Four Frugal Things -- Lollipops & Library Totes
1) I took my completed summer reading program card to the library with full intention to decline the tote bag prize. The photos I'd seen made the tote appear to be poor quality, but the opposite turned out to be true.
Thick 100% cotton canvas, nice long handles and thinly designed to actually hold books in the full and upright position! Sold.
All I had to do was read for thirty days, which was no sacrifice on my part.
Prepare yourself to see this tote in future blog posts!
This influenced my sister to see if the NYC library had a similar adult summer reading program, which of course they did. However, lucky New Yorkers receive their totes the day that they sign up!
I like their bingo card format, especially as New Yorkers can earn an additional baseball cap when they complete a single row.
2) I finally got around to taking my thrifted house address tiles to Hippo Hardware. (I'd driven over once before, only to learn that the store is closed on Mondays!) I paid $6.99, knowing that these reproduction iconic Portland address numbers cost $20 apiece before you spend $28 on the bracket.
That's $108 for those of you not in the mood for mental calculations.
I called and spoke with someone at the store back in May, to inquire whether this was something they'd buy and was told they absolutely would. The guy estimated $50-$60 in store credit. Sadly, I didn't remember those numbers until I later looked back at a previous blog post and had already accepted $25 in store credit.
That's okay though, as Hippo Hardware has 30,000 square feet stuffed with architectural salvage, and I'll surely find treasure to either resell or add to my 112-year-old house!
My sister will be visiting next month and has formally requested to to be my Hippo plus one, but this gift certificate is already burning a hole in my pocket!
3) I stopped at Trader Joe's on my way home from visiting with my mother and bought nothing but the items on my shopping list:
- Bananas
- Cottage cheese
- Cabbage
Boring!
I did satisfy my sweet tooth by asking for and receiving a couple of free lollipops!
This makes it easier to walk past Trader Joe's literal hundreds of impulse items. Have I mentioned that I'm #cheapaf?
4) I fixed myself a bowl of canned pineapple chunks in cottage cheese, but made sure to save the juice. I later mixed some of the juice into glasses of seltzer to create refreshing mocktails for my husband and I. There's even enough leftover to recreate two more fizzy drinks.
Too delicious to pour down the drain!
Unrelated, but I used to love canned black olive brine when I was a kid and would get upset if my mother would pour it out. She'd only let me take a sip, but I just loved that intense salty flavor. Adult me does not crave olive brine!
Now your turn, what frugal things have you been up to?
Katy Wolk-Stanley
"Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without."
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1. I have another 16 Trashie bags to send off. Each bag gets me $5 in gift card rewards (my choice). 11 of these bags are my sisters so she’ll get the gift cards.
2. My sister is having yet another garage sale as they’ve listed their home. I snagged a few new things I’ll give as gifts.
3. I’ve sold a couple of things on line.
Just plugging along
A local bookstore does a similar summer reading book challenge, but the prizes are gift certificates to the store, and I never buy books. Plus, you get the bingo board on Instagram, which I don't use. I hardly need a challenge to read a lot, anyway, it just looks like fun.
A friend asked me if I wanted a free beagle, or two! She is helping her granddaughter find homes for dogs who have lost their owner. At a different time in my life, I would have been interested, but even one dog would be too much for me now in my small condo. And it sounds to me like these two should really be adopted together. Anyway, this is a frugal decision, too, because pets are expensive.
I thawed a mystery meal this morning -- something I neglected to label -- and it's still somewhat of a mystery, even though I've consumed it. Beef, tomato, corn, black beans in a sauce, but not a spicy sauce. I honestly don't remember making it. It was only so-so.
I have two library books that are Most Wanted, which means I have one week to read them, with no renewals. But I'm still reading a LFL book, and I don't want to stop at this point, so I really have to focus on reading this week. Not a bad task! I'm up to it!
Do keep an ear out for someone. I kept asking my vet if s/he knew of any cats needing a good home. And the vet the did and I couldn't be happier.
We have plans for the cats of a family senior citizen if s/he can no longer care for them.
That's a good idea. I've passed it on.
1. Signed up for an H-E-B credit card. What, am I crazy? No, it is just that buy paying with said card, it will give me 5% cash back on any of their store brand products. I noticed that the online app did not tell you how much the APR was. So THAT is how they are tricking people! I usually shop Drug Emporium and Aldi and Walmart for my items because H-E-B has gotten so expensive, but they have a store a mile from the house (lots closer than Walmart) and they stay open 'til 11. I plan to only use the card when I'm shopping there (so I can get that 5% discount) and paying it off each month. I will continue to mostly shop elsewhere, however. (Although their Park Manor milk, on the bottom shelf of their dairy cooler, is often the same price as Aldi's Friendly Farms milk, and cheaper than Drug Emporium's Hiland brand milk. All of these are store brands. I once saw a Hiland truck unloading at Aldi, so methinks Hiland and Friendly Farms are from the same place.)
2. Took some plastic film (from the AC filter pkg., the clear plastic peeled off the window film, Snuggles' bones' wrappers, and various food products) to H-E-B; they recycle this into their store brand trash bags. Didn't buy anything, just recycled.
3. Did laundry late at night (after midnight) and dried everything on wooden racks set up in the garage. It all was very dry by morning, thanks to the hot weather.
4. I seriously overestimated the amount of bananas I'd want to eat after getting that tooth pulled. Looking up banana smoothie and banana "ice cream" recipies
so I can freeze the excess and enjoy this stuff later on.
5. Did not provide nuclear technology to the very regime who murdered a Washington Post reporter by luring him into their embassy and cutting up his body, thus covering up their heinous crime.
Olive brine = the beginnings of a dirty martini!
Is that what's in a dirty martini? I never knew, then again I've never even had a martini!
You should put it on your bucket list. Doesn't matter if shaken or stirred as long at it has at least two green olives. Just make sure it is a vodka martini - to me gin tastes like Pine-sol.
When my son was little, I made custom juice blends by adding the juice from canned pineapple, peaches or pears to orange juice. It was always a big hit.
Today I turned the last two ground beef patties in the freezer into a pot of hamburger vegetable soup and added a third of a cup of quick cooking barley to it. Delicious! I am trying to use up stuff that's been open or frozen for a good while.
Mended a tiny hole in a blouse, line dried the placemats after washing them and giving them a good snap to get the wrinkles out, and used the tiny rechargeable clippers to tidy up our long-haired cat. Made pudding for my family using the shelf-stable 2% milk from Dollar Tree.
I always save the canned pineapple juice too! Either use it in smoothies, or add a splash of vodka and have a refreshing cocktail. I've been eating cottage cheese with the pineapple and a sprinkle of chopped walnuts. Tasty and filling.
1. DH and I ate fake burgers for lunch. I'd bought them on sale months ago and thought DD would want them but she did not. Baked in the toaster oven and topped with a slice of cheddar they were good. There's one more package that's languishing in the freezer for another day.
2. I'm listening to A Founding Mother, which I borrowed from the library.
3. We finished a jigsaw puzzle we got from a puzzle exchange at a local book store.
Every time you mention the age of your house it makes me miss my grandmother's house in Massachusetts, built in 1914. It looks similar to yours with the front porch, two floors and all that beautiful woodwork. But it's all good...the memories are precious ones that I enjoy thinking about.
1. I washed the downstairs floors using only Dollar Store vinegar and water.
2. I cleaned two bathrooms using the afore mentioned vinegar and Comet bleach powder in a can, also a Dollar Store buy.
3. I washed and hung a load of laundry outside on the umbrella clothesline. I then noticed the old K-Mart "lace" tablecloth on the dining room table was looking kind of blah so I threw that in the washing machine on the delicate cycle with cold water. I think I've washed it this way at least 50 times over the years and it's held up. I hung that outside to dry too.
4. I'm working another two shifts at my former job at the Polish deli this Saturday and Sunday. The extra money will be put away for a mini vacation to the White Mountains in New Hampshire we've planned out.
5. Making my own iced tea and coffee at home, I watered my plants with the boiled egg water (thanks to someone who mentioned it on this blog), reading library books on the deck in order to enjoy the gorgeous weather...high 70s, low humidity...cooking at home, taking walks around the neighborhood for exercise and to check out everybody's gardens...ha ha...well, I like getting new ideas, not buying new clothes because I have too many already. 1st World Problem so lucky me.
Christine,
Your #5...I love clothes, and I always want more, but I pledged LESS of everything for 2026. So far I am definitely winning. I keep shopping my closet. I am forcing myself to wear what I have or get rid of it.
Garage sale frugal things. Bought 4 army surplus wool blankets, brand new $1 ea. I wash in hot to preshrink, then use them for batting in fire pit lap quilts.
A newish braun immersion blender $5 replacing the 40 yo old that died. Cat litter for $2/bucket. $5 for king sized cotton batting for a quilt. When I was packing our go bags to evacuate from the wildfire, I realized I needed a backpack for my dog, today I bought a nice one for $5. She had 3 more that she donated for the kids snack pantry. I will wash 'em up.
We had fun visiting and I packed a light lunch to eat at one of the local parks. Mom loves garage sale day!
BGF,
I am mentally picturing a dog with a backpack strapped to his back! LOL!
What's not so funny is thinking you may be endangered by a wildfire. Hope you and all your neighbors are OK.
We are safe and sound at home. My border collie is too small for most self carry doggy packs (they look like miniature horse packs). The fire was 60 paces from our ranch. 8 agencies fought it for 12 hours, it was only 50 acres, but it was Christmas trees and there were many dead ones creating lots of fuel and a fast moving fire. The very steep land wasn't accessible by truck, so it was helicopters that saved it from spreading. The next day was lightning strikes and more wildfires as in 25 fires in a 20 minute period. So freaking scary. At one point when I was manning the phone bank, we were witnessing strikes every 4 to 14 seconds. Wicked! Oregon has the largest wildfire conflagration, located in the central high dessert right now. 674,000 acres are burning in 85 fires.
BGF, oh my goodness, I'm so glad you're safe and so sorry you had to go through that!
My son lives in the high desert area of Oregon. They had a scary fire near their house a couple of years ago.
So glad you are safe and sound.
Wow, BFG, that fire was **way** too close for comfort. But I'm glad that you and yours are all safe.
That should, of course, have been BGF. Whoopsie and apologies.
1) Got paid today, and added a contribution (through payroll) to my HSA & a 529 for the kids.
2) Made lunch out of odds & ends around the house.
3) Finally got back to the gym for a workout class, using a class pack I bought at Christmas time. It felt really great to get in a hard workout.
4) Skipped stopping by Trader Joes. I can go a few more days getting scrappy with what we have on hand, and then we leave for the Oregon coast on Tuesday.
5) Unpacked DS19's backpacking & camping food supplies. Tucked away the items he can reuse for future backpacking (freeze dried meals), froze some bread products that we won't go through before they go off, and added a few things to the pantry.
1. Gas is $3.47 gallon.
2. Walked an hour early this morning bc it is so HOT and muggy.
3. Ate homemade salmon salad sandwiches, tomato and egg on bagels for breakfast, watermelon, cucumbers, roast beef sandwiches. Other than cooking the egg I am really trying to keep the stove off.
4. I do not know. I work, walk, eat, sleep, rinse repeat. I can’t post about saving energy on my air bc it is running full blast. I am not handling the heat very well this summer. I did trim my own hair and didn’t butcher it too badly, not that I even care in this heat. I look like a drenched mousy brown rat!!!!
I am sorry about the heat. We have had periods of intense heat and humidity up in the Great Lakes area, but I can't imagine how much worse it must be in the South. Hang in there. Summer always ends!
Humid is humid no matter what part of the country in which you reside. Those of us who live Midwest rural "benefit" from the sweating corn fields.
I paid $4.29 at Sam’s Club for gas today so your price feels like a deal!
I am trying to minimize my driving by batching errands. Yesterday I stayed home all day and got lots done. Picked cucumbers, made refrigerator pickles, cleaned out fridge and processed items that needed to be eaten, laundry and cleaned. I am gathering items to donate when I do my volunteer gig at a thrift shop.
I have also been working on getting my files and personal financial stuff better organized and accessible in case someone should need them. Sadly, this summer several friends and family members have unexpectedly departed this world after brief illnesses so the false sense of security I used to enjoy has dissipated. I don’t want to leave a mess or puzzles for someone to have to do extra work.
Jean, I send sympathy on your recent losses. And I'm 100% with you on not wanting to leave extra work for those who will have to clean up after me. My experience with NDN1 really put the boot into me about that. And I know from her previous posts on the subject that Katy, after her harrowing in-law cleanup experience with Mr. NCA, feels the same way.
I'm so sorry you have such heat! I would be a melted puddle.
I just purchased gas for a completely empty truck - $1.97/litre. which is AFAIK $7.44/US gallon. I was relieved that the truck tank isn't very big. and annoyed at myself for not filling up before the truck went in for brake service a couple of days ago, as I KNEW the price was going to jump.
I'll just keep limiting my travel by vehicle. As you always say, I'm going to stay in my home that I paid for and enjoy it!
Are you in Canada? In Alberta gas prices are ranging from $1.58 to $1.72/L today. Eek!
Oops - I meant $1.82/L
1. During our mini vacation, we used the provided plastic kitchen trash bag for compostable items, recyclables and, well, trash. I brought the bag home with us, sorted everything, and washed out the bag to use another time.
2. Friend came to visit and brought banana bread as a gift. I also gained a gift bag and a reusable Ziploc.
3. My husband changed the toilet paper roll before it was completed used up. I carefully peeled the last few sheets off the roll and used them.
4. Submitted online claim for Comcast data breach.
5. Found a consignment store to take my parents' china and my friend's mom's handkerchiefs. We get 50 percent if/when they sell.
I keep forgetting to get pineapple - you make it sound so refreshing with cottage cheese. Maybe this week.
1. Grandson day again – while he slept after I brought him home from his Mom and Dad's, I had an inner conversation about taking action – then got up and tackled my fridge and a couple of countertops. Happy chickens, lots of garden greens were shared – as well as some forgotten items from the back. The kitchen looks far less overwhelming, thank heavens. I've been 'off' due to the surgery so things have gotten away from me. Now the fridge is much less crowded, I know what I have, and I will make a serious effort to use what is there – and with counter space the cooking won't start with moving stuff around... (I have a very small kitchen with very very little counter space, which can make a big cooking adventure challenging).
2. I wanted to cook up the green beans I'd picked, but GS woke up, so we read stories until he really was awake, I persuaded him to eat a bit, then he persuaded me to walk up the road rather than down into the garden.
I packed up my Katy Special with the shiny gold/silver/white braided leather belt and we spent an hour on the walking road. He was quite content to hang out while I poked at the more enticing blackberry bundles – one berry was enough for him today, the rest went into the milk carton and is destined for the freezer. I got at least 8 cups worth during what really was a kiddo wander – bonus!
3. We had a bit of rain (yay) yesterday which brought thunder, lightning (not yay) and a steep drop in temperature (yay). I'd just finished watering all the raised beds so they got a top-up, which is brilliant for keeping moisture in the soil.
There are a lot of fires raging in British Columbia right now - several small and large communities are either evacuated or on alert. It is not yet as bad as when the whole town of Lytton burned, however this year Boston Bar is in big danger.
Unlike the Indigenous communities in Northern Ontario, who had to self rescue when their towns got totally overwhelmed and wiped out last week, in BC (so far !) the emergency services seem to be working hard to keep people safe. It is perilous times, and any rain we get is a gift, although when it comes with lightning the gift is suspect...
4. I dumped the saved chicken bones and veggies from some IP cooked chicken back into the IP with some water, and made more broth. I might as well get all the food goodness out of what I paid for, right? The broth left over from the first go-round was a treat prior to my surgery, and I'm going to enjoy this broth the same way, as a warm drink, rather than save it for a 'perhaps' future use. I have lots of canned up broth, so there is no need to save what I make unless I have a specific plan for it.
Katie! I just love your blog...first thing I read every day!
Your sister and you resemble each other very much!
Growing up, my younger brothers and sisters fought over the juice from canned peas..yuck!
And finally, did you hear about this or did I miss you mentioning it? I believe it was found in January and sold this past week.
PORTLAND, Ore. — A warmup jacket worn by Wilt Chamberlain during the 1972 NBA finals that was bought by a teenager for $3.07 at an Oregon thrift store sold for $89,600 at auction on Monday.
Salvation Army was having their semi-annual sale, every clothes item was $2.99. I rode my bike there and got 7 items.
Picked more tomatoes and cucumbers. Green beans are slow, I planted some extra bush beans.
A friend took a pile of plastic plant pots, she knows somewhere that uses them. I was very glad to get rid of them.