The Non-Consumer Advocate

I gathered up all my “empty” Blistex lip balms and scooped out the inaccessible goo to create a single Franken-Blistex. I did this using my trusty Starbucks “splash stick” that I keep on hand for this specific purpose. (Yes, that’s really what they’re called!) I get annoyed with throwing away the last bits of beauty products, so this is how I make sure to get my money’s worth.

I jokingly told my husband that I was “saving ‘ones’ of dollars!”

I convinced my son to drive the extra five or so minutes to shop at Winco instead of Albertson’s last night. (It helped that I was visiting with him and did the actual driving.) It saved him money, plus I was able to pick up the couple items (curry powder, tostadas) that I normally buy at Winco.

As an added bonus, there was an abandoned McMenamin’s Gearhart Hotel canvas tote bag in the parking lot and I brought it home as there were no cars nearby.

I earned enough points using the Fetch* app to cash out for a $25 Safeway gift card.

I drove across town and dropped off yet another probate legal form for my late father-in-law’s estate. The more efficient my husband and I are with this process, the sooner we can settle the estate and stop paying all his expenses and get reimbursed for the multiple expensive things we’ve paid out of pocket for.

I didn’t buy a teeny tiny Lear Jet.

I finally got my shipment of free wood chips that I signed up for through ChipDrop.com. It’s hard to tell in this photo, but this pile is as tall as my garage door, so I’ll be offering it up on Buy Nothing once I’m done spreading it out over my front and back yards.

Our oven pooped out on Father’s Day, which our son noticed after he mixed up a batch of brownies. I texted my next door neighbors asking if I could use their oven. (They’re out of town so I’m already bringing in their mail.) Their “FREE peanut butter” coupon caught my eye, so I snapped a photo of it and jokingly texted that I was “stealing your peanut butter coupon.” Of course I didn’t, but it gave the two of us a laugh. My husband ordered a new $30 part from Schmeff Schezos and then got the oven back to functionality in under ten minutes.

I’ve been inspired to reread my copy of The Complete Tightwad Gazette after seeing The Frugal Girl do the same. A lot of the tightwad tips are outdated, but the overall message that you can reach your goals by living below your means ages like fine wine. Or whatever the tightwad version of wine would be. Ages like fine tap water?

I pinched a bit of dill from a neighbor’s plant to propagate for my own garden. It was the perfect opportunity to use the adorable sake glass that I garbage picked a few weeks ago.

I didn’t buy a Lear Jet.

I invited a childhood friend over to the house who’s going through some tough times. I’d made an inexpensive pot of chicken soup with dumplings, which she remembers eating at my house when we were little kids. I also threw together a loaf of no-knead artisan bread because everything’s better with warm buttery bread.

Had we met for coffee or lunch (her suggestion) not only would we have spent money, but our time together would’ve been limited by how long is an appropriate amount of time to monopolize a restaurant table. Instead we got to sit on comfortable furniture without external stressors — no one listened in on our conversation and we both saved money. Plus I enjoyed a couple days of leftover soup.

I’ve been enjoying walks lately, (mostly evenings) sometimes with my husband or a friend, but mostly on my own. I’ll either listen to a Libby audiobook or a podcast or — shocker — think my own thoughts. Sometimes I come across great “free boxes,” but I’m just as happy to walk without gamification. I’m not marching to reach a specific number of steps, but am simply enjoying the longer days and the luxury of feeling safe after 8 P.M.

Just today I walked a mile or so to a real estate open house I’d seen on Zillow. I’ve admired this house in the past and welcomed the opportunity to explore the interior. (I was honest with the real estate agent about simply being a curious neighbor and she assured me that many others were doing the same thing.) I then meandered to the library to pick up my holds and nipped over to Fred Meyer to grab ingredients for scampi, (my husband’s sole Father’s Day request.) I was probably out for around two hours, yet my only expense was the $21.25 for dinner ingredients.

Extreme frugality is often viewed through a lens of deprivation, yet I got to indulge my interests without spending money. Free exercise, free open house, free books (more Roz Chast!) and $21.25 for a special occasion meal that’ll serve meal four people — likely with leftovers!

My husband invited a friend to dinner, as they were headed to a punk rock concert that evening. (Very much not my thing!) The friend had initially suggested a restaurant, but my husband instead offered to barbecue some chicken kebabs.

There have been times when the prospect of spontaneous guests was stressful, as the state of our house veered more towards messy than clean and tidy. I’ve put a metric crap ton of work into decluttering and organizing the house through the years and I no longer live in fear of the spontaneous stop by. It’s just so relaxing to exist in an orderly home that can welcome guests without those inevitable feelings of panic.

Not gonna lie, it helps that the kids are grown and flown.

• I scored a $1 bag of apples from the Fred Meyer clearance shelf.
• I’m watching over our neighbor’s house as they’re traveling again for a couple of days.
• I walked over to the tail end of our block party and enjoyed conversation and a slice of overly sweet bakery cake.
• I stopped into H Mart for gluten-free soy sauce and curry paste, yet somehow didn’t succumb to any impulse purchases.
• I combined errands when I needed to drop off probate forms with our estate attorney and then swung through downtown to pick up a repaired pair of earrings.

I didn’t buy a Lear Jet.

I assembled my bag of tricks and picked up two Popeye’s Chicken meals for a mere $3.49 after my son’s evening soccer game. I paid with points (from his birthday dinner) for one of the meals, plus had done a “back of the receipt” survey to earn the second free (with drink purchase) meal. It was a bit finicky to do the transaction, but well worth it as it fed the three of us.

My neighbors, (whose house I’m caring for while they’re on vacation) let me set our yard debris bin out with their weekly pickup. It’s not so much about a full bin, but rather the smell which is currently seventh level of hell horrific, and I need to spray the demons from its depths. We share garbage service with our other next door neighbors and it would’ve been another week before it was our turn.

My son and I walked over to the local consignment shop, where I picked up a Jumbo Fiestaware “peacock blue” mug for just $2. My sister likes these mugs, so I thought it would be fun to provide one for her upcoming visit. They sell for around twenty bucks on eBay,* so I knew it was a bargain.

We then went to a new/used outdoor supply shop as my son is seeking Army surplus pants. They didn’t have any, so we nipped over to the closest Goodwill thrift shop. They also didn’t have any, but I did find a half-price $7 T-shirt for myself. My summer wardrobe is lacking, so this is a necessary purchase. Decades of working as a nurse means that I put absolute zero effort into my home clothes. Sure, it was amazing to never pay for a work wardrobe, (not even scrubs, as they were hospital provided!) but owning just a couple of decent T-shirts becomes a problem in warmer weather.

• My daughter gave me a handful of gluten-containing food items, which were leftover from her old roommate.
• I started listening to Jodi Picoult’s Wish You Were Here through the library’s free Libby app.
• My husband and I have been eating black bean tostadas with sautéed onions and peppers on repeat as they just hit the spot. Needless to say, clearance price onions and peppers, tostadas from Winco and bulk purchased beans cooked in the Instant Pot. Cheap, healthy and yummy!

I didn’t buy a Lear Jet.

I drove past another curbside stack of flowerpots and literally turned the car around to investigate. Most of the pots were of the plastic variety, but I chose a stoneware one which washed up beautifully. I was briefly tempted by the big terra cotta pots, but I don’t really have a spot for them and I’m trying to be particular about what gets to live at my house.

You probably already guessed that I nabbed the colorful one from the bottom right hand corner. Here it is all scrubbed up and ready for action.

My younger sister was is town and the two of us hit up Winco Foods to grocery shop. (I found out last minute that she was visiting, which is how she got to accompany me on such an exciting adventure.) I’d been jotting things on a shopping list for at least a week, so there was no way I wasn’t going to check this off my to-do list. We had a nice catch up and it turned out she needed to grab a few things from the bulk bins anyway.

I picked up a couple of abandoned receipts in the parking lot and scanned them into my Fetch app*, which worked out well since one awarded me 4000 points!

I am THE cheap date!

I did a metric ton of laundry for my daughter, whose apartment complex has terrible laundry facilities. I’m happy to do this favor for her as it saves her money.

• I bought two bags of clearance price spinach at Fred Meyer and then immediately returned them as I hadn’t realized how truly slimy they were. Blegh!
• My sister and I also hit up the Goodwill that’s a couple blocks up from Winco, which I blogged about HERE. Combining errands is always a money saver!

I didn’t buy a Lear Jet.