Three Frugal Things — $1 Bread!
1) Yesterday was the first Saturday of the month, so I hit the Franz Bakery outlet for $1 bread. My goal was to grab a couple loaves of whole grain bread to stick into the freezer.
Unfortunately almost every loaf on the “Bargain Wall” was some variation of white bread.
This bread is great, but not what I was looking for.
I ended up spending four bucks on three sleeves of bagels, plus the single loaf of whole wheat bread that I could find. I know it’s cognitive dissonance, but white bread in bagel shape is 97% more acceptable than white bread in sliced form.
I don’t make the rules.
My outlet store is at their historic bakery, which apparently equals old fashioned building standards. Yikes!
2) I then drove over to the Scrap Creative Reuse store to see if they’d accept the two rolls of metallic paper that the high school teacher declined. They did, even though they officially weren’t accepting donations. I also gave them my leftover burlap fabric, (Remember when I thrifted a bunch of burlap from the Goodwill bins? I used about half of it for a project and no longer need the rest.) plus a random cinch sack and knockoff Tiffany & Co. jewelry case that my sister gave me.
The store was bustling, so I took a photo of the entry to their classroom area.
There’s almost nothing I love more than directing unused stuff from my house towards people who’ll put it to use!
Apparently it was a day for informative signage. I love how normalized varied gender identity has become in my city!
3) Last stop before looping back home was the main Goodwill. Although my only purchase was this $4.99 Anthropologie “Icon” engagement ring glass to resell.
I looked it up on eBay and saw that they sell for enough money to make it worth buying. This glass still had the original Anthropologie tags on the bottom, so it can also be sold as “new.”
I snapped a photo of these canning jar lids. Notice that the pricing is $6.99 vs. $3.99 for the exact same item. It’s always worth sorting through things when there are multiples on a thrift store shelf for this very reason. They obviously got separated and then priced by different employees.
I browsed the men’s collared shirts in search of any denim Western shirts. No luck, but I should be able to eventually find more if I keep them on my radar.
Lastly please enjoy this souvenir Dutch wooden clog — in every thrift store. Forever and always.
Now your turn, what frugal things have you been up to?
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
Click HERE to follow The Non-Consumer Advocate on Instagram.
Click HERE to join The Non-Consumer Advocate Facebook group.
1. I ate the chicken and carrot soup I made in crockpot.
2. I made scrambled eggs in the crockpot.
3. I made sauerkraut and hot dogs in the crockpot.
4. It is a rainy day and I have stayed home all day. It has been so delightful!
5. I took a nap.
Considering how much groceries have jumped in price the past month, the community may be onto the great deals at the bread outlet.
I went to church in drizzly rain this morning wearing a thrifted Columbia rain jacket ($6 at America’s Best thrift) and carrying a large pan of cheddar corn spoonbread for potluck lunch. It’s a dish everyone seems to like and makes a good base for pulled pork barbecue or chili. A huge pan costs about $7 to make.
Finished reading a book bought on sale for book club. Did some alteration work on the above mentioned rain jacket to remove some scratchy and unused Velcro patches.
I’m unfamiliar with Spoonbread, Ruby – can you share a recipe and what, exactly, it is? Cheddar and corn always go together, in my mind…
It’s one box of Jiffy cornbread mix, i tablespoons butter melted, two beaten eggs, one cup of sour cream, one of the small cans (8.25 oz.) of sweet corn drained, a small can of creamed corn, and a cup of shredded sharp cheddar. Preheat oven to 375 F, grease and flour an 8×8 inch pan. Mix all ingredients together and pour batter into the pan. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean.
This is a classic Southern U.S. holiday side dish. It’s rich and creamy, like cornbread meets cheesecake. People go wild for it. You can sprinkle more cheddar on top, but will need to cover the pan with foil to prevent burning.
That’s 8 tablespoons of butter.
Thanks Ruby, copied (and corrected) into my recipe folder.
I read with interest your post that included the abstract tree curtain panels from Ikea; today at the ARC thrift I found some great condition Mattram curtain panels, 2 qty. in very nice condition. I think it was the same era of Ikea production. These a cute black cat faces which someone will love in time for the holiday; paid $12 for both.
Reading about the Franz Bakery special makes me wonder what businesses we have in our respective towns that have great deals like this; business that are based in our area that have warehouse sales or similar. I live near Sounds True which used to have a warehouse sale once a year. Amazing prices on all kinds of learning CDs with topics on meditation, healing, pain management, hypnosis and more. It was super fun. I was also rereading some sections of Tightwad Gazette and recalling when our town had the Free Pile/Spring Clean Up for a week in May. There were some great antiques and other useful items free for the taking for several days before the city picked up the remaining items for recycling/trash. It was a tightwads paradise! 🙂
What does your town offer bargain-wise?
For all the readers in Texas, Monday is the last day to register to vote in November’s midterms.. If you previously registered, look yourself up on your county election website to make sure the MAGAts didn’t take you off the voter rolls. I understand there may be a lot of that going on.
Sign of the times: A week or so ago, a nice looking older gentleman and his wife came through my checkout lane at work. The couple were just as nice as they could be, very friendly, and we chatted as I checked them out. They had their shopping cart piled high, mostly food items but some OTC medicines as well. They wanted to write a check for the total amount, more than $340, so I called the store manager over. (Our store still takes checks, but anything over $100 has to be approved by a manager.) Although the pair lived in another town, a small rural community, it was still in our county and they had proper ID. Their bank was located in the small town, too. So the manager approved their check. Well, it turns out that they apparently knew they were writing a hot check; a few days later, the bank returned their check, saying their account was closed. I’m guessing their town doesn’t have a food bank and they may have needed groceries. With Trump kicking people off the Medicaid rolls, and with the inflation that we have, I think we may see more cases like this. Sad.
I’ve also read that the state if hugely behind on processing registrations due to some what I deem shifty “instructions” from the state. How anti-American can you get by not timely registering voters?
I sold another item from my sister’s wardrobe. This time it was a puffy vest with a fur collar. Cute. I have found a box for it, and I’ll mail it out tomorrow.
I was given a chuck roast some time ago by a friend who was giving up red meat. It’s been in the freezer, but yesterday I thawed it, and today I made beef stew. Well, partially. I have yet to add the carrots and Yukon potatoes. I had little appetite today, so just put the meat, broth and onions in the fridge after cooking. It will be better tomorrow, anyway.
I didn’t feel well enough to attend my grandson’s first volleyball game of the school year. It was an away game, held at a school about an hour away, so I saved on some gas. That said, had I felt better, I would have gone, because those games are way fun to watch.
The clog is so funny. I volunteer at a thrift shop in NorCal. I’ve never seen a single donation of wooden shoes. Nor do I see them at other thrifts in the area. I hit two on my way to Grocery Outlet today and two more on my way home. Not a single wooden shoe, and nary a pair of same in sight. I did score a nice pile of puzzles. We make sure they are complete, shrink wrap them and sell them as “giftable” at the library book sales and at the thrift shop.
I posted yesterday about our fancy/frugal evening out. I got so many compliments on my rented dress! I was also able to “Raise the Paddle” generously, which thrilled my frugal little heart.
Heck, while we’re on the subject, a favorite trick of mine is to procure donations of things I really use. Frequently, I can buy them at significant discount. The money goes to a good cause and I score a deal. For example, we don’t have Dental Insurance, but my dentist sells an annual policy that is worth the $900 cost. I get them to donate an annual policy to the Silent Auction and then I bid on it. I can usually save a couple hundred dollars and it’s dirt-cheap advertising for them. Win-win!
What a brilliant win-win-win, getting someone to donate what you yourself would use, then buying it on a discount!
1. I gave a talk yesterday. Afterwards, there was a reception where I enjoyed a lovely apple cider donut. These are, in fact, one of the best things about fall in New England – and should be (in my opinion) what everyone looks forward to, NOT pumpkin spice.
2. There were also a basket of local apples, also donated from a local orchard. The organizers gave me 3 apples to take home, along with a tote bag.
3. Drove from work apartment to my parent’s house, which had me driving through Litchfield, Ct. an incredibly bucolic area where the leaves were turning, making it beautiful. How frugal? I didn’t stop at the 42* apple cider donut stands to buy another!
4. Mom & dad took me out for dinner. (I brought mom buckwheat groats and pumpkin seeds that I got on sale). I ate the leftovers for breakfast the next morning.
5. Since I am now a jam-maker (self-designated), my parents, who used to can, had a great stockpile of 1/2 pint jars that have just been in the basement gathering dust. I asked if I could have 6 as I’m out, and of course, they said yes.
* my estimate. I may–or may not–be exaggerating.
Martha Stewart has an apple cider donut cake (google it) that is out of this world delicious. It uses whole wheat flour, just as a warning.
Wondering if a black twill shirt would be a good sub for denim for making a “Laurenesc” (spelling?) embroidered shirt?
I cannot wrap my brain around the fact people pay $50 for these drinking glasses! I’d be terrified if breaking it!
I would never pay $50 for a glass, but that one is cute as a gift.
1) Picked fresh herbs from the garden & lemons from our tree for the marinate for DH’s grilled chicken. He made a large batch for dinner, and the leftovers have been frozen to take to DS19 at college. He also saved all of the marinate & will grill up a second batch tonight for the same purpose. We are limited by barbecue capacity. DS19 uses the chicken for meal prepping at college.
2) Went for a hike with a friend in the nature preserve next to my house. A free social catch up combined with a workout. Doesn’t get better than that.
3) Continued to eat pomegranate seeds from the fruit we picked off of our tree.
4) Coffee was on sale at Costco, and DH bought two packages.
5) I’m not planning to leave the house today, so DH will drive my electric car, saving the cost of gas for his commute.
For the vegetarians or vegans in the group Jiffy Corn Bread mix has lard in it. They also make a vegetarian option.
Thank you for pointing that out. I think it’s one of the few mixes that includes lard in these modern times.
No wonder it tastes so good! Not vegan or vegetarian here but nice you warned those who are.
Do you control the ads that get posted on your site? I was a bit surprised by the political ads I saw. From what I know about you, the political ads didn’t seem to match your values. These were Texas political ads.
I don’t currently control them, but I can look into whether I can ban political ads. I was able to do that when my ads were through She Media, but they’re now through Media Vine.
I had the sickness that I currently going around my neck of the woods, so staying home and taking care of oneself is frugal and saves gas and money!
My neighbor friend brought me homemade chicken soup after hearing I was feeling poorly, enough for 3 meals!
I read library books, watched free TV, and entertained myself at home while feeling puny.
Once back to work, boss was in town and took all to lunch – I got 2 more meals out of my leftovers.
I think my husband and I swiped the last couple of whole grain loaves of bread from the Dollar wall before you got there! We were also disappointed in the amount of white bread.
1. I replaced a frayed drawstring on a pair of pajamas. I used a long shoestring that I found in the junk drawer.
2. I made some chickpea tikka masala for my daughter and I for dinner last night. I used up a partial can of coconut milk that was taking up space in my freezer. We both have leftovers for a couple more meals.
3. I sold three more items on Ebay and listed a few more.
What a great deal on the bread products. We had an outlet in a nearby city but it closed years ago. Hoping another one opens up sometime.
1. DH and I took a walk around the neighborhood for some free exercise. I found a deposit can to add to my stash.
2. I consolidated some potted plants ahead of the possible frost predicted for tonight and brought them inside. They are all succulents and look pretty all together in the bigger pot.
3. I stripped the couch cushions of their covers, washed them and hung them out on the clothesline to dry. I then took the foam cushions and set them out on the deck in the sun and wind to air out. The biggest chore is putting the cushions back in their covers. A tight, tight fit. I cut my fingernails in anticipation of this chore so they won’t break while stuffing the cushions back in. A once a year necessary job.
4. I threw the braided chair pads from the kitchen in the washing machine with the covers so they’re hanging outside too.
5. Still decluttering the closet with my parents and grandmother’s things. The legion post my Dad belonged to is next to the church so I brought his old hat over to see if anybody wanted it. It doesn’t have his name on it but it has the legion’s number on it. A board member wanted it which I was glad about.
You found a can to return for the deposit, so . . . you “recently came into some money?”
same item two prices on one shelf. nobody catches that but the shopper