Five Tiny Frugal Things
by Katy on May 20, 2025 · 52 comments
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We stopped by our daughter’s apartment so she could grab a couple things. (She’s still under the weather and staying at our house.) Her neighbors had put out a free box, which wasn’t very promising at first, as it appeared to pretty much just contain worn out sheets. I did have a few minutes to kill, so I wandered over to take a peek. My curiosity was rewarded with a matching set of flannel pillow cases in excellent condition.
I keep a pillow case on the back of the couch at all times for our 16-year-old cat to lay on. I switch it out every few days when it gets furry, so these pillow cases can join that rotation. A perfect addition to our home supplies.
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My mother and step-father took us out to dinner to celebrate our youngest’s birthday, which was a fun treat.
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My friend and I hit Home Depot before our grocery shopping adventures, as we both had something to return. Hers’ was a concrete wall sheet thingy and mine was an unopened tub of spackle, leftover from when my husband reattached a pot rack in our daughter’s apartment. I had taped the receipt to the lid and it had been mocking me sitting in my entryway ever since. I’m happy to have my $8 back and this annoying errand in my past.
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I grabbed four cans of chicken stock from the Winco clearance shelf as it was priced at 10¢ apiece. We normally use a spoon of Better Than Bullion mixed into homemade stock, but I figured this would be handy to have on hand. I was tempted to buy more, but didn’t want to stock up on something I normally don’t even buy.
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Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
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{ 51 comments… read them below or add one }
1. Sister treated the whole family to hoagies for dinner.
2. Helped myself to a pack of peanuts at our financial advisor’s office.
3. Found a yard waste bag on the side of the road and am using it as a garbage bag.
4. Listened to a free podcast while doing a marathon cooking session.
5. Cut up a stained pillowcase into small rags. If I use them for something greasy, I just throw them out. I don’t buy paper towels.
A garbage picked garbage bag? Bullseye!
I continue to be slack jaw amazed at the feeding habits of the modern day working class. I think maybe people are using credit cards as babysitters and leave kids at home ordering food and everything else or are adults this frivolous. I bring my little sandwich and drinks and enjoy the show they pay me for.
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1. I am wearing a tee-shirt DD had in middle school. She will be thirty this year. There is nothing wrong with it and it reminds me of a different time in her life.
2. I ran a load of laundry using cold water. After a short spin, on low heat, in the dryer I hung it outside.
3. I am eating the kiwis that languished in my refrigerator. I bought them at Aldi weeks ago and they didn’t ripen well. I could have returned them for a refund but then they would have been thrown away. They are now edible, not delicious, but edible.
4. I cancelled a walk with a friend since her husband has Covid. I used an overabundance of caution since I have upcoming plans I don’t want to miss. I think being sick can sometimes be more costly than not being sick.
5. I too “I cooked at home instead of using a loan service to make payments on a Chipotle burrito.”.
It is a pox, black eye, demerit that people CANNOT USE cash to pay for fast food, cup of coffee, pack of gum etc. Don’t get me started on “points” – working for financial institutions, I can assure you are *not* coming out ahead on your credit/debit card. Just guaranteeing everyone pays more money.
Since I am already super aggravated today, I’ve not read the “Klarna” small print yet. Since the feds won’t police this any more, perhaps a notice to my state might be in order. BNPL is not much different than a payday loan.
1. I picked up 2 free (via FB Marketplace) metal lounge chairs with very cute striped cushions this morning. The ad said they just needed a good clean, and I would agree. They’re not very dirty, but my free power washer (scored through BN group) will take care of any lingering dirt. Whilst loading these into my SUV, I noticed a Pottery Barn tag on the cushions. Not sure if the entire set is from PB, but they are solid, so I assume they are.
2. I was planning to hit the garden store yesterday in search of supplies to tame our raspberry plants. Before departing, I did a quick internet search querying “what to use to support raspberry plants” and was rewarded with several YouTube videos. The first one I watched advised using a clothesline as it’s very strong and sturdy. I walked 10 ft over to the unused line that’s been sitting on a tree branch for over 2 years (we have one clothesline we use, and the other we do not) and cut off lengths to tie to the t-bars in the raspberry bed. It was a prickly job getting them corralled, but I avoided buying anything and used something we had lying dormant.
3. I gave away a beautiful lamp yesterday via my BN group. I had bought it used on FB Marketplace last year and it’s currently selling for $70 at Target. I did attempt to resell it on FB, but had no takers and realized that I preferred giving it away to balance our recent gifts from the BN group. I really enjoy the gifting economy the group espouses and want to make sure I am giving as much as receiving.
4. Our twin 8th graders have their promotion from middle school in a couple of weeks, and they’ve asked for new clothes for the occasion. One of them is open to thrifting, so we’ll start there and hopefully find something for both of them at Goodwill.
5. I rode my bike to our local co-op store and bought bulk items to make some granola. Actually, I only had to buy oats for the granola, and it was around $1 a lb — I spent a total of $3 on those. It’s very satisfying to reuse the same oats container over and over again. I bet I’ve had this one for going on 4 years. I just marked out the barcode and weighed it empty to get the tare weight and refill it when we run out.
1. Used the carcass from a $5 rotisserie chicken to make a pot of chicken broth. I then used that to make some chicken soup that we will have for dinner tonight along with some frozen buttermilk biscuits I got on clearance at Aldi.
2. I’ve been making a fancy oat milk latte at home using oatmilk, a teaspoon of blonde espresso powder and a splash of sugar free smore syrup (it costs me $1.50 a serving). It’s much cheaper than Starbucks but I enjoy this morning treat. If I need to cut back, I add some water to the oat milk to stretch it.
3. I continue to drink the free filtered water and tea at my office using a Tervis cup I was gifted 6 years ago.
4. We had FREE chipotle last night for dinner using a gift card I earned on fetch.
5. My nephew and my daughter are on the same swim team so my brother in law and I take turns carpooling them to practice. Tonight is his turn and I will be saving gas and not leaving my house.
Bonus: the past few nights I’ve been playing a word scramble game through my fetch app. I earned 5000 points while exercising my brain. I also found a receipt in the Meijer parking lot and when scanned it was worth 4000 points!
Sending a huge THANK YOU to the commenters who recommended the Bainbridge Island ferry (Brooke, CW), Olympic Sculpture Park (CW), and Skalka (Kim) as frugal things-to-do in Seattle. My daughter and I just got back from a milestone birthday trip to SEA, and all of the above were things-we-did during our long weekend. The chicken khachapuri at Skalka was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten.
We tacked on a visit to Pocket Beach near the sculpture park, as well as walks through Waterfront Park and Waypoint Woods near the Bainbridge Island ferry terminal. Thumbs up to all three if you like microdoses of nature to go with your urban experience.
1 – Used your advice to buy my head of cabbage at trader Joe’s since the price/lb was not in a good sale anywhere. Made charred vinegar and salt cabbage.
2 – Had our HVAC guy come to do a check before the temps get into the 90s and sent him off with Gatorade and homemade muffins … His next stop was the older woman next door who happened to mention to him that she is going to try to replace her toilet handle with her grandson’s help by watching a YouTube video. She texted me that he said I’ll do that for you, went to the hardware store, returned with the part and fixed her toilet. For free. I have used this company for 20+ years and remain impressed. I think she was his last call for the day and he made her day! And if I’m being honest, mine too. I needed the positivity.
3 – Sold items on eBay and added $89 to my account this week.
4 – doing my own pedicure today … But I haven’t had one done in a salon in maybe 15 years so I don’t think that counts as frugal?
5 – continue to use my MIL’s stamps that she’d collected before she died – all regular nothing valuable – so all snail mail letters have 4-5 assorted stamps totaling the first class 73 cents. They take up the whole top of the envelope at times. I write a few letters a week so this has saved loads over the past few years.
Your #2 has made my day also. Some people are just so kind.
Bonnie, my HVAC guys go above and beyond the call of duty for both me and my NDN, so I appreciate your #2. And I used up a lot of my late father’s stamp collection (again, nothing valuable) in the same way you describe in your #5.
Nice to hear that there are still good people around. Kudos that his company isn’t trying to make every minute of his day profitable (if he’s self-employed, more power to him and do keep using him).
As to using up old stamps, those penny ones can be a challenge!
Back in the days before Forever stamps were a thing, I used to use up Dad’s 1-cent and 2-cent stamps with bigger-denomination ones every time the postage rates went up. Just one of those simple frugal pleasures younger folks will never understand, along with S&H Green Stamps and their ilk, paper coupons, etc. (Pardon me, I think I’ll go take some Geritol now!)
@A. Marie – perhaps some Doan’s pills too lol. And Sominex if you can’t sleep.
Picking up a Lawrence Welk vibe here.
Bonnie, Not going to a pedicure salon in 15 years= definitely frugal!
I may have to see if our WINCO has those on clearance. We have always used the better than bullion but now we have had to start using broth. We never know when our grandson will show up hungry and beginning checking out the frig for something to eat. He has recently been diagnosed Celiac so we need gluten free. Better than bullion is not on the approved list of gluten free items. The boy is finding it difficult to find food to eat. A 16 year old that can’t eat pizza unless the crust is cauliflower is hard on the boy. We think the Celiac was triggered by a tick bite last summer. Our family has recently been developing several different autoimmune diseases. Celiac being the least of them. It took a while to figure out why he was feeling so bad and losing so much weight.
Celiac disease sucks and it’s really hard to be diagnosed during adolescence. I cannot recommend highly enough the following pizza from Costco. Everyone who has ever tasted it at my home has enjoyed it: https://sameday.costco.ca/store/costco-canada/products/16984125-sabatasso-s-pizzeria-gluten-free-cheese-pizzas-35-0-oz
There is a genetic marker for celiac disease. My husband and grandsons have it.
I recently had DiGiorno GLUTEN FREE PIZZA that was only 8 dollars and really good. I’m used to break your teeth hard gluten free pizza but this is soft and fluffy.
A friend treated me to dinner, and I had leftovers for the next day.
Another friend had me over for homemade pizza night, and sent me home with some homemade granola.
Needed white wall paint for a small touch up project, instead of buying a small container of it at a big box home improvement store – I texted some people to see if anyone had any… a friend shared some they had in garage.
Used brown paper grocery bags for wrapping a (thrifted) gift instead of buying wrapping paper. Bonus: decorated with different color sharpies 🙂
Borrowing Katy’s pillowcase idea for the back of my gray couch where my fluffy white girl likes to lounge — leaving many “parting gifts” after a few hours LOL
1. Discount grocery finds today: cottage cheese fruit cups $0.10, half-pint buttermilks $0.10, organic milk 1% half-gallon $0.99, dry lentils 1lb $0.80, bag of fresh spinach 9oz $0.60, bakery cinnamon bread $0.75, and local cage-free large eggs 1 dozen $3.
2. Partner helped friend move & came home with a “new to us” grill with smoker for our backyard. We’re almost half-a-century old & decades into home ownership & have never purchased a grill. We always were fine to do without. Guess we will start adventures in grilling this summer.
3. Walked son to school and spied bright blue item in brush by tree line by sledding hill. We investigated only to find a perfectly good gigantic reusable blue IKEA bag, which will be great for wet gear for outdoor adventures in all seasons. Closets IKEA is about 300 miles & 5+ hrs away. I have never been & continue to lead a satisfying frugal life.
4. Checking out at local store for groceries and person in line in front of me offered a $2.00 off purchase coupon she said was about to expire & couldn’t put to use (don’t understand that thought process — just divide your order & conquer coupon limits/restrictions). Thanks good check-out neighbor!
5. Started seeds of regional spinach, lettuce, peas, basil & dill — all free from our local public library’s “seed library” — just another reason to love your library!
Tia, I’m not an envious person but your #1 changed that. Those are truly fabulous prices. Yay you!
Glad for @Tia re: egg prices, sad to see gouging continue in low income areas. I am a firm believer that Karma is a bitch with impeccable timing. Just hoping I live long enough (I will be running on all 8 as first suspicion of Alzheimer’s, I am outta here) to see Karma nail the greed to the wall.
Your #5 made me laugh. The cost of eating out is getting outrageous.
1. Frugal Fail – I forgot to remove my patio umbrella from the middle of the table during a big storm the other night. I woke up to a broken table and glass all over my deck, the umbrella bent at a 90 degree angle and chairs blown across the lawn.
2. My youngest (I have 3 children :)) and I cleaned up the glass. I took the umbrella apart and listed it and the table parts as free for metal scrap on FBMP. Someone picked the up within a few hours.
3. I’m finding it hard to cook for just myself. I batch cooked today. I made some minestrone soup which used up the last of the carrots, celery and green beans. I baked the last two potatoes. I had soup and a loaded baked potato for dinner. I also cooked a couple chicken breasts with a packaged korma sauce I bought for .49 at the grocery outlet store. That will be dinner for the next couple nights.
4. My youngest came home for the weekend. We went to a few garage sales. I found a beautiful watercolor painting which looks great with the rest of my found, gifted and thrifted decor. We also found her a french press and a Nalgene water bottle which were on her want list. I bought my middle daughter a beautiful $2 cashmere sweater and I picked up a few things to sell on Ebay.
5. The wind knocked down the light on the side of my garage. It was hanging down by the wires. Luckily it wasn’t broken. The plastic inside the electrical box that the anchor piece attaches to is broken. I was able to find a way to attach it and put the light back up. It looks a little wonky but it will do for now.
1. Got a check in the mail for $30 for doing surveys.
2. I went to put a t-shirt on and noticed 6 tiny holes at the belly area. I cut it up for rags. I got it several years ago from my favorite thrift store.
3. I didn’t have any leftovers to take with me to work for lunch. I grabbed a can of soup and crackers. It fed me.
4. Hubby grilled a spiral sausage, 2 hot Italian sausage and 4 baked potatoes. We ate ½ of the spiral sausage and each had a potato. I made a salad to go with it. We will have the same for lunch tomorrow. The hot Italian sausage will be used to make soup.
5. Yesterday morning my friend texted me if I could stop and grab a specific loaf of bread that her mom eats on my way to her house. I take care of her mom while she is at work. I know Stop & Shop has the bread so I went at 8 am. I stopped to look if any meat was marked down and I hit the jackpot. I got 2 large steaks for $3.99 a pound, 2 spiral sausages for $2.29 a pound, 2 whole chickens for 74¢ a pound, a pack of wings(Hubby’s favorite) for $1.74 a pound and 2 packs of hot Italian sausage for $2.12 a pound. My freezer is packed. I also grabbed a steak and wings for my friend. There was so much left. I texted 2 friends to let them know. The bread was $4.49 for one or 2 for $5. Guess how many I grabbed?
1. I had a day off substituting, so I went thrifting across town. Found a like-new tall plastic indoor trash can with lid, very much needed since Mr. Snuggles Dog has a new hobby of nosing through the garbage. (Just hope he doesn’t learn to step on the trash can’s pedal.) It set me back $4 at Goodwill thanks to it being Senior Discount Day. (Meanwhile, I’m looking for baby gates and castoffs to make into a doggie crate.)
2. At another thrift store, I got a stack of free books, including one that is a hardback reference book for Outlander fans. Its price tag was originally $27. I will see if the local 2nd hand bookstore will take it in trade, so I can get credit. (None of the used bookstores in town give you cash.) Also found an old dictionary that was a bit torn up, but I will happily use its pages for arts and crafts projects. The others will be read and donated to LFLs.
3. I was ‘way across town and hungry so I flashed my AARP card and got 15% discount at a pizza buffet. Served myself a nice big salad and some pizza slices, good lunch fairly cheap.
4. Third store: Halloween T-shirt and a light-up necklace that is a string of Jack-o-lanters, $3. I already have Halloween shirts but I wanted the necklace to use for next year’s Trunk or Treat at church. And since the shirt is black with Jack-o-lantern faces on it, I can probably use it for decorating the trunk as well. Also saw a teacher soup mug, which matches one I already have, for 50 cents. They wrapped it up in plain brown (paper bag) paper, so when we got home, I took the paper, straightened it out and put it with the gift wrap stuff.
5. Washed a load of black T-shirts and sweatshirts and hung them up to dry outside.
Frugal fail and sign of the (bad economic) times: this year, very few businesses are giving out coupons for free food or treats, as has been the case during EOY Teacher Appreciation Month. The best I scored was a sheet of stickers.
I volunteered last sat/Sunday at art fair and was rewarded with bottled water and multiple snacks
Went cardio rehab and garnered more bottle water
Used kart of frozen meats for burgers w/out buns. Made a mixed green salad
Applying fur several part time jobs with some zoom interviews
Kathy – I always look for your free water post rehab in your posts! Hope recovery is going well and best wishes on the job search 🙂
1. Husband bought some tomato and pepper plants for garden
2. Saved rice rinse water for garden.
3. Watched you tubes on how to earn money on ebay while taking pocket flaps off husband’s work shirts.
4. Used mint from the garden in tea
5. Packaged an ebay item with box and bubble wrap I already had, plus bubble wrap my mother-in-law gave me
You’re doing better with eBay than I am.
If you have a local wildlife rehab center/animal shelter, those sheets might be of use. I cut down my pre-Covid donate pile by almost half by donating sheets AND pillow cases to a wildlife rehab center. And with some firewood and a cash donation. Which reminds me I need to send a donation – understand why their fundraiser is during the week (the venue is really, really nice) but hard for us to attend.
I’ll keep that in mind next time I see sheets.
1. A couple of weeks ago I did a survey questionnaire for my health plan and they rewarded me with a $50 gift card. Today we took that gift card and went to see a matinee ( The Accountant 2) and got popcorn and drinks, about $40 for everything. I had purchased movie candy on sale at Safeway a couple weeks ago and was holding it until we went to the movies. It was $1.25 a box, then; it was about five dollars a box at the theater. (Good movie.)
2. I got a really good deal on a pork roast, which we enjoyed, and ended up with a crockpot meal of pork chili Verde. It was so good and we made at least three meals out of it.
3. I’m going to get kittens later this week (since my old girl died). Two kittens with all their shots and neutering, $140. Someone else had offered me free kittens from her barn but it was in a different town and the cost of shots and surgery— yikes! I really want to rescue these kittens from their cage. The amount of cat pleasure we have ahead of us just makes me so happy.
4. I continue to play the free version of Wordle and the other games from The NY Times.
5. Also still learning German for free on Duolingo. 130 day streak!
I’m so happy for you for your new kitties! Sorry for the loss of your “old girl,” but these new ones will help you heal.
What a fun date!
1. My son got into a second Summer camp for free. I am so happy for him for these opportunities.
2. A neighbor is hosting a reproductive and flow event in my neighborhood. I thought it seemed a little wild but the more I think about it, it’s kind of cool. They will give away feminine products to the first 100 participants and do free STD testing. I am considering going for some free feminine care products.
3. I was gifted a bag of clothing from a friend that had two purses which weren’t my taste. I gifted them to the free table at work today.
4. I gifted a neighbor some frangipani plants I propagated. She offered to give me money but I suggested she buy some scissors for the neighborhood back to school drive instead. She dropped off a second box this morning. We’re good on scissors!
5. A local non profit I did a book bag drive with last year is changing locations. They gave me a tote full of odds and ends school supplies. I will use that toward the school supply drive as well.
I love the reproductive and flow event! Feminine products are expensive and one of the most asked for items in women’s shelters.
I love the “Reproductive and Flow” event!
So I just found out that the location hosting the event has cancelled the event because one of the sponsors, they claim, is pro abortion….umm let’s talk discrimination. The group now has two weeks to try and get a new location….and they spent a ton of time and money on advertising. What a dump!!!
@Ashley Bananas – I claim the location that bailed on hosting is broke and can’t afford it. I’d be squawking far and wide. Matter of fact, okay by me if Katy gives you my email addy so you can give me the name of chicken excrement misogynists “venue”.
The location is a non profit that was going to rent their location, several other non profits were going had paid and were renting the venue and running the event. The location bailed last minute and are saying due to the ‘nature’ of the event. I guess it must really lack progress to put women first in our culture for some people.
1) Received $12 for a Clif bar Settlement. I don’t remember filling anything out, but it takes so long for these things to get disbursed, who knows?
2) I also got back into doing a few surveys, which yielded another $6
3) DH & DS18 changed the oil in his car. In addition to saving money, this is a great life skills to know how to do.
4) DS18 picked up a last minute shift, as school for seniors is winding way down, and sports are over.
5) In terms of helping other people, DH & I helped our 80 year old neighbor with some tech issues, and DS18 helped a friend change a flat tire.
$12 is nothing to sneeze at!
My husband is the best at scouting out sales at our local Shop & Save. He found Cabot brand butter and cheese for $1.99 a package. I want to go back and see if we can get some more butter.
My husband decided to forgo planting tomatoes in our planters this year. Instead, he sprinkled free flower seeds in all the planters, and we are hoping they are just filled with the happiest, prettiest flowers.
And because I am a Christmas fanatic, I’m already thinking of presents. My mom made me when I was little and my daughter when she was little Raggedy Ann dolls. They were our favorites. I put out on Facebook, asking if anyone had a RA that my mom had made. An ex-girlfriend of my brother sent me one, in pristine condition. I am going to give that to my new granddaughter for Christmas along with a RA board book that a friend just gave me. I am so excited about that gift.
That’s a great price on butter!
What a great idea to scout old acquaintances for the Raggedy Doll! I’d have never thought of that, and it’s a great reminder that former flames might be a good resource for family mementos. How nice she had it and was willing to let it go.
While we were in town on a batch of errands, we drove to the private college campus to pick-a-pile. Came home with 2 house plants,3 chairs, a table, desk and 2 bookcases. Most of these picks will be offered to college aged family members. One rocking chair will be kept for the den.
Took a small cooler with home brewed iced coffee and snacks to stave the cravings and temptations of town.
Construction friend offered up free bark dust from his latest custom home build. I hired 3 teenagers and fed them homemade pizzas and now I will have spiffy Front and side yards. I was the only friend who answered his call!
Smart to have answered his call!
1. Didn’t leave the house today except for a trash walk. Today I didn’t find anything but trash, but I did get a nice thank you from someone for my public service.
2. Had a second go-round on spinach salad. I probably have enough ingredients to have it again tomorrow, but I may do something different.
3. Today was my payday, so I paid my bills and put $1400 into savings. I’m working on building up a more robust emergency fund.
4. Filled the dishwasher, but I won’t run it till after 9pm when the rate goes down.
5. Yesterday’s dentist visit, which was free, revealed no problems, and I got a nice compliment about my clean teeth. Good oral hygiene is so frugal!