Four Frugal Things -- Custom Wastebaskets & Forbidden Goodwill Items -

1) I ran a few errands on my way to visit with my mother, which included at stop at my recently discovered plum tree.

I picked almost six pounds without making a dent in what was available.

It occurred to me that a plums and blackberries are complimentary flavors, so I swung around to my secret blackberry patch. Sadly, they were still all shriveled up. I'd hoped that last week's precipitation might've helped.

Nope!

This was my entire harvest.

2) I leafed through a pair of Elle Decor magazines that I pulled from an after-garage sale free box.

I know they say 25¢, but that's a bit rich for my blood. What am I, a Rockefeller?!

I go into these periodicals fully aware that they shine a spotlight on a level of wealth that's almost laughable. However, sometimes you can glean ideas and inspiration that translate to a lower budget. Think paint colors or how the furniture is arranged. Maybe even to just hone my eye for high end brands to look for when thrifting.

But nothing could have prepared me for this trash can:

"When custom isn't an option."

WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!

Who is getting custom garbage cans?! I looked it up and the Perigot Frisbee trash can sold for 359 Euros, which converts to $416.91. Again, who is getting custom trash cans?

Do you remember when I found a rusty Restoration Hardware wastebasket in a free pile that I brought home to refurbish?

The closest thing currently on the Restoration Hardware website is this $469 version. On sale, down from $905!

I joked with my husband that we can always sell the wastebasket if times get tough.

3) I had fifteen minutes to kill near a Goodwill Outlet bins store, so I popped in to see if I could find something to resell in that short amount of time.

I came across this new looking Clevr Plus baby carrier backpack, ($135 new) which I brought to the cashier, hoping to get a set price. (They'll do that for larger items at our bins.) Unfortunately this item triggered their "we can't sell that" policy and I had to hand it over. I understand that this is a safety policy, but it still stung as I checked it wasn't part of any recalls.

I walked out without buying anything, which is a first.

4) I watched a couple episodes of The Paper, (spinoff of The Office) through a friend's Peacock account. I was happy to see the actor Matt Braunger in a recurring role, as I spent a couple years babysitting for his family when he was a preschooler.

My babysitting plays no role in his success, but I'm always happy when people reach their goals. I looked at his IMDB account and see that he'll be in multiple episodes this season.

Now your turn, what frugal things have you been up to?