Sometimes I have things I want to share with my readers, but are not enough to stand alone as entire columns. This time has come again.
Which means . . . it’s mish-mash time!
Here’s terrific post from unclutterer that I think I might actually print out to put on my fridge for inspiration. (Although . . . having a bunch of crap magnetted to the fridge isn’t exactly an uncluttered look.)
The British soccer coach we’ve been hosting drove off to his new family today. I do worry that our frugal and simple living ways, (read — there were no restaurant meals or boating trips) were a bit dull for a 21-year-old guy looking for fun.
I did check out the British version of The Office from the library though, which was a massive hit. He and his soccer coaching lads stopped by on most days to watch a few episodes.
I guess I should feel good that our spare bedroom is really quite nice, and unlike his host family bedroom in Wyoming does not include a cabinet full of machine guns!
I hosted a large family get together the other night for 11 people and went to “The Grocery Outlet” for the first time. Holy crap, was that place cheap! Very nice gourmet items like seven ounce rounds of double cream herb brie for $3.29 and big packs of prosciutto ham for not much more. I baked four loaves of french bread from The Frugal Girl’s recipe using half white whole wheat flour which worked out very well. I then assembled large artisan sandwiches and sliced them up and arranged them on Fiestaware platters. It was a huge hit and super cheap to boot!
Thanks Kristen!
I had somehow gotten down to possessing only two respectable non-stained/ non-ripped T-shirts in my wardrobe and had even visited Goodwill last week to replenish, and was only able to find one $4.99 shirt I could stand to buy.
However, my son and I came across a garage sale on Saturday where I found five perfectly acceptable T-shirts in my size, plus two dressy tops for 50 cents apiece! I am so happy to have this task behind me, and even returned the $4.99 Goodwill top today, as it still had it’s tags on.
It would be very hard to ever go back to shopping in regular stores again!
My savings account is growing by leaps and bounds, which is a delightful surprise to me. I put any found, unexpected or bonus cash straight into my credit union about once every week or two.
Today I put in a $50 check that I received in the mail over the weekend from my friend Julie. I had joined the union recently and put her name down as a referral. This apparently meant she was sent a $50 check, which she in turn sent to me. I also had $25 my mother slipped me in gratitude for not having to host the family get together at her house.
I explained to the teller how I was putting any extra cashola into savings, and he showed me a secret spot in the free coin counting machine where change often gets stuck. There was nothing there today, but I know I’ll never be able to resist a peek on subsequent trips.
J.D. Roth over at Get Rich Slowly writes about his Frugal Weekend, which is quite interesting. Make sure to read through the comments, as it’s half the fun!
Walking home from buying Fred Meyer bulk spices with my sister and 13-year-old this evening, I was on a fresh high from finding 11 cents on the ground:
Me: “Coin-Girl strikes again!”
Son: “If you’re Coin-Girl, then I’m Cash-Boy. I find cash in registers, all I need is a gun!”
Me: (To self) “Uh-oh, maybe he’s been to Wyoming!”
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Yay for your savings account! It is exhilarating to watch it grow, isn’t it? Love it.
And yay that your french bread baking is going so well!
I’m so envious of your frugal ways. Way to go on all your “coin-girl” savings finds! I need to start checking the coin machines I think!
Wow, I can’t believe you didn’t know about the Grocery Outlet! It’s a great resource, and you often find otherwise-expensive items there like vitamins, organic/natural beauty items, etc. I got tasty canned salmon for $.99/can last week, while it’s $2.50 even at Trader Joe’s! My suggestion is to always shop Grocery Outlet (or “The Used Food Store”) first before heading to more traditional stores.
That is absolutely hilarious about the teller giving you a tip about the coin counting machine.
I’m so envious of your garage sales and Goodwill. We really don’t have garage sales where people offer perfectly nice T-shirts or never-worn sunglasses. My sunglasses are cracked and scratched and one lens keeps popping out, making me feel like a bag lady. I might break down and buy new sunglasses!
Hey, I know you love Wyoming!
Your blog, unclutterer and soule mama are my favorites so it’s nice to see something from unclutterer on here.
How cool to see something from unclutterer on here. It’s one of my favs along with yours, of course.
I made the bread last night and it didn’t come out quite right (dough was too wet) but boy, it tasted great! I like forgiving AND frugal. recipes. Thanks!
So what’s the secret hiding place in the coin counting machines? Tell, tell!!