Search Results for: cheap eats

I sold a number of items on eBay, including: • A CPR dummy, which I bought for $15 and sold for $90. • A pair of Wii controllers, which I bought for $8.99 and sold for $45. • An almost weightless rosary that I bought at pre-pandemic at a Goodwill Outlet. Paid maybe 10¢ and...

I combined a few necessary errands with Goodwill trips over the past week and came home with some nifty items to sell both on eBay and Facebook Marketplace. My favorite flips were a trio of Rockband Guitar Hero controllers. I'd seen other sellers do well with them, so I took a gamble as they were...

My daughter turned twenty five and invited five friends over for a socially distanced celebration in the backyard. I offered to help and put a tremendous amount of thought into how to create a lovely event where Covid-19 safety wouldn't be sacrificed in the name of fun. I went back and forth on how to...

I sold a few things on eBay including a handmade cribbage board, a credit card reader, a vintage style clock and the Furby that I picked up last week. I also sold a pair of Danskos and a cat bed through Facebook Marketplace. I picked up a few things to sell including a Fiestaware deviled...

My son and I wanted to watch a movie, and even though we have a Netflix membership (plus access to Hulu and Amazon Prime) we still went and rented a $4 movie. How is this frugal? Because we live close to the store Movie Madness, which not only stocks thousands upon thousands (upon thousands) of...

I got together with a former co-worker this morning. Instead of heading out to one of the cute coffee shops in my neighborhood, I suggested that we enjoy our coffee and nibbles at my house, as my furnished front porch is perfectly breezy in the mornings. It really is the idyllic go-to spot for the...

My husband, son and I caught an afternoon showing of Early Man, which is the most recent stop motion animation film from Nick Park of Wallace and Gromit fame. The admission price was $4 apiece, although the three of us got in for $8 as I had a 2-for-1 coupon. My families loves Wallace and...

Last night was my step father's 68th birthday and we marked the occasion by hosting a celebratory dinner at our house. I served chicken adobo, rice and bacon roasted brussel sprouts. Dessert was fancy ice cream sandwiches. I was able to purchase almost everything I needed from The Grocery Outlet, and I used a $3-off-$25...

After months of keeping an eye out, I finally scored on a set of thrifted queen size flannel sheets. (Heck, I'll even confess that spent time clicking through the pricey Garnet Hill website, as their flannel is freaking heaven on a stick!) Sadly, my commitment to buy nothing new coupled with an aversion to spending...

We've been the recipient of multiple home baked goody bags from my husband's employees. I'm realizing that I need to reciprocate, so I'll mix up a double batch of my ginger snaps, which are always a hit yet do not require fussy or expensive ingredients. I spent a couple of hours photographing and then listing my...

I sold a set of vintage Pyrex mixing bowls through Craigslist that had been taking up space in my cupboard. I love their aesthetic, but they can't go into the dishwasher and need to be handled with delicate care. I'm at a point where I'd rather have more practical tools in my kitchen, so I'm also readying...

I drove my older son waaaay across town to hang out with a friend, partially motivated by this friend's house being a block from one of my favorite Goodwills. (Don't make me choose my actual favorite one, as they're all precious to me.) I've been keeping an eye out for a pair of slip-on shoes that are...

I worked Sunday and brought leftover chicken curry soup for lunch. (For those who asked for the recipe, I simply added chicken to this recipe, although I didn't puree it.) Of course I drank the free coffee. I was hungry on my way home from work, but remembered that I had a banana that I'd never had a...

Although I keep a close eye on my spending, It's not uncommon to mess up and end up paying the dreaded "stupid tax."  They don't necessary make it into my Five Frugal Things posts, so occasionally they warrant their own blog post. My husband and I garbage picked a 9-foot tall artificial Christmas tree while we were...

We're finally home again after four days spent individually dropping our sons at their colleges. Although it only took four days in total, it felt like a full week. From the packing up of belongings, to the commutes to their universities, (two-and-a-half hours for one, 5-½ hours for the other) it felt like we spent endless...

I bought six panels of vintage barkcloth curtains at Goodwill, listed them the next day and then immediately sold every single one of them! I nabbed a free box from a local business, took advantage of the eBay USPS postage discount and will drop the box at the post office this afternoon. #collegefund I bought...

I brought home a cute vintage Pyrex dish from a free pile and was quickly sold it through Craigslist for $15. I made a big delicious pot of red lentil soup for last night's dinner, which fed the four of us for less than a couple of bucks. I was able to get a free mailing box for my...

I've gone a few days without blogging as my computer was hit with a death-ray level virus that shut it down and required a complete erase and restart. I lost everything on my desktop, and only time will tell what important files and photos are now but a faint memory. I could wallow in grief or...

Last week was EMS Week, (emergency medical services) so my husband's employer provided a number of treats including meals. My husband is a supervisor, so he spent all day Friday serving up an on-site barbecue for his employees. This included burgers, sausages, sides and freshly made Thai noodles. (The other supervisor's wife is from Thailand.) My son and I...

I used my local Buy Nothing Group to request a new cushion for one of my outdoor chairs. (Thrifted of course!) It took a day, but someone finally offered up one that looks like it should work perfectly. I'm having a graduation party for my younger son next month, and I'm using the date as a deadline...

I went to a coworker's retirement party on Friday, which called for people to bring "an appetizer." My day had been busy, as my friend Denise was in town and I wanted to make sure we got a chance to meet up in person. I was tempted to A: Buy something to bring or B: Flake out as I really didn't...

I stopped at The Grocery Outlet on the way home from dropping my son at school this morning. I bought four bags of groceries for $19.53. This included cereal, yogurt, tortillas, ice cream, pasta, artichokes and frozen pierogis. I then popped into Fred Meyer for kale, as it's $1.49 per enormous bunch vs. $2.50 for...

This article first appeared on ClarkHoward.com. Welcoming an animal companion into your home can be a rich and rewarding experience, but if you're not deliberate with the expenses, it can become a real money drainer. But just because having a pet can be expensive, doesn't mean it's an absolute. There are almost endless ways to keep pet costs in...

I made a double batch of ginger snaps and mailed them off to my son, along with his recently darned socks. The postage was $7.15, but much cheaper (and better) than an official care package from the university. I stopped at Fred Meyer to buy milk on my way home from dropping my son at...

I took the kale from an Edible Arrangement that my mother received as a birthday gift and mixed up a small batch of kale pesto. This leafy green normally just serves to cover up the floral foam, so I felt good actually turning it back into usable food. Plus I saved all the stuff needed to make...

I just finished reading the World War II historical novel The Nightingale, which was one of those library books that sucks you in and spits you out an emotional wreck. I was ugly crying by the end of the book to the point that I succumbed to a splitting headache. (Totally worth it though.) We only need to look...

I ran errands on foot yesterday. I dropped off plastics recycling, picked up a free RedBox movie (Insurgent, it was completely dreadful!) and intended to pick up hamburger buns at Fred Meyer, but spaced it out. Instead I used the two buns we had on hand, and then cut circles from regular bread which I then lightly...

Yesterday was my father's 80th birthday, and although I begged to throw him a big bash, he was quite clear about wanting a low key evening at home. My younger son and I photocopied old photos and made him a poster size collage ranging from 1935 to 2015. He seemed to enjoy it, and all the guests...

I just fixed myself a delicious yet scrappy Mexi-bowl of goodness. It used up the last of some homemade refried beans from last week, as well as the last of some cheap-o Grocery Outlet sour cream. It also included a healthy squirt of Sriracha sauce, a handful of shredded mozzarella and some trimming from a bunch...

Yesterday was a crazy busy day and the dinner that I'd planned on making suddenly felt like too much work and a mess to clean up from. I was sorely tempted to get takeout, but instead I walked down to New Season's Market and bought a loaf of French bread and a knob of fresh ginger....

I'm taking advantage of some fun free offers today. These include a free Redbox movie using the code 5654UUUU, a free Russell Stover chocolate egg using a Fred Meyer e-coupon and snagging another $5 Amazon gift card from using Swagbucks. I was craving bagels yesterday, but didn't really feel like driving the distance to buy them or spending...

I'm doing another Five Frugal Things blog post today because frugality is an ever present part of my daily life. I returned two sticks of full price deodorant to Fred Meyer as I had stocked up not realizing that I already had an extra stick on hand. (I normally only stock up on stuff like...