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My husband and I stopped at a random Dollar Tree on our way to Seattle to pick up some $1.25 snacks. I was going for a “baseball” theme as we had tickets for the Yankees vs. Mariner’s game that night. I also grabbed a backup pair of reading glasses and a sleeve of crackers to bring back home.
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I mixed the “salt and vinegar” peanuts in a bag with the pretzels and Baby Ruth bars for our game day snacks. Really good as it created “salt and vinegar” pretzels!
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The people in front of us left halfway through the game, and I realized afterwards that their sealed fruit and cheese snack plate had fallen out of their bag. I contorted myself down and grabbed it for myself.
Home run for Katy!
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I didn’t realize that metal water bottles are banned in the baseball stadium, so I had to give up my nice Hydro Flask bottle, even though it was empty. We were a full mile from the car, so there was no way we could just walk it back. I hid it behind a planter across the street, but it was long gone by the time the game was over. I can likely thrift another one, but it’s still a bummer.
Cue sad music. Maybe Julio Iglesia’s “To All The Girls I’ve Loved Before.”
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Three Tiny Frugal Things & One Big Frugal Fail
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{ 55 comments… read them below or add one }
Waste not want not, my Nanna used to say..that fruit and cheese plate!YAY!!!!!
The flask.. well, I guess you “donated “ it to someone in need. You are such a diligent and lucky thrifter you will find another one!
I always sneak in a smaller flask of my home brewed iced tea in my huge purse, when the dollar movie theater locally.ANd my own snacks too of course.
Hope your vacay was a nice getaway for you and hubby!!
Thanks, I should be able to thrift a “new” one pretty easily as water bottle brand go in and out of trend pretty quickly.
Hurray for the cheese tray!
I am reading a yard sale copy of “First Principles of Agriculture”, 1904, junior high textbook. One of the author’s digressions into beneficial creatures includes this about toads: “These homely looking animals are very useful in ridding us of harmful insects…. Bring a pair of toads into the house and watch the good work that they do. A room may be cleared of cockroaches by leaving a toad in it overnight.”
Can anyone speak to this organic technique?
Ha! A lot of my friends are very very angry about people who use poison for rats and mice*. With good reason since that means they poison owls. However, when I had a bad rat problem last year, you know I had the exterminators put out poison bait stations. What was I supposed to do, ask an owl to come inside?
*Easy to say when you don’t have rats in YOUR KITCHEN.
Darn! I wish I’d known that when my Roommate From Hell lived here! She moved in here and within five minutes’ time, there were a zillion roaches everywhere! (Egads! I had never before lived in a place where there were ANY cockroaches, not a one. But she thought nothing of having a roach crawl on her hands, up her arms or on her food, even.) They crawled out of all her boxes, out of her clothes, out of her bed linens, and even out of her “beloved” piano (that she never touched, not once, but “had” to bring with her.) I could’ve released 1,000 toads, and they would all be fat and happy eating RFH’s roaches! (When she left, I bug-bombed the house once a week for several months, and the roaches are no more.) Felt sorry for the county welfare nursing home, where she moved to, I bet they were similarly inundated. Maybe they should buy some toads.
Fru-gal Lisa, you just told us you’re from Texas without saying you’re from Texas!
Li,
Yep. Shore am.
Eww . . .
RIP to your water bottle! May it have gone to another person who treasures it just as much.
1. Refilling my toiletry bottles for the thousandth time, appreciating being able to use my own products when traveling without shelling out for tiny versions of theme very time.
2. Painted my nails at home to avoid a manicure on vacation while feeling fancy!
3. Flying standby thanks to some inherited perks from friends in the airline industry. This makes frequent travel within reach and budget.
4. All plane snacks came out of my pantry.
5. Taking the train to the airport and feeling lucky to live in a place where I can do so. $11.75 with airtrain beats $50 by cab every time.
I just read an article that Trump is heading up the buy nothing movement. So 11 year old girls should have two dolls instead of thirty and kids should have 5 pencils instead of 250. And everyone should just quit buying stuff that he has made prohibitively expensive. The article also said “ It’s also a concept Americans hate. Buying things is our national pastime.”
lol.
Ok. Is the goal to see how many businesses can be shut down? Curiouser and ??
I don’t think I even care anymore. Stores are so yesterday.
Girls should have two dolls and Donnie Darko should have two Air Force Ones. Sounds reasonable.
I almost can’t believe we’re at this point. God. I’m almost glad my parents are dead. My mother would be apoplectic.
Same. My mom is surely rolling in her grave
My mother, with her 8th grade education, could do a better job today than the current administration. Dad used to say that mom was so tight, she could “rub 2 nickles together and get a quarter.”
Mom died in 2010. Even dead for almost 15 years, she could do better. Mom would be 102 today. The only unfortunate thing (other than her her passing itself) is that she died on Flag Day (June 14) which also happens to be “Bozo’s” birthday. Suppose he’ll change that holiday, too?
If a little girl doesn’t need 32 dolls, then a billionaire doesn’t need 32 cars, 5 yachts, and 6 homes.
Or a Lear jet.
— Copied from internet (but I added the jet just for Katy!)
If women are supposed to be having more babies, shouldn’t we have our little girls practicing with more dolls?
@Carla G – no we do not want practicing – the little girls will realize that $5K is chump change when it comes to raising A child.
More wins than losses – that’s what matters!
1. My work was throwing out a faded patriotic banner as they ordered new ones. They offered it to me to decorate with or to craft with. I’m thinking outdoor pillows maybe?
2. Instead of buying expensive festival food every day this week as the food trucks are in our town for our annual Strawberry Festival, I grabbed some chicken tenders from Arby’s (just tenders, only $6, which soothed my craving for eating out). I’m saving my festival food budget for the 4H ribeye sandwiches – it’s for a good cause and my favorite treat from the festival. That will probably be my only purchase.
3. Spending time crafting and reading at home and just being really, really content with that. To the point where all I can think about at work is getting back to my cross stitch project at home! LOL
I think that is the best thing about being raised by frugal parents and continuing their ways – I’m happy being at home, doing my own little projects, living in the space I already pay a mortgage on.
1. The local private university adjourned for the term. I am sickened by the number of things thrown away. I think the university does recycle things left by the dorm students. I gleaned a few things. 6 pack of hard cider, 6 pack of vodka cocktails, a broom w/ dustpan, some sealed spices, a shower curtain, liner, & rings for it, a pair of Ugg’s slippers.
2. My niece graduated last weekend. I did not see overflowing trashcans at her residence. We traveled to AR for no cost other than gas. Room paid for w/ hotel points, cooler w/ sandwiches for the trip, and free breakfast at the hotel.
3. My graduation gift was a large, thick beach towel (was given to me at a casino). My work friend monogrammed my niece’s name on it at no charge.
I used a gift bag I already had to wrap it up.
4. I wore a dress & sweater I have had for 12 years. My husband wore his preowned clothes also.
5. The Hunter fan I curb picked is missing the light kit. The box says you can use w/o the light kit. My husband is reviewing how to do this.
6. I had a wreck last week. The body shop will fix the car for what the insurance will pay out. My husband haggled with the owner.
7. I went to pick up some free canned goods. While I was out, I spied a cardboard box with more food in it on a curb. I took that too. Most of it will go to the homeless shelter for their kitchen. There was also some dog food which I will take to the humane society.
8. I held back a few canned items for us. A can of salmon, a huge jar of pickles, 4 ripe tomatoes, and some onions.
9. I also came across a good amount of size small surgical gowns. I will take these to school for the Surgical Tech students to use in their lab.
1. I sold a painting, the first in many years. What a thrill!
2. I received free hot dogs and free frozen vegetables from the grocery store.
3. I have almost worked through my enormous mending pile. There is only one item left.
4. I gave a friend 4 boxes of mostly Christmas and craft items for her yard sale. Money for her, less clutter for me.
5. Another friend gave me pink sedum and yellow iris. I gave her crow’s foot cactus and striped peace lily.
Congratulations on the painting sale!
The hydroflasks come and go from our house. There’s probably a song for that. I have too many.
1. I made stock with the chicken bones and veggie scraps from my freezer.
2. I used the stock, some carrots, a handful of dried pasta, and my can of estate sale beans to create a soup for dinner.
3. I found 8 ounce heart-shaped packages of raspberries at the grocery store. They were marked down to $1 each! We will have raspberries for dessert tonight.
4. I made yogurt this morning. The half gallon of milk I used was bought on clearance for 52 cents.
5. No one has offered me a jet.
That’s an incredible price for raspberries!
What a great deal on the milk for your yogurt-making.
Looks like good snacks to bring to a game. Sorry you lost your hydroflask, thankfully there is no shortage of them in the world. I’ve seen people posting boxes of them on Facebook for curbside free piles. They just seem like…they were a phase. It’s made me consider if I want to downgrade how many I have. In-fact maybe I’ll declutter that next.
This week hasn’t been very frugal, but not extraordinarily expensive either.
1. I was gifted two free drink cards to a deli I like. I cant wait to go soon and enjoy a drink.
2. We’re going to a church gathering that has dinner. The dinner is always amazing…I’m excited to see what it is this week.
3. I was able to get $34 out of ibotta this weekend.
4. I did very intentional spending at Publix with bogos, sales, coupons, and rebates, and managed to save quite a bit on our groceries.
5. I have been enjoying the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. It’s wonderfully written, and one of those stories that is makes it into the reality is stranger than fiction category. The book is now 30 years old and a lot of the topics discussed are very modern imo. I’m enjoying it thanks to my library.
I’ve been awfully grateful to the passing fad. They are great for my kids for camping, but being kids I REFUSE to buy new ones. Thankfully there has been a steady stream of (lightly) used hydroflasks to fill their needs.
Let’s see. . .
1) My husband made a tasty taco bar for Mother’s Day for the extended clan. Everybody was able to customize to their heart’s content and we didn’t have to brave a restaurant.
2) I was able to fix up a pair of pants to meet my custom needs. Nobody is going to see the wonky button holes or drawstring inside my pants, but those suckers aren’t going to slide off.
3) I was able to tailor a men’s uniform shirt to fit me- no need to search for a women’s or go elsewhere. I probably should remove the bright basting stitches. . .
4) I’ve been taking full advantage of my public radio/ television membership to watch all sorts of shows. Support public radio/ watch my favorite shows- win/win.
5) Still making my coffee, packing my lunch, taking the bus and rocking the thrifted wardrobe.
The shelves of reusable thrift store water bottles tell a story of mindless consumerism.
I’ve never read that book, but maybe I should give it a try.
@Katy @Ashley Bananas – book does sound intriguing despite one’s first impression.
It was on the Times bestseller list for something like four years.
We traveled through Savannah and got to spend some time there in the last few years. A lot of the tourism industry centers around that book which is based on a journalists time there and centers around a true crime murder which happened in 1981. We did a tour of Bonaventure Cemetery, and went back and visited Forsyth Park. I watched the movie and enjoyed it, but have come to find out the movie didn’t do well in theaters. The book however is beautifully written, has higher vocab words in it, and captures the time and culture of the area when it was written. And yes, it was on the NYT best sellers list for about 4 years!!!
I’ve been recommending the book to more people and trying to find more history on the city and the book. When I go back I want to visit the Mercer House where the murder took place; the murderers family made it into a museum. I’d also like to visit the graves of the two main real life characters. There’s a restaurant or two mentioned in the book that are also popular places for fans to visit. So, yes, this is a fun rabbit hole for me. I’m almost done with the book. I just have a hard time keeping my eyes open when I go to read at night.
I’ve eaten down the weeks worth of food I brought to my son’s house for my visit (so many allergies it’s easier to bring my own). So no food waste. This is something I feel I have a lot control over.
Still not purchased anything except the $12 local ice cream trip.
I did forget my swimsuit for this next part of my trip, so I’ll stop and get one at Costco. I’m not going to miss the joy of the pool at my uncle’s house (salt water, heated to perfection) for the sake of a $20 swimsuit
I’ve sold 2 things on FB marketplace and one on eBay while I’ve been gone. My husband happily deals with all of these.
My travel tote bag is one I made myself from an army ground sheet (meant to go under a tent) from 1969. The fabric still looks new and it’s so durable. It makes my repurposing heart happy every time I use it.
That’s so cool that your tote has such an interesting history!
@Kara speaking of likely before either of our times, I have my Dad’s reserve wool blanket as well as his circa late 1950s hoodies. Suffice it to say material from the 1960s (and a few mid/late 1950s) are far superior to anything we can purchase today.
So sad for your hydroflask. I seem too find great water bottles in the Goodwill bins.
1. I saved $5 off the cost of a bottle of gardening vinegar by signing up for Lowe’s rewards.
2. I used discounted Lowe’s gift cards to buy mulch and the above vinegar. My son-in-law delivered it for me with his pickup truck.
3. I picked up some aluminum foil at an estate sale. I’m almost out. I also bought a few things to sell on Ebay.
4. I sold an item on Ebay. I shipped it using recycled materials.
5. Frugal for my daughter. I sold the candle holders and flameless candles from her wedding on FBMP. These have been used for at least 3 weddings so far, which makes me very happy. Her sister-in-law bought them off marketplace for her wedding. My daughter shared the cost and used them for her wedding. I wonder how many brides will use these in the end?
I love that the candles keep going from one bride to the next!
1. Was able to apply a $20 coupon toward my recent oil change. Even so, the cost was $60. With nothing extra done. When did they get so expensive?
2. Scrounged around in the fridge and made a personal size crustless veggie quiche for lunch.
3. Took the (free) bus to grandson’s volleyball game, and got a ride home with my SIL.
4. My sweet son sent me a $100 Amazon gift card for Mother’s Day. I ordered a SwissGear rolling suitcase and some spatulas. The suitcase is a resale “like new.” I’m taking a chance; I haven’t done this before. But it seems that I can return it if not pleased, so I thought I’d give it a try.
5. Bought two scarves at Goodwill for $2.99 apiece. I had more than $6 in points, so only paid .59 out of pocket.
I love reading about your wins (and your losses, because let’s face it, it’s nice to know I’m not the only one who fails). I usually just follow along, but I’m feeling pleased about my projects, so I’m commenting tonight!
I’ve decided to make my porch a more comfy place to hang out. I have a plan, but I’m trying to do it on the cheap. I spent the last two days pressure washing and clearing unwanted stuff from the porch.
1. I found curtain rods on clearance for $4 a piece. I need 4, so thus far the project has cost $16.
2. I had bought some cheap curtains for $10 a set, but while I was on the phone with my sister, she mentioned she had some she was going to get rid of and that I could have (which are much nicer than the ones I bought btw), so I will be returning the bought curtains and saving $40. Total for the project is still at $16.
3. I built a coffee table for the porch with wooden crates that I already had, and a glass table topper that the previous owner of this house left in the garage. No cost, other than a sore finger where I mashed it with the hammer. Total is still $16.
4. The previous owner of the house also left a rug rolled up under the porch. It’s been down there for at least the last 5 years, as I haven’t messed with that area much, but today I decided to see if it was salvageable, and it was. It has a few small holes in one end, but I’m going to slide that part under the porch swing and I doubt anyone will really notice them. Project still at $16.
5. I used another rug that I already had in the garage for the other side of the porch, so that cost nothing. Total cost for is still $16.
Now, I could count the cost of the rocking chair I thrifted on Saturday, since I am using it in my project, but since the project was conceived after the purchase, I’m not going to, ha!
The project will incur some cost, as the porch needs to be repainted. I have some old paint downstairs, but it’s not exterior paint, so I will have to buy a gallon of that. I looked and the price is about $15. I will also possibly recover the swing cushion, but I already have fabric for that.
I love this X 16! It reminds me of when I couldn’t get a stain out of our garbage picked porch rug, so I painted a leaf over the stain!
https://thenonconsumeradvocate.com/painting-over-a-stain/
I love your painted rug! And your blue crocs, because I also wear blue crocs (which are about 20 years old at this point and VERY faded).
I forgot that I also purchased some curtain clip rings (because they work much better than pockets), but I had reward points and so the out of pocket cost was about $3. So, with taxes and all, we’re at around $22. I’m still calling it a win so far.
I remember the leaf! Very creative.
WOW, what a great and fun post. Thank you for sharing – your glee is my glee!
If you have a Habitat for Humanity resale store near you, check out their paint section. Also always worth checking the areas where stores that sell paint put “mis tinted” paint or paint that people changed their minds about after it was tinted. I’ve gotten some nice colors at 30-50% off this way. Very often, these cans will be tucked at the back bottom of a shelf in the paint section-watch for yellow clearance stickers if you’re at WM and also look for cans with paint drips on the sides to help you spot potentially marked-down paint cans anywhere you go.
Hope this helps!
I painted my hallway and the soon-to-be computer room with some recycled paint from Habitat. I really like the “Sands of Time” color and the fact they used paint that was turned in for recycling in California to make it. I can’t remember how much I paid, but I recall it was 1/2 the price of Walmart paint. But my handyman/painter said he had to put on 2 coats. So that negated the $ savings.
I’ve had great luck using Glidden paint from Walmart, which is what we used on the living room/dining room area. One coat did the trick. It is priced very reasonably and I just used one of their standard colors, no need to tint it or anything.
Meanwhile, I wanted to get my covered patio ready for some summer evenings, but I saw some sparrows had built their nest in the hanging basket I never took down. Guess it’ll have to wait until all their babies leave the nest and fly away for good.
Isn’t it standard to do two coats? We always do.
I am surprised clothing is allowed at sporting events. I for one am APPALLED that cash is not accepted. I don’t give a shit about their lame excuses – it is downright UN-AMERICAN. Trust me, next event I attend that does not accept cash will not get any money from me.
Not accepting cash is a good way to keep “undesirables” out of a space. Sadly
What does that even mean? Undesirables?
I use cash for all retail purchases. So do the retailers think I’m a undesirable?
The BS excuses I’ve heard:
1 – cash is unsanitary. Really? that touch screen/card reader is super duper hygienic?
2 – less losses – well perhaps if you PAID YOUR EMPLOYEES A LIVING WAGE THEY’D HAVE LESS DESIRE TO STEAL.
3 – labor to count cash and deposit at the bank/bank branch. Oh don’t forget it *might* trigger a SAR (suspicious activity report). Never mind like taxable social security not being adjusted for inflation, neither has the $10K in cash for SAR changed either. But *mebbe* we can get us person who *might* be illegal and associated to “the cartel”.
1. Went to the Big City for a “medical investigation”. The immediate results were disconcerting, however the Gyno doctor happens to be hilarious, and he and I have a silly schtick that at least lightens the atmosphere. A minor (repeat) surgery is in my future, dammitall.
I paid zero dollars for this investigation, and will pay zero for the next procedure – I just paid $3 for parking in the parkade. I could have scoped out parking elsewhere yet didn’t have the time to walk.
2. Picked up #1 daughter and we joined my mom and a couple of long-time family friends for dinner. Mom ‘adopted’ a lot of young people over the years, often a student at the university who lived in our basement, helped out with us kids and some light housekeeping, and got low cost or free room and board.
This friend and mom were calculated that she first joined our family 56 years ago (!!!); she considers my mom to be hers, too.
It was a fun dinner that Mom insisted on paying for – Bonus! She literally arm wrestled the lone man at the table and took him by surprise, I think she might have actually wrenched his shoulder she was so fast. I came home with one of my three fish tacos, so #2 son got a note on the container giving the go-ahead to take it for his lunch.
3. I got AppleTV “free” for 3 months, with my new phone. I waited to activate the subscription until I got home from my big trip. I am able to share with my daughter who is much more of a show/movie person than I am.
4. One of my buddies called me to say that her newly widowed neighbour and his gardener had pulled out two big rolling compost bins of just flowered daffodils. (His wife was an OCD gardener, and apparently her gardens were glorious in the spring, however he isn’t a gardener so is going for simple).
My friend was appalled that they were going for compost so asked permission to take them. She called me first, though, as she had no idea what to do, and was delighted to get some advice (and an offer to take what she couldn’t share elsewhere).
She has now donated 4 large paper grocery bags of bulbs and tops to various friends -they need to be replanted to ensure they feed the bulbs before the leaves die off – and just brought me an overflowing rubbermaid tote, plus another bags worth of bulbs. It will be a time-suck to plant them all in the next couple of days! I have a raised veggie garden bed that currently isn’t in use, so I will turn it into a nursery. I likely will try to set up a section of my property to naturalize more, as well.
5. I finally had the appointment with the Hand Therapist. Surprise surprise, apparently what I knew was a problem is actually a real problem, and the solutions aren’t perfect. However, he formed a brace out of plastic (heat formed them to my thumb!) and I wore it for at least 7 hours today including during my weight lifting workout. Boy howdy! did I notice how much I need the brace to avoid put the joint into the wrong position.
Unfortunately Hand Therapists aren’t covered in the provincial medical plan, but my extended benefits paid for some of his time. The cost of the appointment came to under $100, and that included two splints, which I likely can make a claim for in my insurance to even get some of that covered.
I will need another kind of splint but he didn’t have time, today. I also will eventually need a more expensive silver splint, however the plastic one will be proof-of-concept and we will adjust it and see if I actually wear it before springing for the fancier (and sturdier) option.
6. Visited the discount veggie store to pick up some local asparagus (not cheap but this is why we are frugal, right? So we can splurge during the two weeks of local asparagus).
Their scratch and dent area was overflowing with deals – big bags of grapes for $1 or $2, two iceberg lettuce in a bag for $1, big bag of bananas for $2, huge bag of broccoli for $2, cauliflower for $1.50, two bunches of celery for $1, and more. I did splurge on the asparagus, and bought cream there to avoid the temptations at my grocery store, and still I came home with a huge (orange box sized) box of food for just over $30.
The second big deal there was as I was leaving.
A young woman came by with a stack of 4 white boxes, and I teased her about bringing shoe boxes into the grocery store. She stopped and said they were doughnut (the coffee shop next door brings the last of their pastries over at the end of the day and the grocery gives a doughnut away to each customer). I lit up, I guess, and she said “do you want….”.
I thought she was going to say “one”. She said “a box?”
Why yes, yes I do.
One box of probably 16 doughnuts – and not the standard coffee shop fare, more like the big soft doughnuts of my youth, with fancy frostings. I gave 2 to some ladies I had been talking to in the grocery store, when they appeared at the car right next to mine, and then rushed home with my bounty. Of course, #2 son and I were so tired after a very busy day for us both. After we each inhaled a doughnut, the package of discount hotdogs that I had in the fridge provided us both with at least something for dinner.
We had a dermatologist once who had doggerel poems by his wife framed in each exam room. He always made me laugh, too. Once I was giggling over one of the poems when the nurse came in and said, “I could fart a better poem than that one.” A family catchphrase was born.
Later on, via Google, “In March 2001, a disbarred dermatologist, Michael B. Klein, was arrested and charged with arson after allegedly firebombing the offices of an osteopath in Huntington, Long Island. The fire also damaged the adjacent Huntington Chamber of Commerce building. Klein had previously been disbarred for sexual harassment, using narcotics, carrying a gun in his office, and threatening and harassing patients and staff.”
whoopsie
@Rose, let us hope my Gynaecologist doesn’t get equally disbarred, he is funny but not in any kind of harassing way, more in the ‘make this difficult and awkward internal exam less awful’ kind of way.
I love the family catchphrase you collected! LOL
Grrrl, I would have found a way to get that cheese/fruit cup too! So sad about the water bottle. Live and learn.
My only frugal save this week, courtesy of the London Tube. I left my backpack on the tube when we changed trains! Who does that? My husband insisted we go back to the station where I thought I left it. Behold! It was there! Someone turned it in. Whew! Otherwise a speedy week on vacation. It’s why I’m cheap on the daily. We like to travel.
Why on earth are metal bottles banned? Glass I can kinda understand because broken glass is a hazard. But metal? Are plastic water bottles also not allowed because they might lose some beverage sales?
Because drunken idiots would throw them at the opposing team, or refs.
Or when Pete Rose spiked Ernie Banks. Again, perhaps all sporting events should be attended while sans clothing and *no* food/beverage sales. Those nachos could blind someone. I’m sure cotton candy causes respiratory issues.
And yes greed is the answer. Gotta suck every stinkin’ penny out of a person who paid (usually) good money to attend.
If people could find their collective spines and *not* purchase a single thing once inside the arena/ballpark, we’d get their attention. But alas it won’t happen – for a number of reasons I’ll not go into.
But I’ll say it again – our pocketbooks are the most important weapon in the average persons arsenal.