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I baked a loaf of no-knead overnight bread to have at home, as the loaf I made yesterday went to my father as a 90th birthday gift. Making the house smell like bread without actually having any bread to eat is a punishment I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.
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I’m lending our stock pot to someone from my Buy Nothing group. All of us have infrequently used physical items in our homes that could be shared with others. There’s simply no need for each of us to own things that are only used once or twice per year.
My husband and I have been in our home for 28 years, and as such we own a lot of things! This means we lend stuff to our neighbors pretty often. Think wheelbarrow, post hole digger, ladder, cupcake pan, even our car every now and then. In return we borrow a power washer, last minute meal ingredients, cat carrier and such. Imagine if we all had this collective state of mind.
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I’ve been really busy this week and subsequently have a handful of overdue library books. Fortunately, my county’s library system discontinued late fees a few years back.
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I went for an evening walk with my friend Lise that ended with us stopping into New Season’s Market. (Like Whole Foods, but local to Portland.) I thought about picking up a treat for my husband, but wandered unsuccessfully to find something that didn’t make my wallet scream. I realized that I didn’t actually need to buy anything, so I walked home and everyone lived happily ever after.
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I’m not taking my private plane to Venice for Schmeff Schmezos’ widely protested wedding.
Five Tiny Frugal Things
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1. I canceled my MAX subscription. The special rate was up last month and I forgot to do it. I’ll resubscibe again in the future.
2. I’ve been working inside because of the heat. I listed a few more items on Ebay.
3. I ordered Gap Modern t-shirts for my mom and I on sale with an additional email code. My order was enough for free shipping. This is one of those items I’m happy to buy new. I’ve literally never found a used one and believe me I look. My oldest ones I bought 7 years ago and they still look great.
4. I mopped my floors with my estate sale purchased spin mop and used estate sale Murphy’s oil soap on the wood and estate sale purchased Mr. Clean on the tile.
5. I used $44 in rewards when I booked a VRBO cabin for my family this fall in Hocking Hills.
Jill A,
Oh, Hocking Hills is beautiful! I admit I haven’t been there in ages, but a friend recently bought a cabin there. I’m hoping they’ll offer a “friends and family” rental rate, once theyre done renovating. 🙂
Liz B., I’m really excited to go. It looks beautiful. It’s really hard to get all my adult children together at one time, so it’s for a long weekend.
SCHMEFF!!! haha
What a let-down. I was anxiously waiting to see your stylish Venice wedding outfit (sourced from Goodwill, of course.)
I know @Kristen | The Frugal Girl – @Katy is such a tease.
I own no formal clothing.
By the photos of recent award events, many female celebrities don’t either.
1) Added extra broccoli to a beef & broccoli dish I found in the freezer, to make sure there was enough for everyone. Served it over pasta (as per the recipe), which added a bit more bulk. DS18 preferred his with meatballs, which meant we had just enough for the other three diners.
2) Connecting with a bunch of friends this week, ahead of going back to work next week. While I did grab coffee after a workout with one (used a gift card), I’m meeting three for walks/hikes and meeting another for a free lunch at her office. It’s an inexpensive way to do social activities.
3) Helped DS18 deposit his graduation checks, so we can get that money sorted and ready to go for college.
4) My adorable mom bought DS18 thank you notes for his graduation, so I remembered to bring those home from Portland, and he already has them all written & ready to go. Frugal & polite! He was absolutely spoiled by our family.
5) DS19’s kendo gear (it’s a martial arts type of armor) was delivered to OSU after he was gone at the end of the quarter. Mailing it was not an option due to cost, and it had to be picked up. Brainstormed all kinds of options, but in the end, my fabulous BIL drove down from Portland, stopped in Eugene to see his family, & we paid for his favorite dinner as a thank you. Way cheaper than the other options we considered. As a bonus, figured out how to get the armor & large rucksack in our carryons on the flight home, which was no easy feat.
Hey! Hawaii Planner — Did you get THE job that you had interviewed for at such a long process for you? Congratulations!! I’m so glad i don’t have to look for a job.. I’ve been at my current job for 42 years.. and i’ll be retiring soonish.. Again, congratulations to you and your hard work! It paid off!
I did get the job, Michelle! Thanks so much for asking. I never want to job search again! I’m hoping this will be my last job, as we have maybe 3-5 more years before I’m planning to retire as well. It was a long process, but the compensation will be really good, & even perhaps more importantly, I really like the team and the role.
Hawaii Planner,
I was wondering the same thing! I remember you had about a bazillion interviews, made a presentation, and not sure what else. Glad you got it!!
So happy for you, Hawaiian Planner. Break out the virtual champagne! Congrats on the new job!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hawaiian Planner,
Kudos to your DS18 for writing those thank you notes! No wonder the family spoiled him! I imagine he is going to be wildly successful in everything he does in life! I am thrilled to hear of kids like that.
I have a lot of younger (and slightly older) relatives who skipped the thank you notes, and didn’t even bother to SAY thanks unless prompted. After a while, I wised up: I “forgot” to send them their graduation /wedding/new baby/holiday gifts (and didn’t attend the events), figuring if they are that selfish/spoiled/entitled/low class/grifter-like, I don’t need to give them the time of day. They and their parents don’t even bother to send Xmas cards anymore, and I have no idea where they are or what they’re doing. These ingrates could be six feet under, for all I know. Sadly, I quit caring a long time ago, and I’m better off for it.
HOWEVER, one of the young men in our church, who just finished high school, has never failed to be polite and kind and helpful and sweet, and he’s sent thank you notes for past birthday gifts, however small….soooo, you should see what I gave him for his graduation! (As huge a gift as I would have liked to have lavished on the aforementioned relatives, but didn’t.)
I love to surprise people with wonderful gifts ( many of which were thrifted, homemade, regifted, bought on clearance, etc. — but which no one would ever know bc they are fantastic and new-looking). So it was my great pleasure to have helped out and surprised this young gentleman!
I’ve got my two kids writing thank you notes, if it’s a gift they didn’t open in front of the person and thank them verbally (like something that arrived in the mail)
My 7 year old can write his own now, my 5 year old dictates what she wants to say and I write it, then she signs it. People are generally surprised and pleased to receive them!
I haven’t made bread for awhile, too hot and I haven’t eaten much bread because of the heat.
1.because of the heat the curtains are closed against the sun, I only have them open when the sun is down and it helps the AC bill .
2. picked about 2 1/2 gallons of green beans from my garden, they are cleaned and snapped in freezer waiting on the next pick so I can process them.
3. weeded the onions and gave the weeds to the hens.
4. all laundry done early, hung outside and dried the towels for a bit on the lawn to whiten.
5. cleaning the beef tallow left from the weekend brisket….after using for deep frying will be used for soap making.
JC
1. Only excursion yesterday was to the grocery store to pick up supplies to make chicken salads. Even the coolers were sweating.
2. Made salad dressing for aforementioned chicken salads with the first cut out of my new herb garden. We might recoup the investment yet!
3. Desperately wanted a nice and cold iced coffee. Avoided going outside and made one with my mokapot express and a cute little mason jar. It’s not perfect espresso, but when combined with milk and some sugar, it’s pretty close!
4. Bought a watermelon whole and cut up half of it – I often will end up buying the pre-cut ones for convenience but at this point, I’m getting 1/4 of a watermelon at 4 times the price.
5. Newest library book haul is in: Black Cake, The Girls Who Went Away, and What I was Doing While You Were Breeding. Balancing some levity with some serious. Should be a good round of reading for the next few weeks.
I read the Girls Who Went Away on my kindle (which was later stolen). It is a fantastic book, esp. for us adoptees who wonder what it may have been like for our biological moms. So sad what they went through!
The collective mindset in sharing seldom used items is part of my family and a group of friends.
1) I searched for and found a coupon code on the hosting for my new business’s website, thus saving $13 on top of the free domain registration offered by my hosting service.
2) We scavenged bricks from the existing landscaping around the house to create a foundation underneath the garbage-picked cedar shelving we turned into a potting bench. It is outside but in a semi-protected area under a porch overhang. We’ve had cedar raised beds survive for decades in the rainy PNW, so hopefully this potting bench will serve as long.
3) I rescued a bunch of perennials from the compost pile at the nursery I work at part time. They are a bit yellow and leggy from becoming pot bound, but they will revive once planted in the garden.
4) I drive a 1992 Japanese Kei truck, which doubles as my work truck and billboard for my gardening business. These are amazingly fuel efficient and they are simple mechanically, requiring nothing more than a metric tool set to fix. Owners typically must service these themselves as US mechanics may not be super knowledgeable about them. Today I found a local community of Kei owners to join, who teach each other everything from how to do an oil change to how to rebuild the engine. I used to repair and service my own old cars back in the 90s when I was a starving student, and I look forward to relearning these money-saving skills.
5) I am continuing to avoid buying anything from Schmeff Bozo’s online circus, thus doing my part not to fund his ridiculous wedding.
Jenny,
Thank you for salvaging those perennials. I kind of wish they would give them away to employees, or at least give them first chance to take them, before tossing them on the compost pile. Or even give them away to customers, like have a “free” table, or something. (I know, there is always the fear that people will take advantage, complain that the plant died, etc etc…but a girl can dream).
I also looked up Kei trucks…..so cute!! And awesome that they can be worked on at home.
@Liz B – wally world is horrid – too lazy to pay/make sure plants are watered “it is the vendor’s problem”. I suspect there are plenty of organizations/individuals who would take those plants as to donate produce. And that my fellow posters/readers is waste.
Jenny, want to wager how long Bozo’s marriage will last?
I’m betting it’ll be over soon. ROTFL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But silicone Barbie won’t make out like Mackenzie Scott.
https://www.news18.com/world/jeff-bezos-lauren-sanchez-prenuptial-agreement-clauses-amazon-founder-bezos-wedding-date-venue-9402610.html
And unless some purchased children (the amount of child support some get is just frankly nuts), her best bet is to stay married to Schmezos. Upside is at least he’s not as old as her dad!!
I don’t want to be frugal or non consumering. It’s not enough. Driving down an interstate and it’s like a solid wall of huge containers on wheels transporting things everywhere. Even goodwill has huge rolling trailers pushing stuff down the road.
I want to live like my cat. Very adaptable. Can live and sleep anywhere. Eats the same stuff day in and day out. Wears the same thing every freaking day. Doesn’t even have a purse or pocket for money cause she never spends any. And yet she’s the cutest thing on earth. She does get totally fan girl over chick-fil-A ice water though so not perfect. Yet.
Kitties are puuurrrfect!
1. Got $5 giftcard from fetch rewards.
2. Right after that, got my first fetch rewards referral and got 2000 points.
3. Picked 2 more cucumbers from the garden
4. Baked up 3 pans of potatoes. We had baked potatoes for supper and now lots leftover. These make great fries or fried potatoes.
5. Sold a shirt on ebay. It was one I jammed into a trash bag for a $5 for a bag of clothes deal at a garage sale.
Frugality today begins with staying at home. Had an errand to run. Did that and stopped at the bagel shop for a treat. Going back out to my car, I slipped off the curb and caught myself between my car and the truck next to me. Didn’t hit the ground, but rolled my right ankle and pulled a butt/thigh muscle on my right side in a direction it has never experienced in my lifetime. Needless to say, I had to drive myself home (extremely uncomfortable) and, since my husband can’t drive until he gets medical clearance, we are home.
Hung a load of laundry outside before I left the house this morning. Will be a challenge to bring it in later, as I can barely walk. May have to send DH out to bring in and help me fold and put away
Friends are drowning in mint. Do we want any? YES, PLEASE. Going to dig some up and bring it home the next time we are going near their house.
Found 4 1/2 lasagna noodles in a lasagna box while cleaning cupboards yesterday. Enough to make a small dish of lasagna for the 2 of us. Will freeze leftover meat sauce for another day.
It’s not a bad idea to grow mint only in pots, as it tends to take over everything.
Rose,
Ironically, the person who asked me if I wanted the mint…her name is also Rose, lol!
We will definitely put in a pot. Someone gave us chocolate mint years ago and our landlord mowed it off. Not going to let that happen again. In a pot for safety’s sake.
I had a similar situation with thyme last year, as the herb was about to practically cover my house in fairy tale fashion….but then I got two rambunctious puppies who dug it all up and killed it.
Can I get a happy medium next thyme? So handy all year round in the garden.
Melissa N, and Rose,
I have a huge half-barrel that I planted mint in last year, and it actually over-wintered (well, it went dormant, and came back again this spring). That’s the first time I’ve *ever* had it come back. I also have a now-huge clump of thyme that’s been in my raised bed for at least 3 years. Rose, I wish I could send you some; as you mention, its lovely to have handy. (Naughty, naughty [but adorable] pupsters!)
1. Home from helping building office in our son’s garage. Free labor was frugal for them and a great time together for us.
2. Made my shopping list from the sale flyers.
3. Ran laundry water out to the fruit trees via our graywater system, and have 2 loads of laundry on the solar dryer.
4. Followed up with HVAC company about furnace filter that was not given to us when they serviced the furnace.
5. I’m just tired. So I’ll read some books and watch some Netflix and will not shop recreationally.
Kara, I love when family and friends get together to help someone with a project. I think I’d rather do this than most other forms of entertainment.
I feel the same. They are good times and the memories are so precious and keep on giving. My aunt visited once and helped me install beadboard around my washer and dryer in the garage. It was dreadful before and so nice now and every single time I do laundry I think of her with fondness.
1. Yesterday was street sweeping day. I tend to run errands on those days so I don’t have to search for a parking place. I went to the doctor, to have a form filled out, then to the library, to Goodwill, McDonald’s for lunch, and finally to Aldi. Rolled on home just as the sweeping was finishing up.
2. At Goodwill I dropped off a box of donations, then went inside and shopped. I bought a lid for one of my frying pans and a very nice spatula with a wooden handle. $4 in total after they rolled up to the next dollar.
3. I spent $23 at Aldi for coffee, creamer, jelly, pickles, milk, and butter. Have $13 available for the rest of the month.
4. Made no-stir granola this morning. It really stuck to the pan, so perhaps I didn’t grease it enough.
5. Went back to the library today to make copies, which I forgot to do yesterday. But I took the train, which is free, then walked to the post office. It is finally cool enough to be outside.
Hi Katy. I have Celiac, and I’m pretty sure I’ve seen you mention gluten free foods here before, so I have a question, please. Have you ever or do you make this bread with gluten free flour? If so, will you share which flour you use? Thanks!
Linda,
Both my Associate Pastor and his 28 year old son have Celiac. While dad can get away with cheating once in a while, son has an extreme case of Celiac. In fact, the ONLY restaurant in our area he can safely eat at is Red Robin.
Their family uses Better Batter Flour. It.l is quite expensive, but it’s the only option for making food that son can eat. Here is the link to their website:
https://www.betterbatter.org/products/gluten-free-all-purpose-flour/1%20lb
1. I was visiting at a neighbors house today and she asked me if I knew anyone that would want some shelf stabilized food. I said I would take it and she sent me off with two large bags of food including tuna, mac and cheese, corn flakes, hot sauce, cans of beans, fruit, and more.
I’m fairly certain this is all food bank, and she then gives the rest away. I’ve met several neighbors who do this, they take what they want then redistribute. I was very appreciative and what I wont use I will pass on.
2. I am breaking my one week of not eating out by getting pizza tonight for a neighborhood fundraiser. The pizza shop is local and I am excited to not only eat their food but support a good cause.
That’s all for today
My mom lives in a senior apartment complex where everyone is on a fixed income. Each month on the day they pick up their senior food box a group of them meet for coffee in the common room and trade items. It’s a great camaraderie, and they all get something they want.
That’s awesome!
Brisbane Australia, I live in a 79 unit vertical retirement village, and totally agree with Katy.My sewing machine now lives in the craft room of my village,( with a large assortment of of threads, press studs, Velcro etc) so that it is available for general use. The users manual is with it,it’s a very basic machine,and hopefully will be of service
I found EXACTLY what I wanted at a thrift shop. We have a little two-shelf shoe rack at the back door, and it had gotten very beat up and shabby even before my husband incautiously (not to say stupidly, considering how badly he could have been hurt) stepped up on it to reach something and busted it. I was headed for Argetay but stopped at this shop first and saw the IDENTICAL ITEM gently used and nice and clean.
I gave two lovely pillar candles on my Buy Nothing group. Someone gave them to me as a present, but my husband is too sensitive to fragrances and they just can’t stay in the house. Someone else can enjoy them and my friend will never know.
I found out that I can recycle like 8 years worth of wine bottle corks at a local store! It accepts corks. Now to get them in the car and over there…
I was very tempted to buy an embroidery kit on FB but convinced myself that I am perfectly capable of designing a jellyfish myself.
I did not spend $600 million on my wedding [look up Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant].
I feel ya via the embroidery kit. My friends at the Royal School of Needlework have a stumpwork class with a design I love, but this is one of the classes at Hampton Court Palace (the home of the RSN) rather than online. I am just not gonna make it to London in two months, so I asked them if they were gonna produce a kit. Answer: no. So now I have to be a big girl and do it on my own.
I can; it’s just easier to use a kit.
Stmpwork!
https://royal-needlework.org.uk/product/ss25hcp11-stumpwork-river-swan-new/
WOW! Just shared the link w friends – not taking on the project but loved the picture. Thanks.
1. Inspired by Katy’s , I had an impromptu neighbor meetup with leftover desserts from a lunch I hosted.
2. Borrowed from neighbor, some things I didn’t have.
3. Packed dinners for my kids instead of fast food.
4. Got a thrift shop white dress for white night dinner. A world wide phenemonen.
5. Redeemed some social nature offers. Katy- they’ve had several gluten free offers- idk if your daughter would eat? Social nature.com
I love that you also had an impromptu neighbor party!