Four Frugal Things -- Unphotographed Pizzas & Brass Candlesticks
1) We had the kids over for our weekly Family Dinner and I gathered ingredients for a make your own pizza buffet. It would've been easy to let the ingredient costs spiral, but I kept it fairly simple.
I carmelized onions and slow cooked tomatoes, both of which I already had on hand. These steps concentrate the flavors and keep the the pizzas from getting watery.
I par baked half the pizza crusts, but left some raw dough balls for people in the mood to roll out their own. This guy misread the memo -- full on thought he was pita bread!
Stupidly I forgot to photograph even a single completed pizza, which I suppose confirms how quickly we chowed down on our creations!
The toppings:
- Carmelized onions
- Tomatoes
- Mushrooms, again sautéed ahead of time to minimize wateriness and concentrate the flavor.
- Canned artichoke hearts from the pantry.
- Pepperoni
- Cheese -- shredded mozarella, sliced mozarella and crumbled feta.
- Snipped basil from my anemic plant.
- Spinach
- Both marinara and pesto sauce options.
Afterwards I par baked crusts from the leftover dough. which I threw in the freezer. Will likely replicate the meal for tonight's dinner, although I promise to snap a few photos this time!
2) I picked more free plums, (I was at Trader Joe's for pizza ingredients) and sent baggies home with our guests. Free food = good food.
3) I started reading a library copy of Sandwich, by Catherine Newman. I'm about a third of the way through the book, but am not completely in love with it. The stream of consciousness style of writing is not my favorite, but I'll likely finish it as it's a fairly short read.
I know other people adore this book, so I'm giving it a full chance.
4) I put together an eBay listing for some mismatched vintage brass candlesticks that I picked up from various Goodwills. Mostly the pay-by-the-pound bins, so I'd guess I have maybe $6 into them.
I started buying them a few months ago after seeing this collection in a YouTube video, but it's time for them to move along.
Click HERE to see the listing.
5) I set a calendar alert to go on the library website on September 30th at 11:55 P.M. to scout for free cultural passes. I've forgotten to do this over the past few months and have missed out on some cool opportunities.
The library releases new passes on the first of each month and the early bird gets the worm/museum passes.
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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This blog post contains an eBay referral link.
Next pizza night you can have dessert pizza. Pretty much all the toppinga for sundaes but put on a pizza crust i like to dust mine with cinnamon cinnamon sugar before.topping are added
I did not care for the book "Sandwich" either.
Made a Poshmark sale, packed and sent in recycled packaging that I saved.
Rescued bananas from being tossed in trash at work at end of week, they are in my freezer waiting to be bread/muffins/smoothies!
Found a dime.
Reading books from library and LFL.
1) Made an eBay sale, which I packaged in recycled materials. I picked up a variety of items at the Uniqlo in Japan for my adult kids. A few of the shirts didn't fit, so I have them listed on eBay. I think the last one is now sold, and if my math is correct, I broke even, thanks to the weakness of the yen against the dollar.
2) Had DH drive the electric car, as he was making the furthest drive today.
3) Remembered that I had a $50 Apple gift card, and we own no Apple products, so shared it with DS19, who does have an iPhone.
4) Chatted with my friend who is letting us stay at her condo in Utah. They are there now, and she's going to leave a few things behind, which allows me to mark them off of my shopping list (eggs, oat milk, etc). Saving money & avoiding waste - double win.
5) Opted not to drive 90 minutes (round trip) to work from the office when I had zero in person meetings. I was doing a bunch of remote interviews, so it would have been a very silly option, although encouraged for sure. I also saved the money of buying a lunch or the time of having to pack one.
We have decided my husband is not well enough to do a transatlantic trip to see the kids this year. Making the decision was hard, but I think we both feel relieved. To make sure we keep interested, we are planning some small trips within a few hours of home. First one was this weekend, to a car show/vintage bus museum/steam trains. We kept costs down in a midrange hotel and shopped a slightly nicer than usual grocery store for our meals. A lovely walk on a beach yielded a handful of sea glass, which was fun. I try not to remove things from natural environments, but the glass isn't supposed to be there, so I see that as fair game!
My neighbour discovered that there is now a community fridge in our nearest town, so we took a little trip today to check it out. They don't do any meat or fish, but there was lots of produce and bread, some dry goods and flowers. It will be perfect to visit before we go and do our weekly shop. Anything we pick up there can be crossed off the list, and we are creative enough to incorporate any surprises. So cool to discover a new resource that fits our values.
A store in the same town has started collecting bras for a charity. I had two in the donation bag, so have fished them out and will donate them there. I know from my time in a charity shop, they don't always find new homes in that environment.
As part of our current mission to lose a bit of weight and be a bit fitter, we have started walking laps of our little village after dinner. It really helps with T1d husband's blood sugars going into the evening, too. We are up to 3 laps a night now, about 2100 steps.
I have put my summer clothes away and checked over the winter ones. Noted I was short a couple of items and have been able to source them on second hand sites, so am all set for the colder months now. Husband was so impressed he has ordered some winter pants from the same site for himself!!
Nicola, your community fridge sounds amazing!
Not frugal at all, just had a crumbling tooth removed.$783.00 and in a lot of pain. Took 1500 MG of extra strength Tylenol and iced my face, feeling like I might live. Damn cat better not land on my face like he did 2 days ago ROFLMBO
So sorry to hear this! Hope you feel better soon!
Oh no! Hope you'll be feeling better soon. Dental issues are painful to both us and our wallets. Take care.
I feel your pain, Suellen. My tooth extraction was $813. I'm still wishing that the Tooth Fairy would reimburse me....just my luck that I don't have the tooth to put under my pillow.....LOL!
I’m with you on Sandwich. Wanted to love it but didn’t….
Yum to frugal pizza night(s). I’m a big fan of Aldi Pizza dough-both types.
I'm feeling similar to The Calamity Club - I just couldn't get into it (audiobook).
1. I received free blank cards, with perfectly pleasant front cover, from a charity that is soliciting money. I already have my chosen charities, but I added the 5 cards to my card box.
2. I carpooled with a colleague, drank the crappy free coffee, and ate free lunch today at work.
3. This week's dinner while I'm at the work apartment: broccoli and cheddar soup; hot dogs. The soup and rolls were free from mystery shop, and the cat/house sitter left the hot dogs. So free dinners this week.
4. Went to my first pilates class last night and paid the introductory rate. I'll continue even when I have to pay the regular price, but I've decided that it is worth it to me, and I can fit it in the budget.
5. I made homemade naan on Monday night, saving me about $3.00, if I had purchased it at the grocery store. It was super easy and tasted delicious (I used the King Arthur recipe).
1. I listed a children's knitted hat on Vinted and it sold almost immediately. I listed a second one and it already has 14 favorites. So I think that will sell too. Yay!
2. Donated an old cpap to Reggie White foundation and a nebulizer to another 501c3. I kept receipts for tax time.
3. I picked up 4 free DVD's for my grandchildren from Buy Nothing. They had many streaming platforms for free through AmEx card that was also free for active duty military. Ds is no longer active and has given up AmEx and all the free streaming. I'm glad they are moving over to the old fashioned DVDs.
4. We're eating leftovers this week plus cucumbers and tomatoes from the garden. Other than having guests this month, food expenses should be lower.
5. Dh signed up to tutor after school two afternoons a week. It adds an hour to his day but is fairly easy work and the money is appreciated. Right now he has more students in his classes than his contracted number so he gets paid some overages for them. Usually admin spreads these students out so overages don't last long. But it's nice while it lasts.
6. I managed to attend my online Spanish class today even though it has been a very difficult week. I'm trying to practice just showing up, with no expectation to perform well.
I will be taking my last antibiotic capsule in a couple of hours. I am hopeful that I will not need another round.
The meat I thawed was sausage, so I made sausage gravy this morning. I didn't have biscuits, and no energy to make them, so I ate it over sourdough bread.
I made tuna salad for lunch, but realized I had mistakenly picked up a packet of spicy tuna, so it was rather a disappointment. It doesn't seem to be affecting my stomach, so that's good.
I finished watching Little Dorrit today. It's definitely a story about being happy without money.
I forgot to mention that when I applied the toe protectors to my new shoes, I trimmed them down so they would be easier to slide into the inside of the shoe. I kept the leftover pieces because I think they are big enough to apply to another pair in the future.
My grandson is heading back to college tomorrow, so I will be taking back the car tomorrow. (He has been in charge of it since I've been sick.) I am sorry my illness shortened our time together. But I know he's excited to see his friends again.
A gremlin ate my post. It was great! Y’all are missing out!
The gist was that I’m trying to drive less. It’s easy to get into the habit of driving into town every day or two, and I’m trying not to do that since the price of gas is alarming.
I went for a walk and found 31 cans that slobs threw out their car windows over the past couple months. That’s $3.10 in my pocket!
Vegetarian dinner tonight. I find it’s a great money saver.
Had a frustrating couple of afternoons trying to crochet a tam seen on YouTube. After many rows of work frogged back, I went rogue and finished it in a time-tested way. That's what I get for being beguiled by a shiny video. However, I can return the two extra skeins of yarn that were not needed.
Used some crushed mini shredded wheat as the bran ingredient in blueberry bran muffins. DH and I ate lunch out yesterday and I brought half my meal home to eat today. We had not had a meal out since mid-July.
Brushed out our longhaired cat and clippered some mats out of her sides where she's ticklish about being brushed. She requires more hair care than a boy band and cat grooming costs the earth when hired out. Thank goodness she has a sweet nature and lets me do it.
Mended a t-shirt for my son to keep it in circulation.
“More hair care than a boy band” is a hysterical phrase. You have such a way with words, Ruby!!!
I laughed at that one too! Such a funny image.
We had no idea when we adopted her that she would grow out such an extravaganza of fluff. She turned out to be part Maine Coon. Does not have the ear tufts but she has the most outrageously thick coat and big snowshoe feet.
Thank you!
Finally was able to return Century links moden. They keep insisting I would be charged $200 if not returned. Very difficult issue with the language barrier.
Gave away 5 roosters today. Frugal, because of the feed I save, and my hens are enormously relieved.
Added rice to the leftovers, tasted just fine. My son has moved in, and I never know how much to cook
Paid cash for fuel, so $ 4.89. Instead of $5.09. Sigh!
We love homemade pizza here!
1. The weather yesterday was nice and cool, low 70s most of the day! So we kept our windows open to the nice breeze most of the day. The humidity crept in and forced us to close the windows eventually but it was nice while it lasted!
2. I'm really enjoying "A Witch in Time" so far! I've been doing a lot of my reading though audiobooks lately so having a physical book again is a nice change!
3. I got the house cleaned pretty thoroughly yesterday and read for quite a while so I decided to spend most of the day in the kitchen today. I did keep to my Toilet Tuesday as well by cleaning the bathrooms lol. I also dusted which took me less time than I thought it would. I'll try and remember that when I have to do it next and don't want to.
5. I made a chocolate chip banana bread (and a few muffins with the leftover batter), shredded 2 lbs of carrots and portioned them into the freezer, and baked two loaves of bread that we'll slice tomorrow with the bread slicer.
MMMM, Pizza!
1. I had half a gallon of milk that was past its best before date, oops. I got 3 quarts of yogurt made, for future smoothies. No waste and I needed yogurt!
2. 20 new layer hens are now ensconced in their accommodations. There were a series of moving parts to the day, to make this happen: I needed to find and load some cages into my truck, and get them to the feed store in the morning. Then go back in the afternoon to get the birds. Then park in the shade and wait for dusk to make moving them easier, as there is nobody here to help me carry the cages full of birds. (I can carry them empty, but not when they have 10 freaked out hens inside). Then at dusk (when they are more docile) I got to capture a hen out of her cage, get a coloured 'ring' on her leg, and schlep her in my arms to the coop.
I certainly got my steps in, as the coop is a bit of a distance from the truck (can't get it closer) and I couldn't take more than one bird at a time due to the leg-ringing part of the process. Usually I can carry 2 or more birds, but not this night! One hen is currently ringless – she had a hissy fit and knocked the ring somewhere under the truck; it was too dark to find even with a flashlight.
I'm glad to get these ladies settled and I'm looking forward to increased egg production – my older girls are sporadic and producing many weird and wonderful eggs that the dog gets (and she also gets the eggs the older girls are hiding around the property, grrrr)
3. More ripening tomatoes have been picked. The last of my tomato basil sauce has been canned. Now to plan the next use of these lovely San Marzano Tomatoes – so great for sauce and canning whole or in chunks, it mostly depends on my energy level. Maybe I can pull together enough to make Blue Gate Farmgirl's Salsa (in decreased quantities, LOL).
4. For my birthday, my daughter gave me a bag and a button that she had collected from her University during orientation week.
I might remake the bag with the addition of a side and bottom strip, as it is a flat bag and not particularly large; it has a logo from her University which is also a University I attended, so it is kind of special to me. The pin says “I saved my spoons to be here” which cracked me up as someone who uses 'spoons' to describe my energy level.
I'm so delighted that my DD really gets me, and knows that I am thrilled to get gifts that she has scavenged. Particularly when they are so perfect.
5. I got a phone call from my surgeon's office with the surprising news of a new surgery date in only two weeks. (!!) I'm not quite sure how I feel about this – perhaps some relief that it will be so soon, and some dread that it is going to be so soon.
Mostly I am practicing the art of not worrying about something I can't personally do anything to make better. Practicing, because I certainly am nowhere near mastering not worrying. GAH. I am, however, very grateful to be in Canada and not have any co-pays or insurance costs to worry about.
6. My family doctor sent me off for more x-rays – this time of my shoulder which is giving me annoying pains. Since there is arthritis in most of my other joints, I wouldn't be surprised if they find it in the shoulder – it doesn't hurt to get a baseline, in any case. I tell ya, I feel as if I have had a running series of medical explorations this summer – it feels like the old jalopy has not been to the mechanic for a while and now there are a whole series of tests that need to be run to figure out what needs some intervention.
Haha, my cousin used "spoons" to express her energy level, too. I am currently very low on spoons but hoping I will turn a corner today.
I wish I was in Canada! Or any normal country. The US has gone nutso; can't imagine how we'll ever get back to normal after the MAGA people have had their way.
1. My amazing husband has been doing projects over at my dad's house that have needed doing. He replaced the sink and plumbing in the kitchen which only cost $150 in supplies.
2. We have been helping my dad clean out his basement which has accumulated a lot over the 55 years he has lived there. We collected all the CDs and records and took the ones we wanted and took some to a used record store where we got $100! The rest went to the dump.
3. My dad had a pile of junk for the dump which my husband took to the Restore and dump. He actually got $50 for the scrap metal!
4. Next up is my dad's lumber collection, which my husband is going to take for projects. The goal is to remove anything that my dad isn't using so his home is less overwhelming.
5. I overscheduled myself again this month which is annoying, but I'm bringing in lots of extra income!
--I actually phoned a campaign manager and fussed at him for not publicizing his (underdog, Democrat, new on the scene) candidate enough. I live down the street from the (Maga Republican carpetbagger) incumbent Congressman* and a huge sign would really send the jerk* a message. Thanks to the campaign manager, I got my big campaign sign today, nailed up on the back of my back fence overlooking the busy street, at no charge. Now every time the jerk/career politician* has to go to town he will see the sign for his opponent. So will 100s of others. In effect, I gave the challenger a free billboard. (*If you think I'm being too hard on the jerk, please know that he is the guy who escorted some Jan. 6 protesters around the capitol building on Jan. 5, 2021, so they'd know where Nancy Pelosi's office was...)
--Thrifted a long heavy duty outdoor extension cord so I can do some trimming with my old electric trimmer. Cost : $10. (The cord I used to own was "borrowed" and never returned. Sorta like Huck Finn's pappy "borrowing" stuff....)
-- Gave out some bumper stickers I ordered that say REPUBLICANS CAN'T BUY MY VOTE! (You can get them online.)
--Went to Office Depot and had a political card enlarged into a sign and another, small political sign enlarged. More "billboards" for the back fence. Maybe all this isn't frugal but I'm trying to save our country!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love your idea of using pesto on pizza! I frozen basil for pesto...and might use some for this! Thanks for your ideas and inspiration!!
I did half and half and it was so good!
If it makes you feel better, I really disliked Sandwich. (The book, not the food!)