Three Frugal Things -- Butterscotch & Embroidery
1) My sister and Lise went up to Mt Tabor park and picked invasive ivy to transform into homemade baskets. I stayed home to work on home projects, but am sure to receive a basket or two as a hostess gift.
2) My niece saw my blog post about embroidering a denim and sent her mom to Portland with one of her shirts for me to embellish. I started last night and will continue to play with it until it's perfect.
As a reminder, here's the inspiration:
Before you know it, we'll all be wearing matching shirts!
3) My youngest has been wanting to ramp up their side hustles and asked to go thrifting together. This $29.99 dresser stopped me in my tracks.
Because the dresser itself is a piece of beauty?
Nope.
Because the handles are amazing!
Ten, count 'em ten yummy butterscotch Bakelite handles!
We bought the dresser, removed the handles and immediately donated the dresser back to Goodwill. Someone will buy it for a project, as it had nice dovetail drawers -- it'll just needs to be stripped and restained.
I think we should be able to get $150-$200 on eBay.
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."
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Those handles are beautiful!!
Score on the handles.
Woah! The dresser looks like it was a victim of a bad “antiquing” paint job in the 70s! I think I might have taken on the whole project, but ten Bakelite handles take up a lot less room.
I went to a couple estate sales this morning. I hoped to find a 2 quart anchor hocking batter bowl and an immersion blender. I came home with the bowl and a brand new package of canning jars! Not bad! Both items went to use immediately because I spent the rest of the day canning things.
Good eye for recognizing Bakelite handles! I wouldn't have!
I decided to take a trash walk today, but I collected very little trash. Instead, I collected a book from a LFL, an abandoned sushi cat plush toy from the park (which I'll wash and donate), and a protein shake and a bottle of barbecue sauce from the LFP. Also a handful of Walgreens receipts. (I still haven't reached my Fetch goal, however.)
I stopped at Walgreens to check on whether Poise pads were on sale. They weren't, but Edy's ice cream was, if I bought two! So I did.
I logged about 40 minutes.
The rest of the day was devoted to reading and watching a good series about the Anne Frank story, from Miep's point of view.
Beth W.,I've read Miep's book but didn't know there was a movie or TV show about her and the Franks and other Secret Annex hideaways. Please let me know the name of it. Sounds like a good binge watch!
It's called A Small Light and it's streaming on Amazon Prime. I'll be watching more of it today!
I watched that! It was fantastic!
I met Miep when she was in her 90's. She was a friend of a professor at a college where I worked many years ago. She signed my book. She also gave a lecture at my school. She looked frail but still made the trip to the states. What a brave & exceptional woman she was.
Those Bakelite handles are amazing!
1. Had my final knee X-ray so no more $25 monthly co-pays. After just four months, my fractured knee is completely fused back together. Pretty amazing. I still need PT but I'm well on my way.
2. Our combo smoke alarm and CO detector went kaput. Tried to get a full replacement under the 10-year warranty but we weren't the original purchaser so we didn't have proof of purchase (other than the actual unit itself!). Instead, the company offered a 15% discount on a new one from their website so we took advantage of that.
3. Our wall oven also went kaput. Spent a couple hundred dollars to have an independent appliance repair company diagnose the issue. A new circuit(?) board was needed at a cost of $1,300, including labor. I asked the repairman what he would do and he recommended not fixing it given the age of the unit and the cost of repair. I appreciated his honesty since that meant his company wasn't getting the repair business. We called our local appliance dealer and after much research due to the unique size of the oven opening, our salesperson found a unit marked half off that had been returned and never opened due to the wrong color being delivered. It's ours now and we love it! I just need to paint some cabinet trim that was covered by the previous oven.
4. Gave away on Buy Nothing a thermometer that came with our old oven.
5. Picked up two jigsaw puzzles from the puzzle swap area at the library.
Ugh wall ovens. Our current house came with one as well as just a stove top unit. The wall oven went to recycle and the stove top unit to a relative who needed one. Both were electric which aren't better half's and my first choice for cooking.
Such exciting news about your knee, MB in MN! I know it has been an interminable experience waiting to heal, you have borne up gracefully (or as gracefully as one can in the circumstances.) And at this point you are probably, like me, in awe of the body's ability to heal if given the right care...
I'm glad to hear your knee has completely fused. Also, no more of those co-pays. An extra $25 a month in your pocket is always good!
Found a new-to-me Dollar Tree while getting lost trying to find the Waterloo library. (Never did, but I'll try again later) Stopping at one was on my to-do list anyway, so I went in to explore. It's amusing how the core stock is the same, but every store has some different items. This one may become my new favorite. I left with the cleaning products that I intended to get, a box of asst crackers, 2 books, & a Snickers Ice Cream Bar.
Stopped at a grocery store to see how much their bakery charges for a chocolate cream pie. After I stopped laughing ($17, really?!?) I went down the aisles, gathered a handful of ingredients, and came home to make it myself. I spent $6 and have enough for 2 pies.
I think I'm going to apply for permission to build a little free library. My tiny town library is only open 25 hours a week and I get a decent amount of foot traffic since I'm next to the community center & a park.
Sounds like you are in a perfect location for a LFL. I say go for it!
I agree! What a great location!!
1) Continued to go through DS19's room (with his permission) & have given away a ton of items he gave me the go ahead to ditch. I've recycled papers, tossed some things, listed a lot on BN, and a few on eBay. He also gave the green light to sell his guitar (COVID birthday gift) that's got untouched for a few years, so hopefully that will be out of the house, and money for him. I managed to find all of the add-ons as well: extra picks, strings in the package, and padded transport bag + stand.
2) I was in charge of the Costco run today, so I made a menu, looked at what we already had, and set out. I did buy two rotisserie chickens, which I will process & then make broth from the rest. I'll likely freeze 2/3 of the meat, but it will make it easy to throw together future dinners. I also uploaded my receipts to Fetch & iBotta & earned $2.40.
3) Met a neighbor for a walk in our neighborhood yesterday. My boys are a few years older than hers, so she was asking about advice for high school class selection, college prep & the like.
4) Listed a bunch of stuff on eBay that's been sitting in my closet, waiting for me to have a stretch of time when I'll be at home.
5) Meeting a friend for a free hike tomorrow, and then picking up DH at the airport, to avoid the cost of an Uber or parking.
I love that you donated the dresser right back!
So many of my items have been selling on Vinted. I tried it out on a whim and it has been really good. I have a referral code if anyone wants it-you'll get $20 when you list 3 items, and another $30 when an item sells. I'm not sure why items are selling so much quicker than ebay, but I'll take it for sure.
The garden has the end of the summer feeling. The heirloom tomatoes are rolling in, the cucumbers and beans are slowing down, and the figs are ripe! As many fresh figs as I want to eat feels like the height of luxury. The grapes have all been harvested. I've washed them all, I have 2 huge bowls for eating and a large tray of raisin-quality grapes are outside drying.
Bathrooms are clean and towels are dry on the clothesline. A pot of soup was made, with homemade chicken broth, homegrown green beans, excess celery that I had frozen, homegrown tomatoes, and purchased potatoes and carrots. A very frugal day all round.
Hi Kara,
I'd love the referral code for Vinted!
https://www.vinted.com/invite/repurpose5
I've been selling clothes and shoes mostly, some kids toys and hair bows.
I love how easy the listing process is and the shipping set up is WAY easier than eBay. The seller just chooses small, medium or large under package size ( they even say that for example, a medium package is one that would fit in a shoebox). That's it. There is no weighing or measuring the package. Vinted charges the buyer the shipping fee and purchase fees and that's all done behind the scenes. So the seller doesn't have to think about those at all. If I list an item for $15, I get $15. Simple.
I just created a Vinted account. Would love your referral code, please.
https://www.vinted.com/invite/repurpose5
I've been selling clothes and shoes mostly, some kids toys and hair bows.
I love how easy the listing process is and the shipping set up is WAY easier than eBay. The seller just chooses small, medium or large under package size ( they even say that for example, a medium package is one that would fit in a shoebox). That's it. There is no weighing or measuring the package. Vinted charges the buyer the shipping fee and purchase fees and that's all done behind the scenes. So the seller doesn't have to think about those at all. If I list an item for $15, I get $15. Simple.
Hello Kara, I would also like the Vinted referral code please. Thank you!
https://www.vinted.com/invite/repurpose5
I've been selling clothes and shoes mostly, some kids toys and hair bows.
I love how easy the listing process is and the shipping set up is WAY easier than eBay. The seller just chooses small, medium or large under package size ( they even say that for example, a medium package is one that would fit in a shoebox). That's it. There is no weighing or measuring the package. Vinted charges the buyer the shipping fee and purchase fees and that's all done behind the scenes. So the seller doesn't have to think about those at all. If I list an item for $15, I get $15. Simple.
Thank you!!
I’d like the code also. What type of items have been selling for you on Vinted?
https://www.vinted.com/invite/repurpose5
I've been selling clothes and shoes mostly, some kids toys and hair bows.
I love how easy the listing process is and the shipping set up is WAY easier than eBay. The seller just chooses small, medium or large under package size ( they even say that for example, a medium package is one that would fit in a shoebox). That's it. There is no weighing or measuring the package. Vinted charges the buyer the shipping fee and purchase fees and that's all done behind the scenes. So the seller doesn't have to think about those at all. If I list an item for $15, I get $15. Simple.
Thank you for being so regular and consistent with your posts celebrating living well thoughtfully so you use it up, wear it out, make do or do without. You are such a good role model and reminder. Your joy in this comes through and I am so impressed with your goodwill into food donation money project. Much appreciation and congratulations.
Wow! Those handles! Gorgeous! A great find! I’ll be checking out knobs and handles on furniture now when I go thrifting. I’ve learned a lot from reading your posts. Thank you!
Good for you for seeingvthose handles.
My beloved mother-in-law got on the antiquing craze and then passed a few of those pieces to us 20-some years later. Many hours of stripping and sanding ensued to get them back to a nice wood finish.
Katy, your sister is cute w/ her auburn hair & freckles. She seems to be crafty like you. I would never have thought to make a basket with ivy vines.
1. I had a stick deodorant the crumbled when it got to the end of the product. I put it in the microwave to melt it. I poured the liquid into a nearly full new deodorant stick.
2. I have found a bit of loose change here & there.
3. My outdoor decorative flag has taken a beating from the wind. I am going to sew some fabric on the back & zig zag stitch the rips. I think this will rejuvenate it for a bit more usage.
4. Husband bought a like-new power washer from a friend for $50.
5. Bought some AA & AAA batteries at Walgreens for a very low price. They are alkaline batteries that will last longer than the Dollar Tree brand. I used Walgreen's cash rewards that made the out of pocket cost next to nothing.