Non-Consumer Mish-Mash
by Katy on June 20, 2025 · 37 comments
Bells & Whistles for my Date Book
I scavenged a piece of hot pink poster board from my neighbor’s recycling bin and used it to add a few features to my homemade daily planner. I then grabbed a couple leftover scraps from my classroom map blinds as the sturdy paper is backed with fabric. My used-to-be-a-regular-blank-book now has a built-in bookmark and pen holder.
The best part is that the poster board was a leftover anti-fascist sign from the No Kings march! My secret stand against an authoritarian regime.
Here are my vintage map blinds for those who didn’t read the blog back in 2011:
Dim Sum
My husband and I went out for Chinese dim sum and brought the leftovers to our daughter’s apartment. We try not to eat out too often, but when we do we lean towards food we can’t make at home. For those in the Portland area, the restaurant Excellent Cuisine on S.E. Division Street is the absolute best, especially their dim sum!
The total was $50 for six plates of food, including a tip.
Egg Prices!
My husband I stopped at Winco after dim sum and stocked up on eggs, as this is the cheapest I’ve seen them all year. Time to make some more Deviled eggs!
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
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{ 37 comments… read them below or add one }
1. Had to return berry boxes to nephew, but he and his family are on vacation. So, returned to his parents (DH’s S & BIL – they live next door to each other) and visited them. S asks if we want eggs as both households have chickens and they are overrun at the moment. YES, PLEASE! Gave us 2 (18 ct) cartons of eggs. One for us and 1 for brother that lives a mile down the road from us. FREE EGGS!!!
2. Made a loaf of English muffin bread the other day with ingredients I already had on hand. 2 slices of toast with butter and orange marmalade for breakfast along with the “nectar of the gods” (a.k.a. COFFEE).
3. DH has a group therapy session this morning (2 hours). Since I have to drive him, I will go sit somewhere, the park maybe, and work on crocheting dishcloths while I wait. Should get about 3 done during that time. Will park next to the restroom as I have unidentified GI issues and there are times it’s NOT pretty. Had testing on Tuesday. All the tests so far haven’t identified the problem yet. Waiting on the results of Tuesday’s test. Praying this provides some answers.
4. Tomorrow I’m taking a friend who doesn’t drive to her sister’s for the weekend. Sister has stage 4 cancer and is getting close to needing hospice care. Sister lives in a town about 30 minutes away. Just learned about a grocery outlet store in same town, so going to check that out while I’m there.
5. Have to clean off the kitchen table when I get home. You know what they say about flat surfaces accumulating stuff. About 80% of the table is currently covered. (Anyone have a shovel I can borrow?)
6. Picked up a cheap box of dryer sheets the other day. Can’t use for laundry as DH is allergic to ALL fabric softener, but I heard that if you put a dryer sheet in your mailbox, it will keep spiders and other critters OUT of your mailbox. Our mailbox is sort of in the woods next to a tree and there’s all kinds of critters in it. DH’s job is to clean outmailbox, then put a couple dryer sheets in the back and hope the insects and arachnids STAY OUT. (Last summer I stopped to get the mail and, thank heaven I looked up before reaching for the mailbox. There was a black snake on the tree just above the mailbox! NOPE – THE MAIL WILL WAIT ANOTHER DAY!)
If those dryer sheets are scented, put a couple of them under your car seat to work as air fresheners.
My mom’s friend crocheted her a dishcloth, and I think that thing stood up to heavy use for maybe 30 years; when my parents passed away, I used it for many years afterward. I keep looking for some more, but haven’t found any yet, not even at garage/estate sales.
Melissa, sorry to say I have had colitis for about 25 years now. Lately, possibly owing to unbearabld stress at home, have had, uh, unpleasantness overnight. They do sell fecal incontinence underwear, as much as it makes me squirm to admit I need it sometimes. Look into it, maybe.
Sorry, folks, I’m as grossed out as you are. Welcome to my life.
Melissa N, and Rose,
I hope your GI issues are identified (Melissa N.), and the recent stresses calm down (Rose). GI issues are awful to deal with, though I don’t need to tell either of you that.
And Liz, if there was anything I could cure about myself it would be chronic fatigue syndrome. It has blighted my life since 1990*. It is truly dreadful to be exhausted all the time. I cannot remember what it was like to feel healthy.
*Yuppie flu was a funny punchline back then.
Rose – you’re never alone with something like this – better not to feel alone, right?
Thanks, folks. The number of illnesses/syndromes I have, if I were a horse they’d’ve shot me long ago. I believe the collagenous colitis is caused by my daily overuse of ibuprofen, because of fibromyalgia. Whoop de damn do.
Ask about microscopic colitis–a lot of doctors miss it and sufferers spend years trying to get a diagnosis. I was very lucky and they found it after my first colonoscopy 25 years ago.
Collagenous colitis means there is a thick band of collagen in the colon that shouldn’t be there. Result: endless diarrhea. The other microscopic colitis, meanin obvs it can only be diagnosed with a microscope, is lymphocytic colitis. Both are known to strike middle aged women in partic, and there is some debate about whether collagenous and lymphocytic should be considered one disease.
There was a spectacular rainbow when I walked last night. It was bright and complete.
I was wondering this morning about the ratio of free activities versus non-free activities (and not to forget money making activities) people engage in on a regular basis. I try to have more of free variety. On Tuesday I met a friend for a walk and this afternoon I will walk to a friend’s house for a chat. I talked to a friend on the phone yesterday. I also visited with a neighbor three times this week.
Our town has a Community Concert on Wednesday evenings during the summer in a small park. If we have inclement weather (a lot of that lately), it’s held in the Presbyterian church across the street from the park. Never been to one, but may do that next week.
Our town has “Third Friday” concerts during the late spring/summer that are free, and a nearby town also has free concerts – I think once a month? – from May through September, music of various genres (country, Pink Floyd tribute band, yacht rock, etc). Our public library also has free events, such as online discussions with popular authors, do a craft, etc., as well as various clubs for kids and adults (there used to be a Pokémon card club, and maybe there still is, as an example). At least one Dayton, OH public library offers free passes to various museums in that area (I live about a 30 minute drive from Dayton, and Ohio residents can join any Ohio public library for free, and as many Ohio public libraries as you want). For foreign members, I’m in the US.
Yesterday was our every 10 day shopping trip to Costco and local grocery store. $300 later which included dog food we’re set except for fresh fruits and vegetables as needed
We’re hosting family dinner on Sunday. Oldest sons birthday on Saturday and brother in law’s birthday Sunday
Made meatloaf out of leftover pork tenderloin that I ground up..actually very tasty
Anxiously awaiting to hear about next steps for job interview and younger son’s upcoming surgery at MD Anderson in Houston
@Katy, when you and your husband are together and you see egg prices like that, (or another great deal with a maximum # at that price) do you both go through the teller with your two dozen each? Curious minds want to know
My husband and I have done that before, especially during the Covid Toilet Paper Shortage.
Husband and I did this with the free taco coupons we had. One per customer. Well-we’re two customers!
1. When I saw my daughter in the ‘big city’ earlier this week, we remembered that I had a couple of hand-me-down hiking backpacks in the car. We determined which one was the right size and I worked with her to adjust the rather stiff straps to ensure it will be comfortable. She isn’t yet a serious hiker but will be needing to carry quite a bit of gear on her summer canoeing adventure, so a free pack for now is a great solution.
2. That same daughter is going to see if she can use one of the $20 off $50 coupons that I have at a local outdoors store, before they expire. She is needing some new outdoor footwear, and although she is leaning toward runners the option of light trail shoes is out there. Who knows what she will do?
3. Although not really frugal save for future much-healthier me, I got to my gym for another training session with my coach. I am always surprised at how much better my mood is and how much more energy I have after these intense workouts, you would think I’d have learned by now? Anyway, I continue to see great progress particularly in agility, ability to climb up on things and get up from the floor, balance, and of course strength. Everything I am reading about aging women’s health points to the need for us all to increase and maintain our muscles, which will ensure that we are less likely to fall, and far less likely to break something if we did.
4. I had a wonderful flurry of texts yesterday while enjoying a great visit with my baby grandson and one of my oldest friends (I was on kid duty and invited her over, it was awesome even when he wailed for 25 minutes):
My middle child (son-26) was presenting his research findings at a big huge chemistry conference in Ottawa. Of course he was the penultimate speaker, so had the entire 4 day conference to be anxious, however his lovely girlfriend sent me a video of his presentation, and one would NEVER know he was nervous. I am so proud of what he is doing with his career and how well he articulates his research. Even I understand a large amount of what is going on, due to his careful explanations. SO PROUD!
My Daughter texted to say she had received IN HER BANK ACCOUNT over $16,000 CDN, due to selling a unique account name she had on some online gaming thing. I guess she got the name over 10 years ago, on a whim, and although she occasionally gamed under it, the name wasn’t her main account. The person who purchased tried for over 4 years to get her to sell – the ante was upped every year, and this year she became interested. The money came by wire transfer, so not something that could get clawed back, and she is feeling so delighted (and is tucking away the money she will need for taxes, as she is clever that way). I thought I did well selling a URL a year or so ago, but she tripled that.
I also heard about the Turkish Rug that I purchased on my trip in April – a lovely man texted to say he wanted to deliver it on Friday (FINALLY!!). We ended up talking on the phone, apparently he arrived with the rugs in eastern Canada and has been driving across the country delivering them. I laughed, and when I asked if he had any idea how big Canada was before this trip, there was a long sigh on the other end of the phone… It is an epic driving trip, for sure. I need to do a stash and dash to clear the floor for the delivery, as the living room has become a dump zone, but that is happening in a few moments.
5. My Daughter Outlaw had replacement watch straps for my Fitbit, which she located and tucked into my bag before she forgot. I was thinking I might just stop wearing a watch when the last strap broke, however I have looked at my wrist at least twice an hour since the watch was gone, and realize my ADHD brain really needs that touchstone to get back on track, over and over and over…
6. I, too, am overrun with eggs, today’s ‘pick’ was well over 2 dozen as the new hens are coming on line and producing 20 eggs daily, the old hens still are each giving me an egg at least every other day which adds up to 8 or so more. Today due to timing of chicken coop visit I got 2 ½ dozen of just the new hens, so egg washing and fridge clearing is also in my future. I have a few ‘clients’ – and a few places where I can sell extras, thank heavens.
The service manager at the little garage down the road has chickens. He hasn’t had any lately (molting), but when he has them, he sells them for $3/dozen. Nothing like going into the auto mechanic to buy eggs!
One summer the church that hosts the local food pantry had a guy bringing in dozens of eggs each week for donation to the families. We were all scurrying around saving our egg cartons for them to use.
This morning I made banana muffins and vegetarian cottage pie to turn a number of cartons and bags in the freezer into breakfast and lunch. Picked fresh thyme, basil, rosemary and sage from my tiny herb garden and a handful of fat cherry tomatoes from the plant in the giant pot.
Thought a bottle of sweet red wine that had been open awhile in the fridge might have gone over, but it was still good. Aldi wine is remarkably sturdy. I added some black cherry sparkling water to make a homemade wine cooler for pennies.
Ruby, I too have been harvesting herbs, though primarily for drying: oregano, thyme, and peppermint. Thanks for reminding me that I also need to cut some sage. No tomatoes here yet, but the two plants NDN and I share behind her chain-link fence are starting to set fruit.
Also, if you ever do have a bottle of red wine “go over,” try making herb vinegar with it.
And to celebrate the summer solstice yesterday, I dug 18 fine, fat, healthy heads of garlic. (Not a nick or scratch on a single one of them; my digging technique has improved with age.) They’re currently sunbathing on a tarp in the driveway; in a day or so, I’ll haul them up to my attic to finish drying. In midsummer, when the garlic and the various herbs are all drying in the attic, it’s an olfactory experience!
Wonderful garlic! What great smells! I always wanted a house that smelled of herbs and natural scents. Unfortunately, I fear it is mostly mildewy damp. I don’t think people can smell their own houses.
Whatever was the smell of my parents’ house, (soap, Spic ‘n Span, other unidentifiable clean things, fruit), it hits me when I open a box of papers or the trunk I have from there. Very comforting.
(And the scent does not “assail my nostrils” as is the common phrase in books).
OK, Heidi Louise, you’ve just given me a blast from the past and a big laugh. When I was a very bookish 8-year-old, I once walked with my mother and my oldest sister into our local grocery. (Ruby, this was one of the Red Food Stores, which I think got bought up by Food Lion at some point.) Anyway, there was a distinctly off odor in the produce department, and I wrinkled up my 8-year-old nose and said, “What is this odor that assails my nostrils?” Mom and Big Sis laughed all the way back to the car, and to this day, Big Sis has never let me forget about it. 😛
Thank you–I loved this story!
Was whatever was assailing your nostrils an assailant? Rather dramatic visual picture if the source was tomatoes or something squishy coming at your face.
1. Got my insurance reimbursement (for last month’s car towing) in the mail, and deposited it in the credit union account.
2. Called my former neighbor and found out his stepson is back in town and wants to do some handyman work. I just may have a chore or two…
3. Ran out to Wallyworld to get some groceries; found their outdoor ceiling fans are on rollback, so I snagged one for the covered patio. It has a built-in LED light, which will be nice and cheap to run. Good thing I comparison shop bc I realized Walmart’s price on soda pop is far more than what we charge at the store I where I work. But their milk is cheaper, so I got some. Ditto, the watermelons: I paid $3.49 (for an individual size) instead of the $10 the farmer charges at our store for one that’s only a smidgen larger.
4. Measured my car to see if vinyl plank packages would fit; went to the outlet to look them over and pick out some colors. Didn’t buy anything; I’m getting ready for their upcoming bargain night.
5. Didn’t get my country involved in a Middle Eastern war.
IMHO, Wallworld is cheaper on very few products – and usually just a penny or two on most food items I’ve seen. A feminine hygiene product was $1.00 less per 72 pack at a Midwest big box than Wally. Plus 11% off on it to boot.
1. Made pizza from scratch today. I baked two personal size pies, ate one, froze one. Also froze the remaining unbaked crust. I used the crust recipe from the Tightwad Gazette, which calls for the use of a food processor. It’s been quite a while since I used one, and I made quite a mess of it. Think maybe I would do better just kneading the dough manually.
2. Figured out that my Mariano’s card works for gas discount at any Kroger store. Filled up at Food4Less, and the card was accepted.
3. I had an eye exam today, and I walked there. The exam was free with my Medicare Advantage plan; however, I did choose to pay $41 for tests for glaucoma and a retinal exam. All is well. Prescription unchanged, no glasses needed, just the readers I already have.
4. My son installed my AC window units yesterday. Not using them yet, but they’ll get a workout tomorrow. I am, in turn, babysitting his cat while he travels the next few weeks.
5. Paged through the Tightwad Gazette. Much is now dated, but found several recipes I’d forgotten and want to make again.
I have a bread machine I use for yeast breads, pizza dough, and pot pie dough. Wouldn’t have to use it for the pot pie dough, but it’s easier for me. I always do everything on the dough cycle and bake in a regular loaf pan or on a pizza pan. Pot pie dough doesn’t take the whole cycle, only about 10-15 minutes until it’s mixed up. Then, I roll the dough as thin as possible and cut it in small squares. It swells during the boiling process. Since my husband is the only one who eats it, I only make 1/2 the dough recipe and put it in the boiling beef broth with the shredded beef, some minced onion, a little salt, black pepper snd the homemade noodles. (In case you’re wondering, it’s PA Dutch style pot pie. Not like a double crust pie with meat, vegetables and gravy inside.)
I know nothing of this PA Dutch style pot pie… boiling dough? small squares? what is this creature? Tell me more, please!!!
1. We have a friend who is painting our living room and outdoor, the fascia on the gables. It looks amazing, he needed the work, and it was cheaper than hiring someone ELSE, but more costly than doing it ourselves. He’s stayed with us, provided milk and breakfast pastry, and we kept him well fed. Fun visits. I’ll be glad to have the house back soon. New living room, new to us, anyway.
2. I picked up two funny books out of a free box on the corner. I’ll read, then put into our free library.
3. My peas and strawberries are about finished for summer. I planted more sunflowers and cucumbers in their place (peas, berries will come around again as perennials).
4. Watched an episode the Ken Burns Ben Franklin series last night, and it was so good. Free on PBS.
5. Took a free walk around the neighborhood. Watered the yard before it got hot. Pulled and fed weeds to the hens. Banana water and coffee grounds on the garden where needed. Used an old notebook to take notes.
Julia, what does banana water do?
Five frugal things?:
1. Hubby was able to finish the roof of the shed today with his friends borrowed ladder and his friend holding the ladder. He was about 1 shingle short so he improvised rather than opening up a new bag of shingles that cost $50. The shingles that he used where what the roofers left after our roof was replaced. The guys knew he was doing the shed.
2. Hubby went to Aldi today and got eggs for $2.49/dozen. Pluls milk, cookies, bread and atomic pickles.
3. My health insurance hasn’t approved my knee replacement surgery yet so I’ve been moping around the house.
4. Hubby paid back his friend by having his friend’s favorite German beer here as well as Johnny’s Polish Hot Dogs.
5. We ate out of the fridge this week. I’ve been on Ozempic for the last few weeks and my appetite is barely there. Lost 13 pounds so far!
I always look forward to a new Katy post, just as much for the inspiring comments as for the original post!
1) At work yesterday they were tossing a cedar rack that roses had shipped in on. I threw it in the back of the truck, instead. Some paint, and I will have a lovely new potting bench, which will solve an organization problem on the back porch, as well.
2) A friend and I take turns visiting each other for “working playdates.” It was my turn to host, so we weeded out one of my front beds. Refreshments were cold water and lemon bars I had made from the only two lemons my Meyer lemon tree produced this year.
3) We also planted two blueberries, two raspberries, and a bunch of strawberries. These were all rescued from the compost pile at my part time nursery job. I still have a rescued rose and red currant bush to plant.
4) Our landlord is also our neighbor and friend. He is an older gentleman, and we help him with tasks that are too much for one person (like trimming a tree or pulling out a stump). He mows our lawn/drain field so we don’t need to buy a mower. He is also a woodworker, and yesterday he brought me a beautiful carved and painted wooden sign for my gardening business. He even used my favorite colors!
5) It was pizza night, so I whipped up a batch of dough in the morning and let it rise slowly all day. Toppings were scavenged from the vegetable drawer, and I had some cooked sausage in the freezer leftover from a past meal. Instead of a fancy Friday date night, we had pizza and a beer at home on the deck, chatting and watching the wildlife wander through our neighbor’s orchard across the lane.
That sounds like a pretty fancy night to me!
1) DH lost his job, which we knew was coming. The company concealed information about their operations and his role to get him to sign on, and turned out to be a dysfunctional mess keeping up appearances with tons of VC money. He’ll put up with a lot because he truly loves solving problems, and he lasted longer than anyone else has in the job, but was growing deeply frustrated and has been on the verge of quitting while waiting them out to secure severance and unemployment. It stings because we really needed the elbow room this summer, but we’ll figure it out.
2) We have insurance through the end of the month, which isn’t enough time. Beyond tired of dealing with the American healthcare system, especially with the chance that the ACA will be repealed. I’ve been having odd flashes in my left eye, the kind that can mean retinal detachment, and my doctor sent me straight to the urgent clinic at the eye center to be sure. It’s not that, but I have a follow-up in 6 weeks, which won’t be covered, right after I max out my deductible.
3) After the eye clinic, we dropped by Trader Joe’s and stuck to the list: bananas, milk, a few GF treats to share with our son, a few snacks and frozen items that are much less there. Back to a modified pantry challenge, for obvious reasons. We’ll be fine for a while. Pantry shopping is a grossly underestimated frugal tool – the ROI is incredible and so is the food security.
4) Heat wave. We get a 2-3 day lag because the house is brick, but it’s going to be brutal. We cool the bedroom, closing the door at night and opening it during the day, which, with ceiling and floor fans, keeps us comfortable. We’ll need to install the backup window unit tomorrow.
5) I didn’t go a billion dollars over budget while acting like brownshirts.
You might consider paying COBRA for a couple of months – get a diagnosis and you maxed out your deductible.
I am sorry to hear this, Mati. Sending you many good wishes for some positives to come your way!
Katy, can you repost the map blinds how-tos? I tried the link you gave, then did a search… but it didn’t work.
thanks so much.
And let’s see…
*I saved 72 cents by buying eggs from one Amish store ($3.75) versus another ($3.99). Very proud of myself that I noticed. Farm-fresh eggs, too.
And we got a free steak dinner in return for hearing a spiel on arthritis treatment. (No, we didn’t sign up.) Brought enough steak and baked potato home to have steak hash the next morning for breakfast. Two free meals!
I didn’t post a “how to” as I made them in 2005, a couple years before I started blogging. However, all I did was to buy regular roller binds and I used a staple gun to attach the classroom maps to the new rollers. I cut along the sides and glued a “hem” at the bottom over the plastic rod-like piece that came with the new blinds.