Six Frugal Things — Birthday Edition
by Katy on January 6, 2025 · 60 comments
I celebrated my birthday and as is my family’s custom, we marked the occasion with experiences instead of things. I’ve coined these our “Birthday Days of Adventures,” and they’re greatly anticipated by my husband and kids. (At least I think so, if you know otherwise please don’t burst my bubble.) I kid, I kid — they’re always fun! My birthday is the hardest to plan as it falls at the beginning of January and inevitably confirms the stereotype of “it’s always raining in Oregon,” which is based on both fact and also . . . truth.
There’s a reason why this T-shirt* was popular in the 1970s.
Where was I? Oh yeah . . . my birthday!
Here’s how we celebrated:
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Our first stop was The Heist Food Carts, which is a newly opened food cart pod with actual brick and mortar indoor seating. With twenty food carts, I knew there’d be something for everyone’s individual tastes. The indoor area is built in an old bank, hence the “heist” pun. They lean into the banking theme with safety deposit box wall sculptures, a walk-in bank vault play area and the above penny floor. It’s super cute!
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Our second stop was the Goodwill around the corner, where I told everyone to pick something for themselves. I picked this brass $9.99 banker’s lamp, which matches a vintage floor lamp we already own.
My son chose this $14.99 enormous “mango wood” coffee table, which sells for over $400 and should be easy enough for him to resell at a profit. It looked brand new and even had the original paperwork, which is how he was able to look it up.
My husband didn’t find anything to buy.
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Our next stop was all the way to Oregon City to visit the Oregon City Municipal Elevator, which is a quirky historic destination. Originally built in 1915, it features a circular upper observation deck, which gives it a UFO aesthetic. I imagine the views are better when it’s not pouring rain, but it was still a fun excursion.
It’s free to ride, which is a plus.
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Next on our itinerary was a stop at Starbucks for a free birthday drink, which I had them split into two cups. One for my son and one to share with my husband. Yes, I am cheap, my money has better things to do.
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We then hit one more Goodwill on our way home and although my husband and I didn’t find anything worth buying, our son grabbed a 99¢ OXO Good Grips can opener. Not as exciting as the coffee table, but a quality item at a bargain price, since they normally sell for $16.99.
These may not seem like “adventures” to most people, but I cannot overstate how rainy it was and how easy to please my family is.
The evening consisted of a homemade meal that my husband had prepped that morning, (salmon, rice and asparagus) and an amazing homemade gluten-free carrot cake for dessert. Our daughter was able to join us for dinner and I was very happy to have the gang all together. Lastly we all cozied up and watched Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl on Netflix, which was perfect as there’s nothing better than a day spent with people (and animated characters) you love.
Experiences, not things.**
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
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* Referral link
** Yes, the lamp is a “thing,” must you be so literal? 😉
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{ 60 comments… read them below or add one }
What a great birthday! Wishing you many more!
Amen to that! Many happy trips around the sun to you, Katy. I absolutely loved this post.
Thank you! <3
Thanks for the ideas. My birthday is over the weekend, and it sounds like we’ll still be recovering from yesterday’s winter weather.
Happy Birthday Katy!
1. Sold 2 items online both for friends
2. Got a $62.60 class action settlement
3. $20 check for participation in grouper
4. Enjoyed not 1 but 2 Harry and David’s gift boxes
5. Watching Netflix, AmazonPrime during my convalescence
Happy birthday Katy!! What a fab day out. Really loving that Oregon t-shirt, Scottish Highlands could do with a version!!
We love birthday outings too. One year we took daughter to a woodland play area with fabulous paths for all of us and the dogs, the play bit was a bit disappointing but day improved by a museum trip where the original artwork for one of her picture books was on display. Picnic lunch, minimal spend, still talking about it, good bits and bad!! Hope they left you enough cake for the next day!! We enjoyed the new Wallace and gromit too. Xx
Happy Birthday Katy!
FFT:
1. It was a snow day so no driving for my Monday volunteer gig, no leaving the house except to shovel/sweep and walk the neighborhood.
2. I sat down and did an end of year financial assessment. Seeing the numbers reinforces the value of saving and investing (when you can).
3. On Sunday we made a quick trip to Grocery Outlet. DH wanted to buy more packages of lower sugar granola that were $.99/bag. I grabbed a few cheap items as well.
4. I texted with childhood friends that live in the Midwest and TX. Cheap entertainment.
5. Time for dinner at home. It will be surprise but it will be good enough.
Happy birthday, Katy! It looks like it was major fun. Heist is such a cool idea for a rainy climate, and Nashville hot chicken for the win!
Except for buying a set of suction hooks for our shower from the local hardware store ($3.97), I had a no spend weekend and Monday. Made a pot of white bean-kale-ham soup with rosemary from my winter herb garden, This dish uses part of the frozen leftover Christmas ham.
Mended a stuffed toy that the pup chewed on. (She somehow managed to turn her toy fox’s tail inside out while it remained attached. Little girl is clever.) With the exception of my shoes and underclothes, everything I wore today was obtained secondhand, including a wonderfully warm hooded coat with scarf that was so nice to wear on a snowing afternoon.
Rescued a wooden box from the garage to refinish and use for desk supplies, as the midcentury modern desk I am using — it first belonged to my father-in-law and then my son — does not have a drawer underneath the top for pens and such.
Happy birthday! It sounds like a great day, and your family has invested in many good memories.
1. My husband found a groupon for a smog check (CA) and went and got it done today.
2. Laundry hanging on the line.
3. Took apart a handknitted scarf that was too long and skinny (it was a gift). I will re-knit it in the same pattern, but shorter and wider. I love making something new out of something I already have.
4. We went to an appreciation dinner for golf course volunteers. It’s just the local municipal course, not a swanky club. But they did the dinner at the Hyatt and the food was very nice, we received a gift bag with a $10 starbucks card, and then we won a $50 visa gift card in the raffle! We would have gone just for the free nice meal. To make $50 on it was such a joy!
5. I did not travel for an out of town wedding. It would have been fun to see people, but I had been sick and was too tired to travel. The frugal upside was not money spent on gas, hotel and food.
Kara, your #4: that’s a great night out!
Vengeance Most Fowl was hilarious. Plus there are tons of little details to pay attention to on a second viewing, such as Feathers McGraw doing pull-ups to the Cape Fear theme music.
Happy birthday, Katy! I’m so glad you were born.
Very nice thrift finds. My eyes widened at your mention of the OXO can opener as we had to find a video for how to use the OXO Smart Edge Can Opener at our Airbnb. It’s an engineering marvel but not intuitive (at least to us). I’m glad your son bought the “normal” one.
1. Hotel pet fee update: After looking more closely at the receipt, I saw that they waived the entire $75 pet fee rather than reducing it by $50 for us.
2. Found two random books at the Little Free Library by our Airbnb. This is very different from my home reading routine where I have about a dozen in the queue at the library and two dozen bookmarked to put on future hold.
3. Continuing to eat simply at the Airbnb. This doesn’t count the two (and counting) gelato outings!
4. Continuing to walk for two hours every day (one hour in the morning and one in the evening). Also working out via YouTube when I “have time” which is always right now while on vacay.
5. At Katy’s recommendation, we watched “Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy.” It was sickening. I grieve for our planet.
Happy birthday and wishing you many more.
Happy Birthday
Just doing usual stuff. I’m sure I must have 5 frugal things a day, just can’t think of that many.
My ham story is good. Bought a $10.89 spiral ham for Christmas. It fed 6 of us on Christmas. Husband and I had numerous toasted ham and cheese sandwiches. We also had omelets twice. The 1\2 lb left, went into my potato soup. Had leftover carrots, celery, and mushrooms to add to make up for 2 few potatoes. Ham bone is in the freezer for bean soup next week
Sorry, thought of best one for the Month. Wanted a narrow artificial Christmas tree, used please. Saw a picture of one at our local thrift shop.. She wanted $40 fully decorated, or $20 bare. I helped her remove the ornaments, and she sold it to me for $15
I love it!
Happy Birthday. My dad is also an early January baby.
1. I used my crockpot to make a batch of ham and lentil soup with the ham bone my neighbor gave me. When it was ready I brought some over to my neighbor. Gotta make sure she keeps giving me the ham bones.
2. My ice machine froze up again. It happens every few months. I pulled out the blow dryer and it is working great again. I will never get another fridge with an ice machine.
3. Hubby whipped up some home made chinese for dinner last night. I took some of the leftovers to work with me today.
4. I had the dermatologist after work. Both of my parents and my oldest daughter have had skin cancer. Everyone should get checked. My insurance covered the visit. She burned some stuff, froze some stuff and cut off some stuff. The trifecta!
5. I pulled a cooked turkey breast that I froze around thanksgiving to have for dinner tonight. I have mashed potatoes and string beans cooking as I type. I like easy dinners.
Marybeth, as a skin cancer survivor – albeit one with an asymmetrical nose due to deep cancer removal – I say a hearty yes to your recommendation to get regular skin scans!
Happy Birthday!
Okayyyyy, when I come visit for FinCon, can we please go to the Heist food truck place??
I add my best birthday wishes for Katy to everyone else’s!
Two Frugal Things, Winter Hibernation Edition:
(1) For the most part, I’ve been bundling up, chowing down, and staying home during our recent siege of winter weather. Good thing I’ve got plenty of JASNA editing work to do. And I’ve been eating out of the pantry and freezer, and showering only when I have to. (I think I’m turning into a Lake Wobegon Norwegian bachelor farmer.)
(2) But I did nip down to my local shopping strip this morning, after the lake effect snow warning was lifted, for a well-batched bunch of errands. More snow is predicted starting tomorrow, so I figured I’d better get out while the gettin’ was good.
@A. Marie – you must be working up a hearty sweat editing JASNA work LOL. All the precipitation is just south of us so it has just been brisk outside – read: my definition of brisk outside means it hasn’t hit -20 windchill/air temp. I will not admit it is cold unless we are close to -60 windchill (rarely do we get that temp as air temperature). -20 to -40 is invigorating weather. Regardless, it gets near zero and I typically opt to not wear yoga pants when I go outside to do chores.
I don’t know why states just don’t close down roads during bad weather. The Teamsters would have had their drivers off the roads instead of jackknifing while transporting what were likely non-essentials.
You forgot the old joke – what happens after two days of rain in Oregon? Monday.
I haven’t gone on the elevator in years. I took my kids many times. We always enjoined visiting the sites in Oregon City. One summer the kids and I had Thursday adventures. Visiting Oregon sites and museums. Many were in Oregon City. My kids have often said it was one of their best summer breaks.
Re: Oregon – I’ve heard all my life that people in Oregon don’t tan; they rust.
Happy birthday Katy! I hope you’re feeling better.
Not much to report here, back to work this morning after 2 weeks off. It’s been raining so all the snow is gone, boohoo. I did sell a set of headphones on marketplace for 20 bucks.
Happy Birthday, Katy!
We got one of the nicest presents of all — President Biden signed the Social Security Fairness bill into law. For people who went from the private sector to the public, if they didn’t put in 30 years public, their SS payments were seriously cut.
Husband worked for Colorado’s school system, after decades as a mechanical engineer. He was TWO YEARS short on private $$ — and when he retired, we lost roughly $800/month. Not including whatever they cut from my SS, as well.
It won’t fix all the money we’ve lost, but the year’s worth, plus payments forward, will be a huge help to our budget. Yay!!!
My husband is a current teacher in CA. He didn’t work in the public sector, but I have and from what we were told in the past, under the old law, my SS would have been cut because of his teaching. So now it won’t! I’m very excited! Unlike those of you who have always worked, I was mostly a SAHM, we had a high academic needs child, and we had zero family around. When one’s spouse is a teacher they don’t have any flexibility to run out and pick up a kid or attend a meeting, so I did all of that. I also have 2 big diseases. So I worked part time here and there as I was able. On January 1 this year, I finally had enough credits to be eligible for SS (when I reach SS age). It was a big moment for me.
Happy Birthday!
I appreciate you, your blog and your readers.
Your birthday sounds fantastic! I always ask for experiences for my birthday & all “gifts”. My typical request is: a massage + cupcakes for our anniversary/Mother’s Day, and a mini trip for Christmas & my birthday. Time together is my favorite! Whether with friends or family.
1) Sold two pair of shoes on eBay (one pair of DH’s, one of my own). Made $55 between the two.
2) Made homemade hummus today. The tahini is a bit more than buying humus, but it will last for at least 5-6 batches, so definitely cheaper. And healthier & tastier than store bought hummus!
3) Got out some naan that was on my December “use it up” list & made chicken shawarma. I’m a little late, but made it happen!
4) Gave away a bunch of stuff on Buy Nothing. Free for neighbors.
5) Cashed in some change for a Starbucks gift card. I sometimes hit Starbucks for a meet up with friends after a workout class.
Happy Birthday,Katy.
Sounds like a great day and I’m envious of your bankers lamp.
So happy to read about your birthday adventures! Sounds like the perfect day!
Happy birthday Katy! It sounds like a great day.
1. I went to take a bath a few days ago and the tub had not drained. The lever thing had broken. My dh was able to get a kit to replace that part only and do it himself
2. I made a large batch of vegetable soup using some discounted stew meat I found in the freezer. It was perfect with homemade bread yesterday and will provide us with dinner again later this week.
3. My DS got engaged! We met his fiance’s parents this weekend and looked at 2 venues. This will be a very frugal wedding. The reception venue charges $85 an hour and provides tables and chairs for up to 200. We will need it total of around 10 hours so $850 for the reception venue.
4. We got our December EOB from insurance. 2 kids had been sick and gone to the Dr, I did 5 weeks of PT and had abdominal surgery. We owe nothing for this because we met our deductible in June. I actually received a $10 refund check from insurance for a copay I paid in June before they realized I had met all my maximums. Obviously we paid a lot out the first half of the year but hey we took full advantage of it lol
5. Did not spend any money today
Happy Birthday Katy! Nice to see you had such a fun day with your family.
Happy Birthday, Katy!!! I’m glad you are on this earth.
I’m glad you had a great day!
1. I wasn’t able to fix my treadmill by tightening the track, so I watched another video and took off the drive belt, and ordered a replacement from ebay. Since my treadmill was out of commission, I walked to the dollar store to buy bathroom sponges. It was an icy walk.
2. Bought a pair of Sorel boots in excellent condition at a yard sale this summer for $3 and sold them on Marketplace for $40 today. I also sold a mug, a tennis skort, a Columbia jacket, a vintage sewing case, and a baby sling.
3. Made two batches of rice pudding with milk that was several days past the best by date. My sister had given me a jar of Trader Joe’s Bourbon Vanilla Paste, which made a great addition.
4. The bag of potatoes I bought was going bad very quickly, so I used up the last four tonight to make potato soup.
5. Like Katy, I usually avoid Amazon, but placed an order for a bag of squeakers, and revived a bunch of dog toys. I offered some to my friend, who also has small dogs.
Happy birthday!
Happy Birthday!
1. Listed several of the free pile things I found yesterday. (Juicer, waffle maker, electric throw lap blanket, heated car seat cover).
2. Added the glasses I got yesterday from one of the free piles to our collection. We were down a few from random breakage
3. Dinner was a small pan of stuffed shells from the grocery store marked down to $5. Fed the three of us with a few left for lunch tomorrow. I did add more sauce before I baked it as it looked a bit dry. It turned out yummy and I served it with roasted carrots and string beans.
4. A friend who also raises and shows Netherland Dwarf rabbits bought 3 bunnies from me today. An extra $100 towards rabbit food!
5. Due to the snow there was no money spent today.
1) picked up a small loaf cake free from Publix – their birthday gift to me (and anyone who subscribes to their website). Used my “savings” to purchase a second one to gift a friend whose birthday is today.
2) picked up another 10 bags of mulch -have spread MANY bags already as we continue cleanup . Grateful to FEMA who came today to pick up a mountain of yard waste we had from our continuing cleanup efforts. Doing as much as we can ourselves and making progress.
3) stopped at library to renew my card so I can get reciprocal privileges when my storm damaged library reopens.
4) ate tired leftovers for dinner
5) will use up frozen cookie dough leftovers and will make a green salad with lettuce from the garden as my contribution to a lunch gathering.
Happy bday – for those I know who have early January bdays, not the best time of year.
Took advantage of mother nature’s freezer and defrosted our freezer this weekend. Cost no money to pack the contents into reusable bags and put them outside. Might have cost a few pennies running the blow dryer to jump start the stubborn frost. But sure beats heating pans of water on the stove to put into the freezer.
Happy Birthday, Katy! Your Day of Adventures sounds perfect in every way.
P.S. I have an OXO can opener that I have had for 20+ years and it is still going strong.
Jen, I swear by OXO products generally. Great for those of us oldsters with arthritic fingers.
Happy birthday, Katy! Sounds like a great day of adventures.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KATY!!
Happy Birthday, Katy!
My favorite old saying about Oregon is “people in Oregon don’t tan, they rust”.
The tshirt had a guy in swim trunks with a bottle of Naval Jelly.
Sounds like great birthday, Katy. I loved the part about your husband and son sharing a single cup of coffee at Starbucks since my husband and I have done that as well. I don’t feel I’m being cheap. It’s just that I’m perfectly happy with half a cup, so why not?
Happy Birthday Katy!!
1. My mom came over and tried on items in my donation pile from my closet cleanout. She took several things home and I took some items for my sister to try on.
2. My mom cleaned out several extra coats from her closet. I took home a very dressy looking jean jacket and a fleece to wear in the house this winter.
3. My DD#2 bought dinner for the youngest daughter and I to thank us for safely delivering her cat to and from the vet during a snow storm.
4. I made burrito bowls for my mom and sister for dinner Saturday night. I like to give my mom a break from cooking. It always feels like a big win when I cook vs. eating out, because lawdy is it so expensive to eat out.
5. I put the word out on Facebook freecycle that I’m looking for a section of wire closet rod shelves. Mine fell down and I want to put up a longer one that goes wall to wall so that doesn’t happen again.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Family and a little rainy day adventure..sounds perfect to me. I love to eat AT HOME for my birthday too..restaurant meals are soo pricey and just not so good..and I hate being called “you guys” by the adolescent wait staff.
WOW, that table!!!!!!!
Add to “you guys” another despicable and disrespectful term for another human being: “hon” as in “How are you doing hon?” “What can I get you hon?” I am not your hon, honey, honeybunch, etc…
A very happy birthday to you!!
Happy birthday, Katy! Sounds like you had a blast. May this be the year all your dreams come true!
Today was my mom’s 100th birthday….or at least it would’ve been, if she was still with us. She had been born during a blizzard in 1925, and this morning, we got down to 25 degrees F. No precipitation; otherwise, history might have repeated itself. I wanted to do something but not too many options. Besides it being super cold, we can’t put flowers on her grave because people in that neighborhood (lots of college students) are known to swipe them. That’s not frugal; it’s grinchy and mean!
Instead, I went to visit one of mom’s good friends, who just moved into “independent living” senior housing at age 87. (Or is it 89?) Anyway, she moved into a brand new place that has a chef and we had a nice lunch. We’d planned to go out to eat but the cold made her want to stay indoors. Not too many residents have moved in yet, so she was only too happy to keep me company. I took her some large print books I got from thrift stores (81 cents, including tax, for three large print books), Little Free Libraries and my own shelves. (free, and free) Also got a couple via trades at a used book store (almost free. They wanted 33 cents for tax and I asked if it’d be OK to allow me that money since I had taken them a big stash of disposable plastic grocery bags. They said yes; it always pays to ask! )
I also went to Goodwill today and used their 20% off coupon to purchase 2 pretty flowerpots. Said coupon came from donating items. I’m trying to jazz up my house with plants. Mostly from cuttings.
Happy Birthday! The Heist sounds cool.
We do GW birthdays, too. Our favorite place is the bins/by the pound adventure.
I was a bridesmaid a few decades ago and the wedding party had a photo shoot at the Oregon City elevator.
I’ve been noticing more and more negativity electronically. I’ve been thinking about turning it off. It’s just a button. I think I can push a button. I started to write down some stuff and realized I don’t even own any paperI do have a pen. I’m going to dig a receipt out of the trash and make some notes. Should I get a dumb phone or just turn my phone on for a few minutes each day for ? Or just become a survivor on a media desert island.I saw a driverless taxi the other day. They are really cute. I don’t need to read about how they crashed into a puppy and kitten farm becoming a huge fire ball or any of the other million and one possible scenarios on the verge of possibility waiting to happen. Maybe I’ll move to Greenland…oh wait.
You can get a basic flip phone. Envelopes are a great form of paper. I hear ya on wanting to go off grid (so to speak). There is a lot to be said about staying home. Safer, cheaper, saner.
Happy Birthday Katy!!! Sounds like a great day, I always want experiences over gifts, and I encourage anyone that wants to give a gift – to give me a thrifted or used item I may enjoy! Knowing how much I love to bake, my Stepmom gave me a vintage Hallmark recipe box from the late 80’s for Christmas that she thrifted!
Happy Birthday, Katy! I love that family members get gifts on YOUR birthday!
Happy Birthday, Katy! Sounds like a fun day!
1. My daughter was able to come home for a few days over the holidays. She lives in a fourth floor walk up in NYC so I always tell her to bring her dirty laundry home to make it easier – time and money.We had a great visit with some long walks and she bought a movie ticket to go see Wicked for me for Christmas.
2. I’ve listed several items on my Buy Nothing group – a toddler potty seat (new in box), Christmas decorations, and some womens sweaters – since cleaning up the decorations – nice to clear out some things and for them to go to someone who wanted them.
3. Watching the new season of Shetland on BritBox, reading my library book The Small and the Mighty by Sharon McMahon, living on leftovers plus eating down the pantry.
4. I –
-sorted through my bookcase and donated some books to my local Little Free Library.
– sewed one of my torn couch pillows
– watched some of our Christmas DVD’s
– listed an old tv on my Buy Nothing group but had no takers (it was given to us by our neighbor) We looked into recycling it but there were no local events. Then we were told to take it to Best Buy who would take it for us paying them $30. Someone on Buy Nothing told me to take it to a Smash Room. Free for both of us – who knew?
– used my rec pass to take my grandson swimming this afternoon.
1. I saw lots of no-buys/low-buys/get off amazon on social media as a new years resolution, and while I admire that a ton, I know that my situation (difficulty getting to physical stores, bad work schedule, etc) would make things much harder for me and I’ve give up in the first week. My goal is more realistic for me: keep track of when I buy, reduce what I can, and use what I own.
2. Got insurance estimate for medical procedure I’m having done in a couple of weeks. It’s not cheap, but I’ll hit my deductible before the end of Jan. ALL THE MEDICAL STUFF IN 2025!
3. It’s too cold and snowy (and dark!) to do much other than get up, shovel the car out, go to work, and come home and try to get warm again.
4. As always, bringing my own coffee and food to work every day. I’m one of those weirdos who loves cold coffee, even when it’s freezing out.
5. I keep multiple continuous piles in my house and it’s a system that works well for me. 1) thrift store donations 2) items to sell to used book store 3) stuff to give to sister the next time I see her 4) to give to in-laws the next time I see them 5) a mending pile the next time I have my sewing machine out. I’m a piler, but it works the best for me!
For those who are on fakebook and instagram, it might be time to go. Never had anywhere near a high opinion of puckerberg before – since that is the nicest way to say it.
1. Picked broccoli from my garden for dinner. This is my first time growing it, it looks good and tastes good, however it took forever to grow and the yield was small.
2. Sold an old wooden dresser, and the king sized bed frame, on marketplace.
3. My dad had some slightly freezer burned cinnamon buns he was going to toss, so I took them home for DH who will nuke them with butter, and says they’re just fine.
4. Have had a surprisingly busy January in our Airbnb cottage.
5. DH completed building the closet organizers in our new primary bedroom, as well as the small bedside tables he attached to the wall. His woodworking talent has proved invaluable.