No Frugal Things — Will This Week Will Ever End?
by Katy on September 13, 2024 · 52 comments
Today’s blog post is going to be the shortest ever, as I pretty much have nothing frugal to share. This week has been the perfect (imperfect?) storm of implosion as nothing has gone well and frugality was the last thing on my mind. Family members with health crises, helping my son move on a day when the skies let loose a torrent of rain and then my daughter had a sudden and emergent rental issue. My husband is out of town trying desperately to finish everything on his parents’ house to ready it to go on the market and everything damned thing has been expensive.
That is all. Hopefully things will be better in a couple of weeks.
I did buy all of the above groceries for $25.05, so that’s something. Right? Sigh . . .
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
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P.S. Anyone else stress buy dairy products?
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{ 51 comments… read them below or add one }
At least you didn’t have to pay for fuel and airport fees for your jet.
Here’s hoping things normalize quickly for you and yours!
Katy, at current prices you did really well with those groceries. I hope it gets better.
We have zero spending money right now due to home renovation. I stayed home today and cooked from the freezer and pantry. Turned three big, bruised but delicious peaches into peach baked oatmeal and made a pot of chili on this rainy day.
I concur with Ruby, you did well with your $25.05 grocery shop.
My Frugal Five:
1. Finishing reading the last two books in a series of books (18) from my library. If purchased seperately they would have been over $200. Your library is your best frugal friend.
2. Thought about flowers for a couple of friends who have had illness or surgery. I sent cards with notes instead. I know they will be just as welcome and they will last a lot longer. I have had friends call me months and even years later after coming across a note I had sent.
3. Have been walking in our beautiful city park. It is full of fall color and also sits on the banks of the river. Such good therapy, plus exercise.
4. Cooking from scratch with gifted vegetables. It doesn’t take a recipe or a lot of work to enjoy delicious produce raw or steamed.
5. I baked an apple pie for company for dinner tonight using bargain apples. They may have been a little old, but will be wonderful baked into a pie.
My thoughts are with you and your folks as you navigate this trying times.
I’m sorry about all the things. It does seem they come in clumps. Everyone here was so kind while I was going through it this summer, and I send my best wishes to you and your family.
1. My cousin is coming to stay. I’ve taken the opportunity to catch up on some deeper cleaning, and I’ve put into use some things that I had been saving (for when I don’t know ). It feels really good. I bought a new bathroom trash can but the pedal works so poorly that I’m returning it.
2. Making a simple meal and using elderly apples for an apple crumble for dessert.
3. I attended a potluck and volunteered to bring a Costco flat of sparkling water. It wasn’t the cheapest thing to bring but I was short on time and energy. I have at least half the flat left over and will save it for another occasion. Neither of us like sparkling water, so no temptation to drink it at home. I’ll be glad of this quick option in the future.
4. Drying sheets and towels on the line today. I’ll get 3 loads dried. This is my normal way of drying laundry.
5. Gathered the plant starts I’ve been raising for my 2 young adult children who are homeowners. I’ll be glad to pass them off. One kid already has the drip system in, so I’ll plant the things for them. The other will have to hand water as her yard is still in process. Frugal for them-free plants, and frugal for me since I’ll no longer have to water them.
Take care, Katy. I hope you can go along gently and recover a bit.
Kara, I can get behind calling apples, “elderly!” Me, not so much! LOL
Kara and Casey,
I am right there with you! Apples can be elderly, but not me! 🙂
Ha! I just read an article this week that stated women are considered
“Elderly “ when they turn 65. I thought that explained a lot…
Jane, when are men considered elderly?
I fell and broke my arm on my 65th birthday. The ambulance crew described me as an elderly woman (within my hearing). My heart broke a little bit too. 🙁
I’d have been loud and likely not nice if I heard that about me. Probably would have said “you want to come closer to me and say elderly? What, not brave enough?”. Words to the effect of kicking their posteriors (in not blog safe terminology). How f-ing rude.
I stress buy ice cream all the time. Hope everyone is OK.
I’m sorry for the crappy week and hope things get better for you ASAP!
I had a frugal fail – tried to make pear jam out of a bunch of donated pears. Added the sugar, burnt the bottom of the pan, moved the non burnt stuff over to a new pan. Boiled for five year but it wouldn’t set. Blended it to try and make it thicker. Now I’ve just got thick pear sauce but it’s way too sweet to eat. Added gelatin to try and make it into gummies. Gummies were gritty (bc pears) and not at all delicious so i threw them away bc not one of the four teens living here would eat them. Meh.
Even expensive weeks can be termed frugal if all money spent is necessary and appropriate. For me, that means spending more if it saves my mental health or that of my family. I am just always grateful that I have the emergencies and the cushions to use.
1. I, myself, had a mental health day that was very helpful. I had a masseuse work on my piriformis and hip flexors in advance of the start to my 14 day pack through of the Tahoe Rim trail. I also had aesthetician work on some preventive skin things. Those two services qualified me to luxuriate in the fully equipped spa area with a free snacky lunch and drinks. I used my local discount to get 20% off services.
2. I printed two hiking schedules at the library near the cabin. I had thought about buying a printer for up here. Much easier to spend .30 using my library card.
3. Packing dilemma. Weight over looks. I am kind of a matchy, curated kind of dresser but in the interest of function over form I choose the lighter, powder blue jacket which will in no way match my other hiking clothes. I briefly thought about a new purchase and then didn’t. Yeah me.
4. I did buy a better pack pillow. I am useless without a good night’s sleep so I plunked down $39.00 and am much happier after a test run.
5. My backpack trip will still be one of the cheapest/ healthiest 14 day adventure vacations available in today’s pricey world.
Good luck to you on your hike. DH has been section hiking the Appalachian Trail for the last five years, off and on (the trail closed down in 2020 due to Covid) so I am very familiar with the purchase of necessary and sometimes expensive gear. Stay safe out there. DH leaves Monday for another section of the White Mountains in NH. I’ll be thinking of you both.
I recently hiked the Otter trail (here in SA) with a 30 year old inherited backpack. I borrowed my son’s (great quality) hiking pillow and sleeping bag, and splurged for good trail food. I’d say your priorities are right on point! I hope you have the most amazing time on the trail!
Cheese. All the cheese. The $5 basket of cheese at Fred Meyer are dangerous on days when I’m stressed.
I hope things steady out for you.
Always inspired by you Katy but don’t often comment. Thought this weeek I would. I bet despite your difficulties there were many more frugal things that happened for you.
For me :
1) have packed my lunch each day for work and have been eating from food already at home, live alone so it takes a while to get through food .
2) started writing down my spending/tracking and budgeting again and noticed I’m not spending much so have little to write in it which is sort of disappointing me but also proves I’m not spending
3) want to buy things just to buy but realise I just don’t need them so walk out of shops empty handed
5) have a swimming centre membership, the cheapest one I can get but wasn’t using it much so started back swimming a couple of times a week so my money is not wasted, swimming is kindest on my body as I have osteoarthritis (I’m 57)
I feel for you Katy. Some days I can’t be sure if life is trying to pass me by or run me over. I’ve been stress eating sweets. I was able to use our United Healthcare rewards to fill out our grocery needs . I did sell a $30 item
When it rains, it pours. I feel your pain and hope for smoother sailing soon.
1) have been using up produce from a gifted CSA box while my friend is out of town
2) back to exercise classes (reasonably priced) at a community center
3) in re-entry mode after a lovely short vacation with a childhood friend -a splurge to celebrate milestone birthday. Economical in that we split the cost and “dined” at grocery stores for breakfast and lunches while on the road.
4) checked out several books that had been on hold at the library
5) gathered items to donate when I do my volunteer gig this weekend
Be of good cheer – those groceries would have cost twice as much here! But mitigating factors – grocery store is INSIDE my residential building, and it’s in downtown Chicago. We pay through the nose for convenience!
hugs,
Janice
That’s a great haul for $25 and change. So there’s that. As for the issues that have cropped up unexpectedly, it does seem like they come in clumps. I say “clumps” because in my mind that word describes a group of unwanted events with extra negativity attached! Take heart Katy…these things will pass, hopefully sooner rather than later.
Yup! Stress buy ice cream and cheese ALL the time! Hope your sh&@ show gets better soon!
Dear Katy, I feel for you! I can only say that family health crises remind us of the reason we have been frugal! When it matters, we can pay for what is needed, whether it’s bills, stress relief, comforts, or making memories.Some things can’t be fixed, but money in the bank can often provide a cushion for the pain.
Wishing you lovely surprises!
I am sorry to hear about your crap filled week. Although I must say it does give me some consolation that you, too, have unfrugal weeks because you always seem so perfectly frugal to someone who isn’t always. So thank you for being so honest.
I did have a few wins this week:
1. The two dogs eat a combined 14 cups a day of dog food. This week it was on sale, plus I had a coupon for $5 off a $50 purchase, plus I had a 10% off the total bill coupon that came with getting my Covid shot last week. Cheapest food we have managed to buy in a long while.
2. Husband was treated to a lunch and ordered perogies. The portion was gigantic and he brought home enough for me to eat for my evening meal.
3. Food bank received over 100 loaves of rustic Italian bread. I snagged one, wrapped it well and put it in the freezer to use for making dressing for Thanksgiving.
4. I listed four pieces of jewelry on eBay. I never was big on wearing necklaces but since I retired I never wear them so I might as well sell them.
5. Inventoried the indoor and outdoor freezers so I quit buying duplicates and have a better idea of what meals to make and don’t lose food to freezer burn. Turns out we have 47 pounds of salmon! I could eat plain broiled salmon every day of the week but the husband is not a fish lover, so I have to make stuff like salmon chowder or patties. Not sure how I let it get so out of hand.
What breed of dog eats that much food per day?
Our Bulldogs each get 2 cups a day and the piled puppies each get 1 c each per day
A Great Dane and a lab. The Dane is the real eater. We got him from the pound at 11 months and he was very underweight. he is now at the right weight, so we are down from 12 or 13 cups of foot laced with bacon grease to 11 cups of food with no grease. He is a trim 185. Our lab is a mix with a larger breed of some kind so hits the 130-pound range. We used to have Irish wolfhounds, which are larger than Danes and when we had two at the same time, they each ate about 12 cups of food a day. We also had chickens so when we bought feed we would take the truck and fill the back with bags of chow so that we didn’t have to buy it so often.
Oh, it’s so hard to ignore the siren call of ice cream when things aren’t going well! Hope things start to improve soon for you and your family.
I’ve been on a major declutter (and reading books to keep me inspired). I finally realized that part of my motivation is that with all the stress I’ve been dealing with (yay family concerns!) choosing what to keep and what to get rid of is the one thing I can consistently control. The folks in my Buy Nothing group have gotten a lot of great stuff lately!
Katy thanks for sharing when things aren’t great.
It helps to see other people have their downs along with their ups.
I agree with others comments that we are frugal most of our days so that when things pop up, we have extra money to get us through those seasons.
Sending a virtual hug across the miles to you and your family. Your stress-buying cheese is perfectly understandable and I hope eating it brought many feel-good vibes to your week of woe. Here’s to much better weeks ahead!
Oh yes, dairy is my go-to food group for stress. I blame this on the fact that my grandparents had a dairy farm in western MA (long time ago) where we spent a lot of time in the summer. If we kids did not finish off a glass of milk at dinner, they wondered if we could possibly be feeling well.
We too have had an expensive generally unfrugal week. We had relatives in town over the weekend and paid for a lot of restaurant meals for 4-6 people Saturday, Sunday, and Tuesday. I met up with friends, some I hadn’t seen in a long time, on Wednesday for lunch. I met up with other friends I see infrequently on Friday for breakfast. Given the circumstances it was okay to spend the money.
We had our porch replaced. The work was very well done but not cheap.
I did go to Costco and stuck to the list. I also stopped at the produce place nearby and got a box of apples for a good price (a frugal hack as it makes them about 50% cheaper than buying by the pound) and one of the world’s largest cantaloupes for $3.99. Costco is ready for “Christmas”, good grief!!!
Along with everyone else, Katy, I’m sorry about your stressful week. None of us can be frugal all the time, especially when the universe is proving that “s**t happens.” I wish full recoveries to the family members with health issues, and easier times ahead for you, Mr. NCA, and the offspring.
I don’t have a full five frugal things to report, but here’s what I’ve got:
(1) I found a clean and almost full, but unwrapped, roll of paper towels on a curb during this morning’s walk. And given what paper towels cost these days, I didn’t hesitate to scoop it up. (Paging Yogi Berra yet again: “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” Also a roll of paper towels, a working wristwatch, etc., etc.)
(2) The Bestest Neighbors have been away for a week visiting Dr. BN’s daughter and her family on Cape Cod, and will be away for another week, so I did some gleaning (by permission) in their fenced-in vegetable garden. I came away with a few tomatoes, some green beans, and some Asian greens. I’ll put the beans and greens into a stir-fry this evening with some Wegmans Reduced for Quick Sale boneless pork from the freezer.
(3) Maybe not frugal now, but frugal later, I hope: I’m working hard to get my neighbors on board with a pilot program for deer control. Our city has been culling deer with USDA sharpshooters for a year or two now–but our street doesn’t meet the state requirement of sharpshooters’ being at least 250 feet from any building. So the pilot program (if it’s approved and funded) will be taking an approach called “bait/trap/euthanize.” Explaining it here in detail would be a bit long, and might not work for the squeamish. But here’s what I said in an email to my street’s Google Group:
“For folks who may have some qualms about bait/trap/euthanize, I admit that it won’t be particularly pretty. Neither is sharpshooting. But then, neither is the constant risk of Lyme and other tick-borne diseases (at least four neighbors that I know of, including myself, have had Lyme). Neither is the increased risk of chronic wasting disease and other diseases among the deer themselves as overcrowding increases. Neither is the massive damage done by deer to our gardens and yards, and to the green environment in general. And neither is the growing number of deer/motor vehicle collisions (I myself have seen two near-misses in the past month).
“Finally, consider this statistic: My total number of deer sightings for the month of August, as reported to the city in my deer diary, was 91. That’s too many deer, my friends. So the pilot program looks to me like the best chance we have of making at least a dent in the deer population, and I heartily support it.”
They cause entirely to many car accidents and fatalities.
My son works in the collision field and there’s already a waiting list of a month plus due to deer hits.
I am wholeheartedly in favor of culling the herds.
Sharpshooting is quick – they don’t allow wannabees. IMHO, trapping deer is not humane. Has anyone even delved into the root cause of the alleged over population (and yes, I am generously inclined to cut your count in half)? I liken it to areas that flood that have never flooded before. I suspect habitat/food supply has forced them into your area.
Katy, I look forward to reading your blog so much. Sorry to hear that the cluster of difficult stuff hit you, but you are always an inspiration. Thank you for posting.
That is a lot on your plate. I hope things settle down soon. At least you aren’t compounding the problem with convenience purchases.
I feel you, we have had numerous major issues all year, well since March. We just buried my FIL out of state and are traveling home now. Our 5th trip since march between CO and OH. I hope your day and week gets better and your kids can move past the current crises – it’s so hard when our kids struggle! Your kids are lucky to have you
Oh, Katy, what a week! I joke that times like these are why I’m frugal. It feels terrible, but it’s not the end of the world, because you have resources.
I got Covid while we were visiting the grandkids and I literally had one hour to decide whether or not to take Paxlovid. The quoted price was $1700, and Kaiser said it wasn’t covered because I was out of their service area. Grrr! It was such a hard decision! Spending so much money on something “optional” for myself was an awful dilemma. Ultimately I did it, because I didn’t want my grandkids or their parents to get sick.
When we got to the pharmacy, I joined their “club”, which knocked the price down to “only” $1450. I pulled the trigger and bought it. I recovered quickly, but chewing all that recommended fruit-flavored sugarless gum made my tooth hurt. When I got home, I submitted the Paxlovid prescription and a protest. Wonder of wonders, Kaiser approved it on the first attempt. $1450 back in my pocket! Then I went to the dentist to check out why my tooth hurt. Turns out I had a tiny crack. I’m now the proud owner of a new $1550 crown. Oh, well, at least I got my $1450 back. It could have been worse.
I hope the road smooths out soon.
If the medication is something that Kaiser would cover within their service area then it happens just as it happened to you-you pay out of pocket and submit for reimbursement. It’s not that it’s not covered, it’s just not covered in the usual way. I’m also a Kaiser patient, as are my parents, so I have some extensive knowledge of accessing care outside their service area.
It’s not that straightforward, alas. I’m on Medicare and have Kaiser’s Senior [Dis-]Advantage Plan. Apparently NO prescription drugs are covered if you’re out of their service area. However, Paxlovid is still covered by the Feds for Medicare patients, through 2024. Therefore, it IS covered, and this far into the pandemic, Kaiser reps certainly should have been aware of this. I spoke to four different people, and they all said “no”. It caused a huge amount of unnecessary stress and has me strongly reconsidering my healthcare coverage. Well, that and the fact that I haven’t been able to get an appointment with my primary for over a year…
On top of that, they sent me an email on a Saturday telling me my claim was approved and offering multiple forms of fast reimbursement, including Zelle, direct transfer, etc. Except the system wouldn’t let me log on to make a choice. I had to wait until Monday to get it fixed. Three people, including a supervisor, had no idea how to do so. At that point, I was informed that after three days, it automatically reverts to check by mail. A few days later, I was informed via snail mail that a check would be mailed out “within 14 days”. What??? it’s been 14 days, and I have no check. Imagine if I actually needed $1450 to feed my family or pay some bills…bah humbug, Kaiser Permanente! You can do better!
Sorry to hear you have had a rough week Katy, I hope things are better from now on.
I didn’t have a frugal week at all, my sister and I went to my aunt’s 100th birthday celebration a couple of hours away. We got an Airbnb for the night, and ate out a couple of times (my cousin and my sister paid for meals though, as I was the driver, and my sister chipped in for gas as well, which was nice). We had a meal at my cousin’s house, which was nice, and we took wine and appetizers to share. All in all it was really wonderful, and my aunt (who is in a nursing home and has some dementia) seemed to enjoy herself.
On the way home my sister and I stopped at a market for some specialty food items, and the cashier asked if we were having a “mother-daughter day”.
Note that my younger sister is only 4 years younger than me! This is the first time this has happened to me, so we had to laugh. The poor cashier. I think she felt terrible. I was okay with it, as my sister is 58 but could pass for 40 if you don’t look too closely. She is petite, and I am not, and doesn’t have grey hair as I do. To make myself feel better I say it’s not that I look old, it’s that she looks young.
It’s been another great week. Normally, I find Friday the 13th a lucky day for me…(a 100 on a math quiz in 3rd grade was a Friday the 13th miracle!)
This week we’ve had..I got bronchitis…my brand new $1000 brakes are squealing…mechanic is trying to find it…hours at the shop-our garage got an infestation of wasps…well worth the $150 cost for the exterminator, but yet another hassle…the refrigerator started to leak (hopefully was due to a bad filter, I replaced and emptied the drip pan) broke a glass, cut my thumb. Guys working here on our our conditioning Friday …one guy cut his leg and had to get stitches, another guy cut his hand, they need to come back Thursday to finish…
I think we all need to burn sage in our homes.
Bad things happen. Like the Morton Salt slogan says, “when it rains, it pours.” (No pun intended, Katy).
Yes, I buy dairy — in the form of Blue Bell Ice Cream — when stressed. Luckily, the store I work for has it as a loss leader, so it’s about 3 or 4 bucks cheaper than Aldi, Walmart, H-E-B, and other stores.
Here are my 5:
1. Took some books to a Little Free Library, and saw a Carl Hiaasen paperback. Grabbed it and read it while substitute teaching; kids were doing their computer assignment so I didn’t have a lot of classroom stuff to do. I will return the book for others to enjoy.
2. Annual eye exam. Eye doctor said use OTC PreserVision pills; his receptionist wanted to sell me a bottle for $42. I politely thanked her and went home. I already have 2 big bottles of the stuff obtained from my Humana Medicare Advantage mail order pharmacy….for free!
3. Got my eyeglasses prescription and will likely get them at Walmart…or another discount place. Will comparison shop the prices first.
4. Instead of buying crossword puzzle books, I’m working the free online crosswords. My favorite: Boatload Puzzles, which has something like 5,000 different ones. Don’t even have to register/sign up to access them!
5. Hired a new yard man since I was having nothing but trouble from the regular guy. This fellow is cheaper and does a better job. He even moved some heavy logs so I can use that part of the driveway again! Can’t wait until Mr. No-Show, the regular guy, comes by and finds out the job is done and he’s no longer needed.
5.1 But this also contains a frugal fail: Sadly, the new guy did too good a job: trying to impress me, he cut back some trees and rosebushes that I didn’t want cut. Several rosebushes were pulled up, as were some seedling trees I wanted to transplant. He also cut off the lower limbs of trees near the patio, which give me some much-needed shade. It’s going to cost me a lot of money, and several years, to get things back like they were before, the way I wanted it. New guy apologized and offered to plant roses for me….but I would have to buy them. Not good. (But, I supposed, it’s better than having him buy roses, as he probably wouldn’t get a good species. He doesn’t know a lot about gardening, just yardwork.) Looking over the disaster area that was once my back rose garden, I found a bush that was cut to the ground; it was a grafted rose so its pretty pink roses are gone and it will come back as a red rose. Methinks I will have him transplant it to the front flower bed, where I have started some red roses. So maybe all is not lost, although I’m sick about it.
Fru-gal Lisa, your 5.1: so sorry that happened to you. I’d be sick, too.
Aww, your 5.1 is the reason that I book my “Wonder James” on days when I can be out there, too.
He lives up to his name, and yet even HE cannot read my mind, and my garbled directions sometimes require writing and speaking and interpretive dance before what I am visualizing has been made clear.
There have been a few oopses, but nothing nearly as heartbreaking as what you describe… (and a lot of his decisions to clear things out were actually in my favour, so I feel doubly blessed to still have him working for me)
As for your Eye exam stuff, I am with you, sister! I hate paying the prices the eye doctor wants to charge for a new pair of glasses, however I am getting to the point where a 5 year old pair of glasses just isn’t cutting it as far as my changed eyes are concerned.
Why, oh why, do our eyes get dryer, more sensitive to allergies, stuck floaters in the middle of our vision (my current ‘challenge’), and significant changes in the prescription between left and right so that regular cheapo $10 readers no longer suffice?
Dryer eyes. When I cleaned out a dear friend’s medicine cabinet, I found three little plastic bottles of Systane. They have been a huge game changer in keeping my dry eyes moist. I think of Francie twice a day when I put in drops. Have purchased several times since I used up my inheritance.
Her house was otherwise packed to the gills. Luckily, she had two daughters and a will.
Once that house sells you will be so relieved!
I never noticed it before, but I do stress buy dairy. Particularly CHEESE. LOL, that is so American of us, don’t you think?
Okay, so don’t cringe. My Grannie always said to me “this too, shall pass”. It doesn’t sound like a platitude in my brain because I hear her sweet whisper in my ear as she gave me a hug.
I had an awful NOT frugal couple of days. I prepared for my cousin’s funeral and got up extra early to bake off 8 doz cookies, 2 berry cobblers + 1 peach cobbler, put together my layered green salad, load mom in the truck and head the 1 1/2 hours away. Well, got there and I was a day early. Apparently my 85 yo aunt changed the date to accommodate the other side of the family and it was put on facebook – I don’t social anything. One of the cousins got a good laugh out of it and then offered to drive us the next day. I had to make a new salad, but the desserts were fine.
All was enjoyed, it was a great turn out and I came home with empty dishes.
So I take it the monies/time/labor invested in said parental home will pay back when sold? Often hard to decide to sell as is. And I do hope it is not just the monies from your kitty. Aka all inheritors have some skin in the game.
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