I took an hour or so from my day to scout treasures for my $100 Goodwill Gift Card Challenge. (My goal being to find items to resell to support the Oregon Food Bank.) Unfortunately I didn't find anything to resell, but I did buy a couple items for myself, which meant paying out of pocket....
1. My kiddo came over last night and I walked them through how to make an apple pie from scratch. (We actually made two pies, as it's just as much work.) I already had the huge bag of free apples from my neighbor's tree, (thank you, Erin!) so this was perfect timing. Their partner's birthday...
1. I took a bedroom lamp to the Repair PDX clinic, as a recent houseguest informed me that that the lamp was running hot. The volunteer wasn't able to identify a specific issue, but he did tighten up a few things and adjusted a connection piece. I also brought in my primary kitchen knife for...
1. I stopped by Goodwill and thrifted this vintage lighting globe for just $4.99. You likely know that I consistently pick these up, as they're an straightforward sale to a store in my neighborhood. It's an easy side hustle, as there's no photographing, researching, packaging, mailing, etc. I simply hand them over and they write...
I'm switching ad networks for the blog, which required me to update the blog template, which was long due as I've been running the same one since 2008. I'm still tinkering with it, specifically I want to move "recent posts" up to the top, switch out the titles being in all lower case letters, (what,...
I was walking home yesterday from mailing a package to my sister, when I came across this tasty free pile. Mind you I'd just written a blog post about how I already have enough, but that didn't stop me. Why? Because I've passively been keeping an eye out for a cake stand for a...
My sister and I took our mother to the Goodwill Outlet "bins" as an early birthday treat, (this may sound odd, but "the bins" is her favorite place on earth!) and although I didn't buy much, I did come home with a few items. • Two 100% cotton dish towels. • Seven or so thin...
My husband and I stopped into normally pricey New Seasons Market and happened upon an excellent sale on Portland Coffee Roasters beans. I'm not much of a coffee drinker, but my husband is and this is one of his favorite brands, which is how we ended up buying eight pounds of coffee! My youngest just...
I stopped at Fred Meyer this morning for butter and eggs before their sale ended. ($2.99/lb butter & 18-egg cartons for $3.49!) I still had my $25 Fetch gift card and wanted to see how far I could stretch it. My first stop was the produce clearance shelf, where I grabbed one variety pack and...
My neighbor set some garden items out on her parking strip, so I carried home the two colorful tables and the two black plant stands for my back garden. I left the tallest plant stand for someone else. I texted her a photo and let her know it was an "open adoption" if she wants...
I baked a loaf of no-knead overnight bread to have at home, as the loaf I made yesterday went to my father as a 90th birthday gift. Making the house smell like bread without actually having any bread to eat is a punishment I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. I'm lending our stock pot...
I was given a pair of tickets to attend a Portland Pickles minor league baseball game from someone in my Buy Nothing group, which is fantastic as my husband loves all forms of baseball! It'll be fun to watch without the whole rigamarole of a major league stadium. I've already looked it up, and yes...
We stopped by our daughter's apartment so she could grab a couple things. (She's still under the weather and staying at our house.) Her neighbors had put out a free box, which wasn't very promising at first, as it appeared to pretty much just contain worn out sheets. I did have a few minutes...
I stopped by Safeway for a couple of items this afternoon, specifically cheese. However, $11.99 is an uh oh price, so their "Member Price!" was hardly a bargain. However . . . I'm a true Oregonian and Tillamook brand cheddar cheese is a must. I reluctantly put it in my cart, but then noticed that...
I want to watch the second season of Apple TV's Severance, but feel the need to rewatch season one to refresh my memory. My goal is to binge season two within the borders of a 7-day free trial, which would be a stretch were I to watch both seasons. Instead I put the first season...
My husband and I spent more time than expected to work on reinstalling a pot rack that fell off our daughter's kitchen wall. I was starving by the end, which activated my cranky mode. I even started researching places to grab a bite, which turned out to be more mentally draining than simply making dinner....
We celebrated my stepfather's 75th birthday at the house and I assembled a pan of rice and bean enchiladas using ingredients we already had on hand. I even had enough for a small pan for the freezer, which is a favor to my future self. I'm very much a "from scratch" cook, but there are...
I drove across town to pick up an $85 West Elm loveseat that my kid wanted for their minuscule studio apartment. They'd held off from this purchase until the coffee table sold, and began scouring Facebook Marketplace the moment the money hit their account. It's very handy to have a mother who still drives her...
I got a free spicy McChicken sandwich through the McDonald's app as a birthday reward. Water bottle from home completed the meal. I used up the very last bit of my 99¢/pound sausage in some white bean soup. I also added the free kale from my neighbor and it was maybe the best soup I've...
My husband booked a two night stay at Skamania Lodge by taking advantage of a Black Friday offer that inflated our credit card airline points. (This was my birthday gift.) Two nights in a luxury suite was just $90, complete with an in-room fireplace and a vista to beat all other views. It would easy...
Today is Christmas as well as the first night of Chanukah. There's hasn't been precise overlap of the two holidays since 2005, which makes 2024 seems extra special. My family gives Christmas presents, although we do light the menorah, eat latkes and spin the dreidel. My goal for gifting is to either buy used or...
I drove 45 minutes in the pouring rain to pick up a pair of Facebook Marketplace gifts for my mother. (I can't be any more specific as she reads the blog more than I do!) I then decided to hit a juicy suburban Goodwill since I was in already the area, but accidentally programmed the...
I'll be picking up a pair of brand new Apple EarPods from someone in my Buy Nothing group. These'll serve a stocking stuffer for my daughter who doesn't read the blog. My daughter and I went to Cost Plus World Market to pick up yummy treats for people on my gift list. I try my...
My sister needed a last minute duffel bag for her trip back to New York, so I placed a request for one in my Buy Nothing group. We had a response almost immediately and the bag in hand in under an hour! The duffel bag gifter also gave me four 10%-off Safeway coupons that she...
My sister just finished a weeklong visit from New York and gifted me a pair of hand-knit sock as an early birthday present. I have a couple other pairs from her, but the colors on these ones are extra perfect for me. Here's a photo of my father and I wearing pairs of her socks:...
The neighbors down the block had their furnace go out, so a couple of us lent them our space heaters. Mine was left behind by a Japanese exchange teacher who lived with us in 2005, although it still works great. I also brought over a small baggie of leftover Hi-Chew Halloween candy for her kids....
I walked a mile to pick up a Hydroflask water bottle and hiking headlamp from someone in my Buy Nothing group, even though it was hot and kind of humid and I was sorely tempted to drive. I dropped them off at the house and then walked another mile or so to pick up the...
I sold my $7.99 thrifted kitchen cart for $75 through Facebook Marketplace. I'm still waiting on a buyer for my framed Nagel print, but patience is key. I curb picked a drafting table near my daughter's apartment. I'll hold onto it for a bit as my son likely needs a smaller desk, but will definitely...
My husband and I borrowed our next-door neighbor's power washer and used it to clean both the rug from my daughter's old bedroom, (I accidentally shut the cat in there a couple weeks ago!) and to scrub the seats and rugs from my late in-laws' Ford Fusion. Portland is looking at a string of 90+...
I signed up for Portland General Electric's Peak Time Rebates program, where you "earn rebates on your bill by reducing your energy use during these peak times." I looked through the small print and it doesn't seem like there's a possibility of being charged extra, so it's a slam dunk win. Especially since we don't...
My neighbor Nancy thanked me for caring for her house and garden by treating me to lunch. These specific neighbors are especially appreciated as their house used to be occupied by an angry couple who ran an illegal scrap metal business out of their side yard. Needless to say, it was an easy act...
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...
Please enjoy today's Non-Consumer Mish-mash blog post, where I write about a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Missing Money I'm so happy that I blogged about the MissingMoney.com website, as multiple readers responded with how they found money for themselves and family members. Here's a sample: "Thank you for this,...
I hosted a birthday dinner for my step father's 74th birthday and kept the menu on the frugal side. I served marinated chicken quarters, (89¢/lb) salad, fried rice, roasted carrots and a scratch cooked pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting. This marinade recipe is from Frankie Celenza's Struggle Meals YouTube channel and is in frequent rotation...
I was somehow able to buy three bags of groceries and stay under $40. I'm dubbing this "The Winco Effect.™" (Your region may call this "The Aldi Effect.") Either way, I spent $39.19 and here's what I bought: • Spinach • Sour cream* • Frozen tater tots, (so good crisped up in a waffle iron...
My husband bought a discounted one year Apple TV subscription at Costco last year, which we hardly watched. I happened to ask my husband about it the other night and he clicked into our account and stopped the automatic renewal, which was scheduled to happen at the end of the month. Close call. I saw...
I watched what my sister calls a "short form cinema," (aka Instagram reel) where someone was making a baked cottage pie and I realized I could scrounge most of the ingredients from what I had on hand. I had maybe a quarter pound of ground turkey in the fridge, but I figured I'd just bulk...
My step mother and I went to a empty damp food cart pod to celebrate my belated birthday. I spied a soggy dollar bill off to the side and got on my literal hands and knees to grab it. A free falafel wrap and a one dollar bill? Happy birthday, Katy! Especially since we brought...
I curb picked a terra cotta planter that matches three I already have on my deck. (Two of which I sourced from different after garage sale free piles last summer!) This one was pretty dirty and had pieces of English Ivy stuck to it. However, it was a just a matter of scrubbing it down...
Christmas is finally in the rear view mirror, so I can now safely share my gifts without spoiling things for family members who read the blog. • I bought each of my kids a new pair of Doc Martins per their request. • I also bought them both new sets of sheets, which I ordered...
It's been awhile since I've put together a Non-Consumer Advocate photo essay, so I thought I'd put a new one together for y'all. Specifically all about food. Last night's black bean chili, which featured a wealth of refrigerator tidbits such as leftover marinara sauce, the last of some BBQ sauce from my daughter's birthday dinner...
My husband is spending a week in Las Vegas for a baseball tournament, and here's how he's staying on top of the finances: • He paid for the trip by working overtime shifts. • He's sharing an AirBnb with two of his teammates. • Their rental is outside the city limits. • He's sharing a...