than the other options (and I left my Happy Meal toy on the table for a real child to find). Then I went to the library — could not score free parking in the packed underground garage, so I ended up paying $1. And then I went to the bank and got carry-around cash and quarters for laundry. By that time I could go home, and did!
6. Today is also a sweeping day (other side), so my grandson helped me out by driving to school. Unintentional — he missed the bus, so I offered the car. We share it quite a bit.
What a fun grouping of errands!
I wanted to say that I love your book recommendations. When you say you liked a book, I often order it from the library. I usually enjoy them a lot.
I finished “The Berry Pickers” today, and it’s one of my favorites of all time!
Thank you for giving book recommendations! I love many similar titles and authors as you, and immediately jump to my library’s website when you share one, to request it for myself. Many authors I probably wouldn’t find on my own.
Kate I didn’t read the comments before I posted mine! Otherwise I wouldn’t have basically copied your message. Oops! Glad we think alike though;)