Four Frugal Things -- Secure Elections & Puppy Lamps
1) I stopped by the library to pick up my holds. Not sure which book I'll start with, but it's good to have choices.
I know I criticized the new Belmont branch library in a previous blog post, but I did notice something on this trip that impressed me. A permanent "Official Ballot Drop Box," which is an improvement over simply dropping our ballots in the book return.
The entire state of Oregon holds 100% mail-in elections, so anything the county can do to ensure this process is as secure as possible is A-okay in my book!
2) I stopped by Fred Meyer (Kroger) on my way home to grab milk. I took a minute to load the digital coupon, which saved $1.20. It wasn't that long ago that their digital milk coupon was consistently 99¢. A 60% price increase is worth noting.
I made sure to pass by the produce clearance shelves and chose a four-pack of apples for $1.50. Mind you, this seems like a completely normal price, not some kind of amazing deal. But I guess I'm behind the times.
3) I sent out a $400 offer on my Robert Abbey "Puppy" lamp and received a message in return that they'd accept the offer if I included free shipping. This is a hefty bronze lamp and weighs a ton, but I accepted their request as I thrifted it for just $14.99 in April.
Happy to eat the cost of shipping, which'll likely run about $35. Still plenty of profit.
I did take the lamp to the PDX Repair Cafe a couple months ago to fix the socket, but it's otherwise in excellent condition. I've since enjoyed the lamp in our living room, but like many items in our house . . . it was temporary possession.
I grew fond of her, but know she'll be going to a happy home.
4) I made a plum torte, (using this recipe, as the original NY Times recipe is behind a paywall.) which hilarious looked like a deep dish pepperoni pizza due to the color of the golden plums. Unsurprisingly, the torte featured my foraged plums.
I promise that it didn't taste like pizza!
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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Congrats on selling that lamp!!
I thought you had baked pepperoni cake
The plums DO really resemble pepperoni.
That plum torte looks simply delicious.
1. I walked a mile for some exercise today.
2. DH and I did some errands today which included going to Walmart to pick up our coffee. Cheapest place around for it besides Amazon which I've sworn off.
3. I returned three slim books of poetry to the library and picked up Fahrenheit 451 which my book club is reading this month. It somehow passed me by in high school (or maybe I passed IT by with some clif notes or I might just have forgotten it). Apparently it's about a certain time in the future which closely resembles what our country is like now.
4. My tomato plant is done for but the raspberries are producing like gangbusters.
5. We made our yearly trek to the apple orchard where we probably paid too much for apples and peaches but they're local so we try to support them once in awhile. They also make heavenly apple cider donuts which they sell hot so we indulged in a half dozen.
1. While doing a mystery shop at a grocery store (free deli meat), I also picked up a container of guac and a bag of microwaveable rice, both of which were free for customer promotions (Stop & Shop). So $12.42 in free food, plus $17 payout for the shop. Partner also wanted to get provolone, but we checked on the phone and it was cheaper at BJ's, which was our next stop.
2. For some reason, the deli guy at BJ's gave us a much cheaper price. For some reason, my partner ordered a NAME-BRAND provolone ($6.99 lb) rather than BJ brand ($5.99), but when I looked on the bag, it was $5.49 per pound.
3. Also stopped in at OSJL, to see if this one has a great of selection as my failed stop yesterday (a different OSJL, near my parent's house, but their system was down so they couldn't process the "free food." Today, we did get Amish egg noodles and a big bag of gummy candies, which is going in the Christmas box for our nephew, who LOVES candy, including gummy candy. Received a gift card in the same amount, which we use to buy bird seed.
4. Last night I added a can of black beans to stretch 1/2 pound of beef for tacos.
5. It was time for the annual enrollment for benefits. My partner is on my insurance, but he chose to go have an eye exam at BJs, rather than wait to see one "in-network" and so I dropped him from the eye insurance. If he has a medical issue with eyes, it is covered by medical rather than eye, so this won't be an issue, and he won't need another eye exam next year, saving me a few dollars each month.
6. I downloaded a free app, to see if I like it for my budget. I'm pretty good, but I often have a hard time tracking my actual expenditure because of the mystery shops, so I get panicked that I'm overspending (as my credit card bill is often around $400 in rotating spending-getting-reimbursed. So I'm going to try this, to see what my norm is. August is always a weird month, as several annual bills + vacation happens, so Sept. is always a great time for me to reset.
Bonus: drank yesterday's leftover coffee today, listening to a free book on Hoopla, mom gave me a shirt, giving some free food away that we won't eat - to help with the circular economy/prevent food waste.
What company to you mystery shop with? I never see deli ones. I got my rice and guac too.
Hi Marybeth - I work with several - the deli meat one is Intelli-shop. Our dear Lindsey (Alaska) wrote a guest post for The Frugal Girl, which started it all for me. https://www.thefrugalgirl.com/a-mystery-shopping-primer-from-alaska-lindsey/
Thanks. I will check it out.
"Digital milk"? Hmm, I've never tried digital milk but I wonder if it's from a Star Trek-like replicator, LOL.
Sorry, it's the English teacher in me making those remarks.
Today, they delivered the riding lawn mower I purchased bright and early on Saturday morning. The charity thrift shop manager said a lot of people were mad that I bought it before they did. The mower still has its $900 price sticker on it, which makes me smile because I bought it for 700 dollars and change. With a $30 delivery fee because they rented a moving truck with an automatic lift to bring it over. The thrift shop will do repairs and put on new tires for me if ever needed, although I will have to buy the tires or parts.
By accident, I solved a problem. Due to the horrible hot weather, some plants in the large flower pots had died. I pulled them out but kept the dirty in there. I was having problems putting up some solar-powered yard lights for the back yard. These are on poles like a traditional lantern-style street lamp, but they wouldn't stay in the ground and were falling over. I had tried to put them up in they yard near those big heavy patio pots. So I just stuck them in the dirt (that was inside the patio pots ) as a temporary measure. Lo and behold, they stayed standing up and work fine. Bonus: I can move the pots around (not easy to do, as they are heavy), and bring them into the shed when not needed. Hmm, I may get some concrete and substitute that for the dirt.
I just finished reading Sandwich this morning - such a good book! I immediately put Wreck on hold to read as well.
I thought maybe it was some kind of cocoa puff cereal or a very sausage forward quiche I still have 4-6 months left before my next eye exam is due but maybe I should clean my glasses. Glad it was tasty!
1. We used leftover refried black beans to make some nachos for dinner last night. It made so much that I saved it and had the rest for lunch today! It was a little chewy and soggy in some spots but mostly tasty!
2. I started reading "A Witch in Time" by Constance Sayers today, one of my finds at the library the other day.
3. The weather is about 10 degrees cooler today than it has been the past week so we're taking advantage of the cool air and have had our windows open all day.
4. We had a craving for Nutter Butter cookies and my wonderful husband and our oldest daughter made some peanut butter cookies and peanut butter frosting yesterday.
5. We opened an unassuming envelope we got in the mail and it had a refund of $300 in it that we weren't expecting. I'm certainly glad we didn't just throw it out!
I always open all mail and glad I do. One time an almost $800 settlement check was in an envelope that screamed junk mail.
If nothing else, any PII goes to the shred pile. I leave nothing to chance. Though I find it a bit amusing thieves will pick through trash but not get a job as a garbage hauler.
I'm sure you know, but Wreck is a sequel to Sandwich. Wanted to mention it since I can't stand when I accidentally read out of order 🙂
I saw that and "Sandwich" is my next read. Thanks for the tip!
1. Hubby and I went to our favorite church thrift store and started our Christmas shopping for each other over the weekend. We dropped off a bag of clothes that are too big for me now.
2. Our neighbors and a friend were supposed to come Sunday for a smoked turkey that I got free from my buy nothing group. Well they weather wasn't going to cooperate so we cooked it inside. My neighbor wasn't feeling well so after we ate I ran food over to them. I sent my friend home with leftovers. I froze the other breast for future easy meals. I made brownies for dessert. Not what we planned but it was still nice.
3. I put the bones in the crockpot over night and picked all the meat off the bones this morning. 5 quarts of stock and a bag of meat. Perfect for soup.
4. I went to a library craft today, a shadow box. It came out really nice.
5. I hit the stop n shop that is near the library after my class. They had pork butts 50% off. I got 2 of the 4. They came to about 64 cents a pound. I also got a free pack of rice.
Sold a book on eBay for $65.
Got a $98 rebate for sending in husband’s old phone when he bought a new one.
Ordered my “free gift” for being a sustainer with my local public radio station. I only choose one if it’s something I really like and will wear/use. I also increased my donation by $5/month, because I’m so glad they are still around.
We have a rolling cooler and the wheels have been falling off for years. My husband fixed it this weekend with some repair brackets. The test will be if it holds up when it's full of ice but it seems pretty sturdy.
Just cancelled a joint supplement for my dog that doesn't fit his needs anymore, at a savings of $21/month. (And more importantly, the biopsy of his splenic mass came back and it's benign!)
So glad his mass was benign!
Thank you Beth W! At his advanced age it was an especially big worry. Sus
First, Katy, I thought you had a NYT subscription, but apparently not. Sorry about that. I'll be happy to send the original plum torte recipe to your email as a free article from my account.
Now, FFT, A Grand Day of Thrifting Edition. As a reward to myself for getting through yesterday's challenges (the vitreous detachment, getting over to the doctor on call's office on the other side of the county to get this diagnosed, and getting NDN1 out of her room for the SPCA event at her facility), I decided to treat myself to a morning of thrifting.
(1) First stop was Second Time Around, the Monday morning pop-up shop that supports the nearby Catholic church's food pantry. I spent $51.10 here: $10.10 for a sweater and a pair of pants for NDN1, four votive candles with holders, and an old Martha Stewart Living magazine; and $40 for a Radio Flyer All-Terrain Wagon that is going to be my new garden cart, and that retails for $219 and up.
(2) And as usual at STA, there was a large basket of day-old bakery products from the nearby Wegmans, available free one to a customer. I recognized one mystery package (the label was unreadable and was marked ??? by the STA staff) by smell as a garlic Tuscan loaf, and added that to my cart. Retail on that one is $6.
(3) After that, I ambled down to one of the boutique stores in our local Thrifty Shopper chain--where I bought a stair-step basket that looked to me to be Amish-made, and six *very* fancy Ball pint canning jars (holiday designs) with lids, for $9.64 after applying my 25% off birthday discount.
(4) My last stop was at my favorite secondhand bookshop just down the road from (1) and (3), where I bought three books I'd been hesitating over when I'd been there with JASNA BFF during her visit--notably, a Folio Society edition of Antonia Fraser's Mary Queen of Scots. Total = $23.22, which got me two more stamps on my shop card (a fully stamped card - $10 off on the next purchase).
(5) Finally, "King James" (my indispensable yard guy and snow wizard) was here to mow today. When I showed him the Radio Flyer ATW, he noticed that the tires were low, and aired them up for me. I've promised to christen the wagon the "Good King James" in his honor.
Oh my lands that was a great lamp flip! I would've been hard pressed to let it go! I love quirky lamps and have 2 dog lamps in my guest rooms.
Mowed the lawn while the clouds lingered this morning.
The local white tailed Kite was teaching its fledgeling to hunt in the back pasture. They are so graceful, fun to watch.
Before going to bed I rubbed emu oil (picked up at an estate sale for .25¢/tub) into the leather furniture.Woke up and buffed them. Even though the average age of the chairs are 30+ yrs, they look brand new.
Picked more cucumbers and tomatoes, strung up the baby pea plants and picked a gallon of basil.
Put a load of grape tomatoes in the dehydrator.
Thanks for the emu oil tip about leather furniture, BGF. I'll keep an eye out for some, since my leather sofa (bought the day of Prince Harry's birth; I tell people it's the same age as Harry and much better behaved) needs some TLC.
I am slowly crawling my way back to health. Today I did a big load of laundry, which was very satisfying.
I had a bowl of chicken-bean soup from the freezer for lunch. It's a lot like white chili, but no chili flavoring. For breakfast I had an apple dumpling, also from the freezer. Not really hungry for supper.
The toe protectors I ordered from Amazon were delivered this morning, but the package disappeared before I went downstairs to pick it up. I have the photo that proves it was delivered -- but someone took it. I assume it must have been a mistake, since it hardly would appear to be a hot item. I can't claim it as lost until the 16th. Annoying, because I wanted to get those shoes ready to wear. I am hoping whoever took it realizes it wasn't their package and will put it back in the vestibule -- or bring it to my door.
Trying again -- lost my comment. I'm feeling better today, well enough to do a big load of laundry, which was satisfying.
I ate from the freezer today -- white chili for lunch, an apple dumpling for breakfast.
The toe protectors I ordered from Amazon were delivered, then stolen -- or taken by mistake. Whatever, the package disappeared before I went downstairs to pick it up. Hoping it will be returned, otherwise, it's dealing with customer service on the 16th.
Oops, sorry, thought it was gone!
My friend and I went to county fair on Saturday. Free admission and parking. I spent $1 on a raffle ticket and won a big basket of made in Oklahoma jams, honey, cookie mix, etc. We did stop and get ice cream on the way home
I stopped at Presbyterian thrift store on Thursday pm and picked up a get well card and a summer dress $2.25
Had an online sale for my friend that I’ll drop off tomorrow
Was going to discontinue my Panera sip club as it went up to $13.99/mo. Got an offer for $7.50/mo. for 3 months so I took it
A basket of consumables is the best kind of prize - congratulations!
1. Bought a tube of lip balm at the local thrift store for 50 cents. I stopped there specifically for that. Also tried on three pairs of jeans but they were either too big or too small.
2. Gave away my crockpot with a carrier bag per someone's request for one on Buy Nothing. We don't cook with a crockpot and only used it every other year to bring a hot item to holiday dinner.
3. Had Chipotle for dinner. I had a burrito bowl that made three servings. My husband's burrito bowl served him twice. Five meals for $20 is pretty good.
4. Niece gave me a 500-piece puzzle that she doesn't want back so I put it in the travel bin.
5. Husband and I enjoyed a movie from the library - The Friend, based on a book by the same name by Sigrid Nunez.
I am able to access the New York Times through my local library online so you might see if this works for you. Another free library perk. I find their recipes are consistently good.
Ooh . . . I'd fprgotten about that. Thanks you!
You might check and see if the Portland Library has a digital free NYT program. Some large city libraries do. Really saves and is only a minor nuisance to keep renewing the subscription.
The Fred Meyer bananas looked close to banana bread age, were they a deal price too?
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR WRITING SO REGULARLY.
A 'close Putin Oligarch' did not pay for my wedding celebration, how about yours?
1. Today I sold 2 costumes for a whopping $17 but considering I only paid $2 total for them I’ll take the $15 win.
2. While waiting for my costume buyers at the convenience store I meet at I helped myself to a free large fountain lemonade I had a free “coupon” for. Large. No ice.
3. Dehydrated basil and parsley I got free from a friend.
4. Harvested dandelion greens and fresh grass for my guinea pigs. No pesticides on them.
5. Accepted a guinea pig sitting job for this Thursday and Friday am. Very local and some extra $.
Picked a handful of sweet peppers from the container garden today. They are lunchbox size and grow fast. Trimmed my old dog's nails and brushed her teeth today. She is half dachshund and has the knobby toes and trouble-prone teeth from that side of her family, so daily home care will save me some expensive vet bills.
Mixed up a little paint and touched up the chipped trim on our bathroom vanity. The trim is now slightly more blue than the 13-year-old original paint, but not enough that any art critics using the toilet should remark on it. 😀
Went to book club tonight wearing the perfect thrifted jeans and the "Only You Can Prevent Book Burnings" t-shirt that was $5 on eBay.
Wow! What a good sale on that lamp!!
1. I joined Garden club...this set me back $40, then I bought one of their tshirts for $20...but I hope the friendships and knowledge gained will be worth every dollar!
2. My husband rigged it up so the dumped RO water goes to a barrel in the garden instead of down the drain.
3. I froze some cherry tomatos
4. I cooked up some of the many sweet potato leaves from the garden
5. I'm picking peppers from the garden.
https://practicalwalk.com/2026/09/15/frugal-five-garden-club-the-garden/
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/3783-original-plum-torte?unlocked_article_code=1.BVE.kbp8.XxPzllTsLtvL&smid=share-url
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/3783-original-plum-torte?unlocked_article_code=1.BVE.Zh9x.wMtexKBDzF51&smid=share-url
Here is a gift link to the NYT recipe in case you should happen across more plums by any chance.
Thank you! I printed off a copy and look forward to trying this out!
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/3783-original-plum-torte?unlocked_article_code=1.BVE.mMGG.c22mYnkPi5Xn&smid=share-url
This should be an unlocked link to the recipe
THANK YOU!
I absolutely thought that was a mini pepperoni pizza in the first picture. 😉
1) Made a caprese salad to accompany an otherwise boring dinner of leftover burger patties last night. We had extra tomatoes, some fresh mozzarella that needed to be used up, and basil in the garden. It dialed the meal up quite a bit.
2) Ate leftovers for lunch as well (a bit of chicken, a slice of cheese, some rice crackers lingering in the pantry + an apple).
3) Remembered to tuck a thank you note into my suitcase for our trip next weekend. We are staying at a friend's condo, and I will pick up a gift card as a thank you, but now I won't have to purchase a card to go with it - I'll use one from my stash.
4) Had a no spending day yesterday, and planning another one today. I will go to a workout class today, taking advantage of a workout class pass I bought several months ago.
5) Line dried a load of laundry. We do this to preserve the life of much of our workout clothes, but it has the extra benefit of saving money on the cost of the dryer.
HP, that's such a good idea to pack a thank you note. Yay you!
So in preparation for a long term frugal/not frugal house repair (laying flooring) I washed multiple loads of laundry (I have a bad habit of dropping clothes wherever I take them off!!). Side benefit is that the house is cleaner and less cluttered. My goal for today is to hang up and/or fold all of the clean clothes.
I loved that lamp when you first shared. Glad you sold it and I know you will be slightly sad to see it gone.
1. Another 'free' physiotherapy visit due to an overpayment credit that I am chipping away at. This covers my co-pay, and I still have room in my retired teachers benefits to pay the remainder. I am paying for the benefit plan, so I am trying to get more out of it than I pay – and my daughter leaving her job yet being disciplined to use up all of the massage coverage she had reminded me to get some appointments this fall for physical self care.
2. I have yet to make Blue Gate Farmgirl's enormous salsa recipe – even 1/4'd, I need a few more ripe tomatoes, LOL. I have, however, made a delicious tomato and basil sauce that started with well roasted tomatoes (to add flavour and reduce the liquid) run through my hand mill. I had purchased a discount pot of basil which I deeply pruned. The sauce is delicious; I had to eat something as I was canning, so I cooked up some pasta and did a 'taste test'. I still have another canner's worth to get processed today.
3. My birthday party event at Mom's was a delightfully chaotic zoo, with Mom making herself a “bunwich”, putting it on the table, standing around as we all made ours, then not sitting down. Turns out she was making herself another “bunwich”. We all laughed at her lousy memory, including Mom herself, and carried on. It was one of many signs that when she is out of her carefully curated routine, she falls off the rails of remembering really quickly.
However, she had a grand time, photos were taken, my Grandson (2) picked up every movable object in her living room and tried to eat the book I had given him (not, of course, the sturdy board books, but the paperback. Not much damage was done). I am glad the event is over, as planning it and getting everything there was a bit of a challenge. I am also glad my younger brother asked that we gather during his visit from Mexico, there likely aren't many more of these gatherings in our future.
4. Since I was going to be seeing DD, I picked a huge bag of green beans for her, as sheloves them, and pulled out a few for Mom before I handed it over. I also brought bags of apples from Tree Number 1 for each of them, and some eggs. In addition I picked out 8 or so nice apples from a neighbour's free box; they are a super delicious eating apple and BIG, which DD loves best. All of these food gifts are received with gratitude.
5. My need for physiotherapy means that my woodpile isn't moving into the shed at any kind of speed. #2 son is back from Europe, though, so I am going to ask for a favour when he comes this weekend. He is much more willing to give me an hour or so of outside help; he realised that he was doing so for his Dad, yet (as he has told me), he wants to spend more time with the parent he likes more. Grin. Currently the huge pile is covered with free tarps from the lumberyard – a source I found out about from my gardening buddy. I have a lot of free tarps that are hugely useful on this property.
6. I saw my hospice client (grief companioning) for what she has decided was her 'swan song'. I will miss her as she is an absolute gem, and I am so proud of the progress she has made in making her life bigger, in the two years since her husband died. Volunteering with hospice has been very good for me, too, however I am now going to take a pause while my GS is young and my Mom is needing more of my time.
7. Not good news from my surgeon, looks as if I will be having ongoing invasive mini-surgeries and look-sees for the foreseeable future. As you can imagine I am a bit gut-punched about this, however I also can't do a single bloody thing to change anything, so it is giving me an opportunity to practice not-worrying. GAH.
Since I now won't be able to donate blood myself, I am encouraging some friends who have in the past but haven't lately – there is a significant blood shortage right now in Canada. My weight trainer is a blood type that is highly prized so she was first on the list!
Ecoteri, I'm so sorry for the gut-punching news you received from your surgeon. Sending you hugs across the miles.
Sandwich and Wreck are some of my absolute favourite novels. I totally fangirl on Catherine Newman. Hope you like them too!