Three Frugal Things — Thanksgiving Edition
by Katy on November 30, 2024 · 69 comments
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My family met up at a cafe inside of a high end grocery store on Thanksgiving day. They had a serve yourself coffee station, but I was unsure about where to pay and an employee came up to me as I was apparently outwardly confused. He pointed out the VERY LONG grocery line as where to pay, to which my response was “oh, never mind.” He then insisted that I “just take the coffee” and to tell anyone that he said “it was okay.”
Alrighty then . . . free coffee for Katy!
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We celebrated Thanksgiving on Friday, as my husband worked on Thursday. I did the cooking, which meant that everything was homemade. I love the occasional shortcut as much as anyone else, but some things just taste better when you start at the beginning.
• I made two pies from frozen Jack-o-lantern pumpkin puree. These were standard grocery store pumpkins, which yes — are actually edible. I just strain the defrosted puree so it’s not watery.
• I made the pie crusts from scratch.
• I made two pies and a crumble from the apples that fall onto the sidewalk from my neighbor’s tree. I just cut off the bruised and otherwise yucky bits.
• I baked two loaves of overnight artisan bread and then cut them into cubes, which I then dried in the oven. This made an excellent stuffing.
• I made cranberry sauce from scratch, although I understand that others prefer the canned variety. Luckily, none of my guests had this preference.
• I made a double batch of The Frugal Girls’s cloverleaf rolls.
• I pre-chopped a ton of onions, which I then froze to make the day easier. I also pre-chopped the celery.
• I made turkey broth the day ahead, using the neck and giblets which meant I was able to make the gravy while the turkey was still in the oven.
Everything was absolutely delicious, no complaints. Except from the hostess who was very tired by day’s end.
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My neighbor across the street texted asking if I wanted an extra onion and some leftover celery, which her husband then brought over. He then mentioned that he was on his way to the grocery store for some last minute ingredients and asked if there was anything I needed, as “there’s no reason for both of us to go.” He picked up a couple random items for me and I thanked them with monetary compensation taped to a jar of freshly made red lentil soup.
This was the day before Thanksgiving and this was an amazing kindness.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
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{ 69 comments… read them below or add one }
OOOOOh, just hearing about your frugal-but-delicious family feast preparations makes me hungry!
1. I had a very quiet Thanksgiving. Spent the morning reading Frugal Girl’s Thankful Thursday blog and comments. Ate a soul food Thanksgiving feast, prepared by my friend M. who had me come over and get a huge plate full on Wednesday afternoon: homemade dressing, chicken, canned cranberry (my favorite!) and green beans. (A free meal= #1 of my Frugal Five). She seasoned her green beans with salt pork, and I experience a twinge of sadness when I picked up a small piece of the pork to feed my puppy-dog–and then realized my sweet fur-baby is no longer with us. (Very old and very ill, she’s crossed over the Rainbow Bridge; I’d taken her to the vet for the final time on Monday. So sad!)
2. After lunch, I took a long nap and then in the evening, watched “Mary Poppins” — the classic 1964 Julie Andrews movie. It was broadcast over the air Thanksgiving night; thank you ABC Network and Disney! I only have indoor antennas (no streaming, cable or satellite) so this was a special treat! That can be considered #2 of my Frugal Five — not paying for entertainment. I hope they make this a Thanksgiving tradition, showing Mary Poppins.
3. Avoided Black Friday and the accompanying mob scene. The only store I entered was the one where I worked. Had a five hour shift Friday.
4. Hooked up the mini-toaster oven/broiler/coffee pot M. gave me. This is a cute little appliance designed for a motel room but she thought I could use it.
5. Took some leftover plastic shopping bags to the used book store, got 2 books on credit plus free comic book advertisements (think: Little Free Libraries), and helped myself to some free books from their sidewalk bin (ditto).
Lisa, I’m sending you hugs and sympathy on the loss of your fur-baby.
I’m so sorry about the passing of your beloved puppy-dog. Even if old, it is never easy.
Fru-gal Lisa, so very sorry about your pup. Take care.
So sorry about your pup. Doesn’t matter how old she was, it’s still very hard.
I am so sorry to hear about your dog. They really are angels on earth.
Thinking of you Lisa. We never have our pets long enough
I often see advice about how you have to have some special kind of pumpkin to make a pie. Such baloney. They’re all good, though to be fair, the best pumpkin pie I’ve ever eaten I made from a pumpkin grown by myself.
I love giblet gravy. I just try not to think about them too much.
One kid prefers canned cranberry sauce–why? homemade is so much better–and the other prefers raw cranberry relish, made by chopping together fresh cranberries and an orange. Add orange juice and sugar to taste.
Rose,
Same, I’d always read and heard you should *only* use pie pumpkins for homemade pumpkin puree. Good to know that’s not the case. I’ve never made my own, and the one time I tried to grow pumpkins, I got two tiny ones that rotted on the bottom. Sigh.
Pumpkins are seriously a pain in the neck unless you have perfect growing conditions and unlimited space. Also you need to know which flowers are male and which female and if your female ones aren’t getting fertilized, use a Q Tip, and then once you get the damn fruits, you have to coddle them along with special slings etc so they don’t rot. Only reason I grew them is that my son was and is crazy about pumpkins. I swear, for less effort I could have a greenhouse full of orchids.
Or unbeknownst to your parents, you squirreled away pumpkin seeds and planted them near the steps to your house next spring. We got a few decent pumpkins.
Well draining soil is the key as well as enough but not too much moisture. A local grower near me (sells roadside) lost a some rows of pumpkins when we had too much rain in a short period of time. Overall their harvest was better than I expected.
Anyone ever scratch a name on a growing pumpkin which “scars” up? Kinda cool but a fine line of deep enough but not too deep.
Remember Mama Stamberg’s cranberry relish recipe that always surfaced on NPR? That was my fave. I grew up with the ground cranberries/oranges concoction (thanks for the memory) but these days I am all in for the Trader Joe’s refrigerated cranberry sauce.
We often eat cranberry sauce at our house. Canned. Swedish meatballs are a family favorite, and cranberries are basically an exact dupe for traditional Swedish lingonberries. Roast chicken is another favorite, and I love how the tart cranberries offset the gravy and so on.
I live where there are a number of cranberry bogs, so finally I got off my butt one year and decided I was going to forage for Thanksgiving dinner. So, after two hours getting damp, cold and exhausted, I proudly showed off my bumper crop of six cranberries. People told me it was an off year. The next year, after again getting damp, cold, and exhausted, I managed q8 cranberries. Twas then I decided the good folks at Ocean Spray would be fulfilling my cranberry needs in future.
18 not q8. sigh.
Your Thanksgiving sounds delicious & lovely, Katy!
Let’s see, what have we been up to:
1) Took advantage of some gift card offers, for things we need. We bought Home Depot gift cards and earned $60 in grocery store rewards.
2) Used CVS & Rite Aid rewards to take advantage of a BOGOF vitamin sale for a couple of vitamins I take for my autoimmune disease.
3) My sister is picking up DS18 at the Portland airport this afternoon, and driving him to Corvallis. They are having a belated Thanksgiving event with her partner’s family & they live in Eugene. Corvallis isn’t a long detour. The shuttle I’d planned to use for my son was sold out, so this was both frugal & a life saver for me.
4) My friend was in Europe over Thanksgiving & I offered to use my United upgrade coupons for her trip. Only two cleared (which was a huge win for them, at least they got 2 great seats on the flight back), so I added an upgrade to DS18’s flight. While it’s a super short flight & he certainly won’t be enjoying any free alcohol, I’d rather use them vs have the upgrades expire.
5) Bought chicken for $5 off (per package) at Costco today.
Oh, bonus, I picked the last 20 or so pomegranates on the tree. They reach a point where they will fall off & crack open, otherwise. DH cleaned 6-7 of them. We sent DS18 back to college with a large tupperware of the arils, which are his favorite. I’m currently snacking on some of the rest. I adore pomegranate seeds.
Can you explain how you clean the pomegranates? Always looking for an easier way.
Thanks!!
Julie, I’m not entirely sure how my husband does it, but I know he soaks it in water. I think it’s this instruction:
Submerge in water
Cut the pomegranate into quarters, place it in a bowl of water, and pull apart the quarters to release the seeds. The seeds will sink to the bottom, while the pith will float. Remove and discard the pith, then drain the seeds.
1. In a couple weeks, we’re starting an interior remodeling project. Although our contractor said I could mail the down payment to their office, I delivered it in person instead. Too much money to risk it. It was a 50-mile roundtrip, but it was worth my peace of mind, and I combined the trek with other errands to lessen the impact.
2. Returned an item outside of the return window to a local store; I wanted to make sure they could put it back on the shelf and not throw it away. I’m out $12.
3. Ouch… received our proposed property tax statement and learned that taxes are poised to increase 25% in 2025, the same percentage as the increased valuation of our home. We’ll tighten our financial belt elsewhere.
This may be an Aussie thing, but I simply transfer payments directly from my bank account to the contractors account, this is free, fast, and verifiable. Petrol is pricey here, so this combines peace of mind with economy. Cheques are uncommon here, except perhaps for the VERY elderly ( I’m only 76!) or those without smart phones or internet ( again, uncommon here) Is this not available in the US?
Hi Coral. It’s common here in the U.S., too, but my contractor doesn’t do it that way. Future payments will be easier as I can just give them a check when they’re at our house.
Fees and software are the issue for small/sole proprietor trades in my area. Our mechanic accepts credit cards but the client pays the fee. I have no issue with that as despite his “no checks” sign, he knows we’re good for the money.
Katy,
It sounds like some lovely Thanksgiving gatherings. Congrats on all your from scratch cooking (at your Ingredient House).
We hosted DD and SIL on Thursday. They brought green beans and Cranberry Orange cookies. On Wednesday I made an apple/Craisin/orange juice fruit salad that I concocted years ago when the canned cranberry sauce looked sketchy. It is good warm or cold. I also made a squash/sweet potato casserole that is a simplified version of a recipe my sister-in-law makes. We also made apple and pumpkin pies on Wednesday.
We ate leftovers for lunch on Friday and Saturday and now have just one slice of pumpkin pie and some mashed potatoes and gravy left over. Some slices of apple pie were frozen and some leftovers were sent home on Thursday.
Many of our neighbors were away for the holiday so I grabbed a package and mail for one of the neighbors today and checked yesterday. Having good relationships with neighbors is priceless and I know it is a privilege to be a homeowner among other homeowners. Not that renters can’t have great relationships with neighbors.
I lived in an 8-plex years ago and the occupants were all in our 20s. We were always in and out of each other’s apartments, often ate together, there were various pairings and un-pairings. When Friends came along I thought, “Wow, just like us only we were poorer and homelier!” None of us were married; it was a blast. One day we discovered that we all had the same key—meaning we could at any time have unlocked each other’s doors. Eventually we all went our separate ways; I bought a house in a great neighborhood. But I’ve never had such good relationships with my homeowner neighbors as I did with my renter neighbors!
Your meal sounds marvelous, Katy. I hope the tired hostess had plentiful leftovers.
My family prefers canned cranberry sauce. I took a can to our family meal hosted by my SIL. She provides the meat entree and the guests bring the rest of the meal. I also brought a homemade cherry pie and an Aldi gluten-free cheesecake sampler — totally recommend it.
My husband re-wired a lamp, I sewed a new zipper into a favorite sweater, and I took advantage of an early Black Friday offer to buy cat food. Scored four packs of yellow-stickered ground beef — it was actually still partially frozen — at the local grocery store. Three of them I turned into homemade beef-oatmeal kibble topper for my dogs, and the other is for us humans.
Your husband was working on Thanksgiving to save lives. I’m sure his patients were grateful even if they could not tell him. A loyal public servant serving others.
Texasilver, beautifully said!
Hear, hear, texasilver! And a general shout-out to Mr. NCA and all of our other first responders.
Oh, I love cranberry sauce/relish, made from scratch please! My state is the top cranberry producer in the US, I live in an area with a number of cranberry bogs and I’ve always loved cranberries. We even have a festival dedicated to cranberries. Anyway, my thanksgiving frugal things:
1. After spending several weekends downstate at our son’s house (that’s a frugal post for another day), it was just me and my husband for thanksgiving. I made the big turkey feast anyway, since my husband loves turkey with all the trimmings. No money was spent on gasoline to travel downstate.
2. The turkey (12 pounds) was free – we actually got two free turkeys, but I only cooked one of them – the other turkey’s going to live in the freezer for a few months. I’m not a huge fan of domestic turkey, but the “free food” part seems to make it taste better.
3. I bought my cranberries when there was a good sale during the cranberry festival last month – they were cheaper than I’ve seen advertised anywhere else. The orange juice they cooked in was purchased on sale as well.
4. Gravy was made by cooking the giblets included in the little package and adding a few spices, salt and cornstarch. The giblets always remind me of an episode of the old tv show “Dharma and Greg”, where Dharma is getting ready to cook a turkey for the first time, sees the little packet of giblets inside the turkey and comments that the turkey’s mom packed him a lunch.
5. The whole turkey/dressing/potatoes/gravy/vegetables/cranberries and pie cost around $14, and has fed us two suppers and one lunch so far. We’ll have one more turkey-based supper and one more turkey sandwich lunch, then any leftover turkey will be frozen for a later date. When we are over the rapidly approaching “turkey fatigue”, that is.
My alternative Thanksgiving and Black Friday FTs:
(1) As noted earlier, I took my next-door neighbor (NDN) to her other close friend’s (CF’s) house for Thanksgiving dinner. I took my kale, carrot, and apple salad (which the one vegan guest loved and took home a lot of, with my entire approval). And CF, her talented chef husband, and some of the other guests provided the turkey, two kinds of stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and four different pies!
(2) I started Black Friday by dropping the license plates from NDN’s dead car–which she recently donated to our local PBS station–into the mail to the NY State DMV. Once the DMV acknowledges receipt, we can finally set about cancelling her auto insurance–very frugal for NDN.
(3) After discovering to my disappointment that the Salvation Army superstore at the foot of my hill was *not* having a Black Friday sale this year, I hied myself to the Thrifty Shopper boutique store near the local party-school university. The campus was deserted, parking at meters was free for Black Friday, and I picked up several stocking stuffers for various friends.
(4) I then swung around by my local food coop and picked up several relatively guilt-free (in terms of production, not calories or cocoa content!) chocolate bars at 50% off, also for stocking stuffers.
(5) And in the process of hitting several Little Free Libraries on the way home, I was over the moon to find one of my favorite children’s books, The Horse Without a Head by Paul Berna (translated from French to English by John Buchanan-Brown), in my dear old Scholastic paperback edition. I never saw the Disney film of this from the early 1960s, and after reading the IMDb description I’m glad I didn’t, as it cut out half of the 10-kid gang and looks as if it prettified the story generally. I reread the whole thing during bouts of insomnia overnight, and probably appreciated it more as an adult than I did as a child. The gritty, atmospheric descriptions of life in an impoverished post-WWII Paris suburb went pretty much over my head at age 9.
A. Marie – your yeoman’s service on behalf of NDN is laudable and reminds me every time I read about it that community – a sense of belonging to one another – will sustain us all.
re: #2 – NY does not allow you to drop auto insurance without DMV “proof” of returned plates? My state does not refund “unearned months” like some states do. But we’re not required to submit anything when dropping insurance (which is mandated).
Selena, no, it does not in a case like NDN’s (where there was a transfer of ownership for the car). I’m not sure what might happen in a case of just switching insurance companies. DH used to handle all the transactions when it came to cars, so I’m new to all this.
We decided to give up on my son’s classic sports car for the time being (since no one can figure out how to fix it), and yep, NYS will not allow you to drop insurance without the plates handed in.
All I can say is wow but I suppose there are grifters who would allow the existing plates to be placed on another car. Which could make quite the interesting court case if likely non-insured vehicle due to sleight of hand plates was involved in an accident. Learn something new every day.
1. Our extended family Thanksgiving was canceled last minute due to colds. I made a small dinner for us, which included the Claire Saffitz sour cream rolls (we opted out on the chives) and they were outstanding.
2. I listed all my Christmas picture books pretty cheaply and one woman bought 20 and picked up right away. Also sold a vintage Christmas skirt on ebay that I had bought at a church rummage sale.
3. The only place I went on Black Friday was to a local thrift store. $1 each, to resell: men’s Under Armour shorts, an Apt 9 blouse, Croft & Barrow Christmas cardigan. I also spent $11.50 on myself for a Sil-pat rolling pin and mat, pottery spoon rest, and a dress.
My best friend’s husband passed away from a heart attack on Tuesday. We are all in shock. Tuesday night while we were together I told her sisters and mom I would be bringing breakfast over for everyone on Wednesday. I grabbed bagels. I brought cream cheese and butter that I already had. I made a batch of muffins. I grabbed apple juice that I had gotten on sale. I picked up grapes, strawberries and blueberries. All were on sale. Her sister brought lunch(coldcuts, rolls, side salads) so I ate that. Her FIL insisted on paying for dinner(pizza, salads, pasta). It wasn’t intentional but I picked the cheapest meal.
Thanksgiving was at my sister’s house. Hubby made the stuffing and apple pie since I spent the day with my friend. He also cleaned everything up. I am lucky to have him.
My sister was going to toss the bones so I took them home. They were in the crockpot all night. I have lots of beautiul stock now. The meat went into the dogs food that I made this morning.
The only store I went to on Black Friday was Shoprite. I got blueberries 2 pints for $2, 2 pounds of butter for $4, french fries for $1.50, 3 pounds of ground beef for $6,Palmolive 4 for $4, and aspargus for $1.50 a pound. They also had buy $100 in gift cards and get a voucher for $20 off your order next week.
I helped my friend and her daughter make picture boards. It was sad and sweet at the same time. My husband ran over because they were having a plumbing problem. I brought chairs. They are having an open house tomorrow and Monday. His family is Jewish so they are going to sit shiva. I will be helping with the food and dishes with her sisters.
Your Thanksgiving sounds and looks amazing.
Marybeth, so sorry to hear about your friend’s shocking death. The breakfast you assembled sounds delicious and required no work by the grateful recipients. Well done.
Thank you
Marybeth, I am so sorry to read of your friend’s passing. Very sad.
Thank you.
So often I feel useless in the face of the kind of loss you just experienced and witnessed. What you did, all of you, was such a perfect way of showing support and love.
I echo what Lindsey said so well. Thinking of you all.
And I third what Lindsey said. Eloquent as usual.
Thank you. My kids tell me my love language is food and cleaning. I’m good at both and they are very helpful at a time like this.
Marybeth, I am so very sorry to hear about your best friend’s husband passing. Bringing breakfast for everyone the next day was such a sweet and loving gesture. Reading that your children say your love language is food and cleaning made me smile.
Thank you.
Katy, I just had to tell you this because I was so proud of my husband. He went across the street to check a neighbor’s mail and put her newspapers on her front porch since she is away for Thanksgiving. It’s a very busy 2 lane road with ditches on both sides. When he came back in the house, he was carrying something. He had found a like new, Carhartt camouflage hoodie jacket, size 2X. I said, “where did that come from ” He said “I found it in the ditch!”. We washed it a dried it and it is in perfect condition; it looks brand new! Of course, I started telling him about all of the clothes you have found on the street, etc. If he doesn’t wear it, I will try to sell it on FB.
What a find! Especially since Carhardt can be so expensive. Plus their clothes wear so well…it should last a long, long time if you choose to keep it.
If I’d found a Carhartt 2X jacket in a ditch while DH was still with us, he’d have done cartwheels up one side of our street and down the other! He rarely wore any other type of jacket.
Marybeth, my condolences. What a terrible shock. It is such an honor to serve a good friend in their darkest days.
Thank you.
I’m beyond tired. I cooked for 6 all week, and one day for 8. Plus playing with my grandson and holding my granddaughter. All great, but today I’m feeling pretty flat.
1. All our food was not from scratch, I can’t produce 2 cooked meals a day times 6 people, times 5 days, all from scratch. But I made some economical choices and some splurges. I go to my son’s house often but this was their annual week here and I wanted to make it really fun and special. Both desserts were made from scratch-Nantucket cranberry pie and Thanksgiving cobbler. Both new to us and both much enjoyed.
2. We heated the house to a warmer temperature while our premie granddaughter was here. I enjoyed it, but today it’s back at our frugal 63,
3. I borrowed a baby bath and a car seat stroller base for this visit.
4. We received a bag of persimmons and a jar of honey from our neighbors. I gave them a bottle of wine (free from my daughters work).
5. My husband will be eating leftovers for a good while. I quickly froze excess food, so I’m looking forward to a low-cook week this week. I sent some extra food home with son and family. I still remember like yesterday when my parents were generous with that sort of thing when my husband went back to college and we had zero income. Now I can offer the same kindnesses to our son while he’s in grad school (with a wife and 2 kids at home).
Kara – I smiled at the references to your granddaughter and am so glad your family was able to be together after a stressful year. And huzzah for leftovers!
I made cranberry mostarda this year, and served it with duck breasts for Thanksgiving. (But since I already covered my frugal Thanksgiving Eve and Thanksgiving meals, I’ll see if I can find some others.
1. Saw my partner’s brother at Thanksgiving, but will not see him/his kids at Christmas, so we wrapped the kids’ (don’t buy for adults anymore) gift and handed them off so we didn’t have to pay to mail them. The only $ spent this weekend was $28 on groceries for the week.
2. I made canederli for dinner tonight to use up the homemade bread partner had made for Thankgiving eve dinner. The milk and eggs used were free from mystery shop, and the Italian cheese had been a gift from a colleague.
3. We ate 2 more tomatoes from our garden for dinner (freaky weird since we live in New England) and tomato season should have been done 6-weeks ago.
4. Tomorrow I’ll make macaroni & cheese to take to Friendsgiving on Monday. The cheese and milk were free from a mystery shop, the pasta was purchased for .62 from FlashFoods, and the breadcrumbs are homemade from stale bread. The butter is still from my $1.99 per pound stash from Aldi from 2 years ago. I think it will cost me about $3.00 to make enough for a side for 15-20 people.
5. I’ll also make a tortilla española to eat next week, as we had a glut of free eggs and potatoes from mystery shop and free CSA box. I also made apple sauce from way-past-the-prime apples that were also free from the CSA.
I am also using butter from 2 years ago from Aldi. Both of my kids moved out that year and I was still buying like they lived here. I justt bought 2 pounds for $4. That is the cheapest I have seen so I grabbed it. I just picked the last of our tomatoes this morning. We are getting several days of frost so I got it done. I have dozens of green tomatoes sitting on my counter.
1. I hosted Thanksgiving this year. Only 7 of us. I made two pies, an apple and a pumpkin. Like Katy, I make my own crust. Easy in the Kitchen Aid mixer with the dough hook. Granddaughter brought a pecan pie too.
2. I found a penny on the ground in a parking lot.
3. I got a free cup of tea at my friend’s indy book store for wearing plaid into the store on Plaid Friday. I walked in there and it looked like a lumberjack convention.
4. I’m using an afghan my grandmother made back in the 70s? 80s? to keep warm while curled up on the couch watching TV. It’s still beautiful and reminds me of her.
5. We had Thanksgiving leftovers for supper last night and I made a turkey soup today with the last of the bird. Thanksgiving dinner is definitely a lot of work but the upside is leftovers. Plus I don’t have to leave my own house.
When we had to empty out most of our sinking fund for a new vehicle account when our quite elderly van went on life support after many years of faithfully starting even at 40 below zero, I decided to go into super saver mode and one of the easiest categories to economize is food. Today I totaled the amount I spent on food for November: 101.49. Ta-Da!! And $49 of that was for 50 pounds of chicken breasts, on an unannounced sale for 99 cents a pound. I had been buying things for several months for the Thanksgiving meal, so really all we bought this month was milk, fresh vegetables and persimmons. I wrung every penny out of grocery and convenience store mystery shops, and we ate soups four out of seven days each week. I also did a few restaurant mystery shops that gave us some breaks from soup. I was also helped by a friend who bought 5 dozen eggs at Costco, only to find out they were peeled and hardboiled, not raw. No one in her house eats eggs in that form, so she dropped them off at my house and refused payment. I used them to bring deviled eggs to a holiday potluck and we ate a lot of them for breakfast and lunch and still gave away some. Obviously this obsessiveness cannot be sustained for the long term, at least not by me, but this month is always our most expensive for food, so I am really, really happy that is the least we have ever spent on groceries in a month since I started keeping track of every penny we spend every day. Now I just have to resist the urge to think, “Well, I can buy this X, Y and Z because we did so well on food spending in November.” I caught myself this very afternoon when I realized our slow cooker had developed a huge crack in the ceramic insert and saw one on sale, thinking it was only $29.99. I reminded myself that last time I got a Crock Pot about 10 years ago, it was $3 at Good Will, and I needed to pay them a visit this coming week. I am sorry to bore you all with this bragging but I really am so pleased with myself and no one I hang around with would understand my glee.
Frugal glee is one of my favorite kinds of glee! Well done you!
So glad the eggs did not hit the landfill. Besides deviled eggs (as much as I like mayo, not in deviled eggs), I’d have been in egg salad sandwich heaven.
Soup is a cheap and tasty meal – we eat it more for lunch than dinner however. A heavy meal at lunch (such as leftover turkey, dressing, and gravy lol) tend to make me sleepy when I go back to work.
You might be able to find a new/new to you insert. We have a basic slow cooker (no electronics). Bought it refurbished from the manufacturer. It has been at least 15 years since I purchased it.
Hey, one of the best things we do here and at the FG is share frugal glee! I’m super impressed with the food total, especially considering the bargain you scored on the chicken.
Brag away, I love it. I don’t have a lot of frugal friends so I love to hear about other people who are like me.
Lindsey, not boring and not bragging. I’m so happy for you! I always look forward to your comments.
Your Thanksgiving feast sounds delicious!
1. I made my first-ever gluten- and dairy-free pumpkin pie from scratch, using about $8 worth of ingredients. I found out later that I could have bought one for $8.99, but it would have been 1/4 the size and I wouldn’t have had leftovers. Leftover pie is an essential part of the Thanksgiving experience in my family.
2. I tried to get Hulu’s $0.99 a month Black Friday deal, but it said I wasn’t eligible. I was offered a month’s free trial instead. This will save me $12 because a month is really all I need, but at such a low price, I probably would have kept the subscription for the whole year. There are only a couple of shows I want to watch that aren’t available elsewhere.
3. I did not buy anything on sale for Black Friday or Cyber Monday. There is nothing I need right now and the sales on things I could use are not that good.
4. I got some great deals on groceries from pre-Thanksgiving sales. I think I’m set for the rest of the year at this point. I may need some fresh foods later in the month but will try to spend very little this month.
5. Eating all the leftovers from Thanksgiving.
1. I hate to admit this, but I did not cook on Thanksgiving. Instead, DH and I got take-out meals (turkey, stuffing, green beans) from a grocery store buffet, then added sparkling cider and ice cream. Still we worked hard on Thanksgiving because we had arranged to have someone re-stretch our carpeting on Friday. This meant we had to move all furniture out of living room and family room — a real project. The carpets in both rooms were really bumpy and kind of crumpled. I have been trying to get someone to re-stretch them for about a year, but everyone I spoke with said “Why don’t you just get new carpets?” Well, because I don’t need new carpets! Anyway, the guy who did the work charged a total of $300 for both rooms and he steamed cleaned the carpets as well, so I know I saved a bundle over the cost of new carpets. Now the carpets look great. Persistence pays!
2. Our library had a complete set of the Ted Lasso series, 30 episodes on DVD. We’ve been watching an episode or two every night for about a week now and we’re both enjoying it.
3. Met a friend for coffee. She recently moved to the east coast, but was back visiting in Washington state. I had a cup of coffee, but resisted the call of the blueberry muffin.
4. Sent text message to family members urging them to tell me what they actually want for Christmas. I determined to get gifts they actually want and will use. Most are saying they have enough stuff, but would love some special cookies or candies or other treats.
5. I did not do any Black Friday shopping, although my husband did go to Fred Meyers for socks (50% off all socks on Black Friday).
Sounds deliscious!! I did a semi-homemade meal. My husband smoked the turkey, which was amazing. I just bought a second turkey for him to smoke up. As we’ll get good meat and then I’ll make broth too.
1. Son and DIL hosted thanksgiving. There were 9 of us. Her mom
and step dad drove 16 hrs for the long holiday weekend. We live 4 miles from our son and DIL
2. Back at son and DIL home on Saturday for college football and dinner
3. Brought home leftover chicken from sons. Making burrito bowls tomorrow
4. Picked up “survival” groceries on Black Friday at Walmart
5. Sold an item on fb marketplace $10
I was so consumed with things to do that I ended up asking a neighbor who was off on Wednesday to buy a pumpkin pie for me. So, yes, good neighbors are so nice. My frugals….kind of
1. I utilized the left over turkey in a home made turkey pot pie with home made crust. I also made a left over turkey noodle soup with home made noodles.
2. I froze in quart bag left over potatoes and stuffing.
3. I had four days off in a row and utilized my time doing rebates and scanning apps for extra cash. It was tiring but fun. I brought in about $200 extra dollars in money for my grocery budget this month doing it. Strangely, I still feel like I didn’t get that many groceries overall…
4. I utilized apps and rebates to purchase a lot of candy that I am using for Christmas gifts and stocking stuffers making the candy 1/4 to 1/5 off and in a few instances free. I wrapped all the items I have so far on Sunday using wrapping paper I got for free from work on the free table.
5. My coworker is selling his condo and cleaning out stuff. He placed a box of commercial sized toilet paper rolls he bought during covid on the free table at work. I snagged them. My family will laugh at me. But I’ll enjoy the savings. I always hate buying disposable products anyway….you literally flush and throw them away.
Have a good week!
I wanna go to your house for Thanksgiving! Yum!!!