Today's Frugal Thing is Nothing But Socks!
My sister is a master knitter and makes a pair for me every few years, including the above purple pair. Sadly, the wool on this particular pair is the worst, (yes that's a wool pun) and they began disintegrating as soon as I started wearing them.
Luckily I have thrifted bags of darning wool and am somewhat of a darning whiz.
Isn't this better? The wool will tightly felt up once the socks go through the washer and dryer.
And since I was once again darning these damned socks, I figured I might as well attack my entire mending pile. Which I did, that is until I grew nauseous from the close up work.
It really was the perfect day to darn socks as it was cold and drizzly and I swear the sun went down around 3:30 P.M.
My favorite part of my darning marathon is that I used my recently thrifted maraca instead of my official darning egg, as the shape was rounder and the lighter color made it easier to see the weaving. Plus more fun to shake.
Hopefully I can get a couple wears out of these socks before I have to start a new mending pile!
Now your turn, what frugal things have you been up to?
I didn't get a chance to read and comment on your prior post. I "fixed" the handle on a reusable shopping bag with staples. DH used a couple of rivets (maybe overkill) to reattached a shopping bag handle.
I made chicken noodle soup with rotisserie chicken stock and meat picked from the bones. I used a couple of aged carrots. I use broken up GF spaghetti for noodles. I throw some red lentils in when I start the soup and they break down so you don't see them but they add some fiber and thickening.
I worked in the yard since there was some sun. There are tree branches and pine cones after it is windy.
We stopped at Grocery Outlet and they had good prices on apples and Lara Bars.
CVS sent me Extra Bucks. I had not shopped there for many, many months. I stopped and picked up a few items for less than $1 out of pocket.
1. I've been staying home and catching up on cleaning tasks, so not much money spent.
2. I did go to a couple estate sales just to get out of the house for a bit. I picked up a full bottle of Mrs. Meyers concentrate cleaner for $2 and a couple of clear organizers for my pantry. I also picked up a couple items to sell on Ebay which will pay for my purchases.
3. I sold several items on Ebay over the weekend. All are packaged and will be picked up by the post office.
4. I have a walk with a friend planned for this morning. Always the best part of my day.
5. I donated to two different campaigns for US Senate. Trying to put my money where my mouth is.
Katy, please show a picture or describe the type of darning needle that you use. I would like to start darning my wool socks too, and am unclear on the needle to use.
I just use a regular needle with an eye large enough for wool.
I used to have a needle with a blunt tip, but I seem to have lost it. This also works.
Thank you! I already have just that type of ‘regular’ needle in my sewing basket.
It's dreary and damp here but I managed to line dry most of the laundry.
Hauling a beef to the locker tomorrow, thank goodness!!! We've been trying to empty the freezer of misc odds and ends. Today, beef heart fajitas. Hoping they turn out. Recently we've used up aging deer meat for chili, turkey sausage,a ham bone in ham n beans, and made 2 meals of "refrigerator magic" which is just a spontaneous concoction of reimagined leftovers casserole style.
Listed an item on ebay that I dumpster dove, nip. I plan to list 1 item per week in 2026. I need to get rid of some things.
I quit my off farm job Nov 1! Only working 1 job feels great! They took out a lot of taxes on my last check, which stinks, but future self will be glad, I suppose.
Cooked 4 pumpkins and 1 butternut squash. 2 pumpkins will be pie, most of it divided and frozen for use later, along with the squash. I also made 2 loaves of pumpkin bread and a kept some in the fridge for a side dish.
I found a perfectly good Pyrex pie plate at the recycling center. It was passed along to a friend.
Laura MO--My former (and also deceased) much-beloved mother-in-law called your "refrigerator magic" her "Supreme Surprise" and I loved her for that. Thanks for pro0mpting a happy memory.
It was a beautiful fall day yesterday, so I took a walk in the neighborhood, but going a different route than I have before. Somehow that makes the walk more interesting. I found a number of receipts. Most of them were no good -- too old or too shabby -- but one of them had an item that was worth 800 points on Fetch. Woo hoo!
I cut up some carrots yesterday and boiled some of them to go in the freezer. Unfortunately, I forgot about them and burned them. The good news is that even though the pan was scorched it cleaned up fine. So this is a shout-out to IKEA stainless steel pans. They are awesome.
Today I'm getting ready for my Thanksgiving trip, which will begin on Wednesday. I have set aside four outfits, including underwear and socks, and I will pack each set in a packing cube. Then at my destination I will only have to pull out one set per day. No decision making. This is not necessarily frugal, but I really recommend this for making travel easier.
I am doing laundry today, and I will be hanging one load to dry in my bathroom. The towels, yes, I will put in the dryer.
I'm done brewing coffee until I return home, so I turned off my Bunn coffeemaker.
I'm going to try to find a free audiobook for my trip. So far I haven't had much luck with that, but this time I'm starting early.
Sadly in affluent N Atlanta where I live, there are very few "free" piles at the curb, probably because of all the HOA neighborhoods and rules. However, I did come across 4 really nice heavy wooden painted pumpkins this weekend sitting next to a trash can on the curb. Snatched them to hold for my annual Oct yard sale. I have a huge driveway and am not far from a busy road, so several of my friends come and sell and its always a great turnout.
Picked up my free meal from a chain chicken finger restaurant that opened earlier this year. Had waited in line to be one of the first 50 people to get free meals twice a month for a year. Includes a drink. Not tired of their chicken yet.
Did 3 loads of laundry and hung up 50%, always socks and underwear, and the athletic wear my sons wear. I have 4 of those collapsible laundry hanging things. Also hung up the rest of the stuff before it got too dry in the dryer.
Oof, I feel like I'm in spend, spend, spend mode right now. Most of it is planned, but I also find that when I'm in that type of planned spend mode, somehow it becomes easier to spend on other things that are less planned. I don't enjoy the feeling & want to pull back & focus on our financial goals.
A few wins:
-Made tacos for dinner, as we had the whole gang home for dinner last night. Used taco meat from the freezer.
-Picked up a gift card Christmas request for DS18, and earned a $10 grocery store reward.
-Used a $10 off a $50 purchase at the grocery store, and picked up baking items for Christmas & a few Thanksgiving items. I only make one item (cardamom bread), but it calls for things I don't keep on hand.
-Finished off the last of a package of cheese in the tacos
I think my socks are too thin to darn. I’ve been replacing them with Darn Tough Socks, and now one of them has a hole on the way. I walk a lot.
I’m having a large group for Thanksgiving, and have come to the conclusion that I need to use a card table to expand my seating plan. It will be nice to jazz up the card table with a Thanksgiving-appropriate tablecloth. All my square tablecloths are Christmas-themed, and I like to wait until December before I break out the Christmas stuff. (I don’t approve of stores that start selling it in September. September?!?!!)
I decided to go to an estate sale to find a tablecloth, and I got lucky and found a perfect, high-quality one for $2! I also bought a hair dryer for $1.25.
Today’s frugal activity will be making the turkey stock for gravy. It’s difficult to find turkey parts for stock in this allegedly “foodie” town. I finally settled for some drumsticks. I’ll roast them up and put them in the crockpot for the day.
Li,
When the Darn Tough Sock get a hole, remember to contact their customer service and get a replacement pair for free! Love those socks. Just placed an order with them for Holiday gifts!
Katy, you do a beautiful job darning those damned socks.
1. Went to the Wicked: For Good movie with my sister. Saved money by going to the matinee, watching it in standard format and getting the senior discount. We both loved it and were especially glad that Jonathan Bailey had more screen time.
2. Made my own makeup remover by mixing witch hazel (from Buy Nothing) and olive oil from the pantry. I use a tinted moisturizer with SPF every day and sometimes I put powder, mascara, blush and lipstick on when leaving the house. I have fair skin and silver hair, so some color definitely helps my appearance.
3. Reduced our monthly Xfinity bill by $7.00. Because we're at the end of our 2-year rate ($58/month) for home Internet, I received an email saying that we'd be getting a loyalty discount when the term expired. Since the amount of the loyalty discount was not given, I called their customer service. Turns out the rate was skyrocketing to $113 but the loyalty discount of $20 would bring that to "only" $93. I politely stated that I was a happy customer and that I preferred not to change to a competitor to receive a lower rate. I was offered a lower rate than we had been paying, partially because we switched paying via credit card to paying directly from our bank account. This rate will be effective for one year and now includes an unwanted Peacock Premium subscription for two years (valid only if we upgrade to a higher internet tier; geez the fine print on this Peacock offer is crazy). I will make sure to watch my billing carefully to make sure I don't start seeing higher charges after these promo deals are over.
4. Finished a library book, The Unexpected Journey by Emma Heming Willis. There's a lot of good information in there on caregiving, no matter what one's financial situation is, written with a lot of wisdom and empathy.
5. Called plumber for a leaky water heater pipe and had him diagnose a minor noisy laundry faucet while he was here. Opted to leave the laundry faucet as-is due to the cost and effort of fixing it. Plumber also gave us a quote for annual maintenance of our on-demand water heater. While he was here, I called my HVAC provider who services our unit twice per year to see what they would charge for maintaining the water heater. Their price is less than half of the plumber's quote so we're going to have them service the water heater at the same time as the HVAC unit in December.
Rack dried my sweaters and shirts on the porch over the weekend. Ate lots of my homemade "Lean Cuisine" individual freezer meals made up of cheap, healthy ingredients. Trimmed up the herb bed for winter after the frost got the basil. Everything else is a perennial. Found a baby DeKay's brown snake in the oregano and let it be because they are harmless unless you're a slug or a snail. Free pest control! Baby snake was the size of a child's shoelace and trying to look fierce by flattening its wee head, which was adorable.
Ruby, I've told this story before, but I'll tell it again: Our third cat, Dizzy, was a snake specialist. His favorite toy as a kitten was the tear strip off any juice concentrate can. The first time he went out in the front yard and found the garter snake colony under the 10-ton rock in our front yard, he came back with a baby garter in his mouth and eyes the size of dinner plates: "Ooh, Mommy, look! This tear strip WIGGLES!" I got that one away from him in time, but I wasn't so lucky with some of the others. As you say, they're free pest control, and I consider myself fortunate to have them--along with the American toads that hop across the street from the Bestest Neighbors' garden pond.
Dora caught an adult DeKay's, which probably came in though our rotting screen door on the porch, and dropped it in the kitchen floor one night. That was exciting! I took it outside. I think she was trying to teach us to hunt because she kept herself and her kittens alive by hunting after she was left in an anbandoned homeless camp. The police officer who found her saw her catching birds.
Katy, your darning egg reminds me of when I got into terrible trouble as a fifth-grader. I'd pulled out a darning egg from my mom's "miscellaneous stuff" drawer and asked my (maternal) grandma (aka the world's most horrible babysitter) what it was. She said a darning egg.
Being a real smart aleck and wannabe comedian, I asked her if it came from a damning hen. OMG! She lit in to me as if I'd assaulted her -- actually hit me with a coat hanger-- and when Mom came home, I got more of the same. With a belt this time. All because I'd said "damn."
I didn't know any bad words then. I'd never heard the F-bomb or b-word (except as in regards to breeding the dog) and we didn't even say the 4-letter word for manure. Still, I got grounded for a week. No TV, radio or allowance, and yelled at several times for this.
What is absolutely ridiculous/hypocritical about all this is that my mother would say "damn", "hell," and "G-d dam" all the time when I was a very small child, and it was not until I said those words (innocently, not knowing what they meant) in front of the other (very sweet, church-going) grandmother that she quit. Only bc she didn't want her MIL to think badly of her and/or tell her (non-smoking, teatolling, very docile) sisters-in-law.
What a memory! Unbelievable. I laugh at it now, though.
Meanwhile, it is pouring down rain and my frugal plans are limited to inside the house today. I'm cleaning house, uncluttering like crazy, and getting items ready to donate. (Or regift for Xmas.)
I came across a lot of teacher exam study guides (you have to pass standardized tests to get your teaching certification), and other classroom items. I will advertise on craigslist to see if any education majors or newly-minted teachers want to buy 'em. Might as well earn some $ while helping them.
It's trash day, and as an update to yesterday's post: yes, I was successful! I got the garbage collectors to empty the can, so goodbye to a contractor's bag of brush along with half the (96 gallon) garbage can full of the same. But the joke's on me bc the guys left the can in the street, uncovered, and it's full of water. Oh, well, I guess I got a free garbage can cleanout.
I'm baking biscuits in my tabletop oven and will be enjoying them with the soup I made. That soup is also a "refrigerator magic" recipe (and freezer and expired canned goods recipe) -- love that term!
Oh Lisa, I'm sorry you received such a rough sentence (especially for saying something that was pretty darn funny). When I was around 10 years old, I called my mom a son-of-a-b----! I had heard my older brother's friends say it and my young mind thought it was a term of endearment. Other than her shock, I don't recall anything else. She must have given me the benefit of the doubt.
As always, Katy, I'm in awe of your darning skill. Is there any way you could do a video tutorial for those of us who are darning-impaired?
A few updates on my most recent FFT: First, I've enhanced the compost heap I started last week with three bags of lovely mixed grass and leaves from the lawn of my late neighbor up the street (who died back in August). There was a crew there on Friday doing lawn cleanup, and I know that my neighbor didn't use lawn chemicals, so the stuff is safe to use. I will now think gratefully of both my late tree and my late neighbor when I use the compost from that pile next spring. I told the neighbor's friend and executor about this, and she seemed quite pleased.
I did also go as planned yesterday to the university-area branch of the Thrifty Shopper's boutique store. A lovely LL Bean flannel shirt, a pair of NWT Xmas-themed socks for one of the neighbors, and several household odds and ends, for $15 and change. (And I paid for it with the $100 Thrifty Shopper gift card I bought for $75 earlier this year.) Also, as previously noted, free Sunday parking at a meter and nary a student in sight. 🙂
Finally, I won a cashier's heart at Petco today when I offered her two rolls of pennies (from NDN1's overflowing stash, for which I compensated NDN1). The cashier almost kissed me!
I understand pennies no longer being made. I have the usual frustration that this was done on a whim, not as a carefully planned change to be implemented with the least disruption to consumers and businesses and financial institutions.
Banks can no longer get pennies from the central money distribution centers/federal banks at all, or they just can no longer get new pennies? If pennies are deposited at a local bank, the bank sends them to be destroyed rather than put back in to circulation? Or the bank puts them in circulation, but they don't necessarily have enough to do so for every business that wants some?
And so if stores want them, they have to save them up from the ones that are spent in their stores? And some stores are just skipping the fuss of pennies to round-up or round-down? Or they round up or down when they run out of actual cash? \
And in the way some stores refuse to take bills higher than a twenty, can they legally refuse to take pennies, which are still legal tender?
All good questions, Heidi Louise. I wish I had some answers.
Hedi Louise,
They won't destroy the pennies, they'll just put them back into circulation. We're still going to be using pennies for quite some time. The government wants us to take the pennies we've been saving in all our jars and piggy banks and go spend them (or bank them) so there will be more out there.
1. Lunch today is leftovers from homemade pizza from the other day.
2. Dinner tonight is eggless and milkless pancakes, with a side of eggs. We usually have yogurt on the side for the kids but we're out so I'll offer up some applesauce.
3. My husband took the kids to the park yesterday and commented about how our youngest needs a hat, her hair isn't very long and her hood was having trouble staying up. I scrounged in my crochet bag and found some beautiful blue yarn that should be perfect for a hat. My oldest found me crocheting and has decided that obviously she needs a matching one as well. I should have just enough yarn to squeeze two hats out.
4. Speaking of yarn, I'm nearly done with the very last project for Christmas. We determined that gifts are only going to kids this year and my goal was to make as many gifts as I could until I got through my yarn stash.
5. My husband signed up for a checking account with the bank that I use so we can streamline our accounts a bit and apparently he qualified for a $250 promotional deposit from the bank! Neither of us knew ahead of time so it was a very nice surprise to find $250 in our account. We've dubbed this our holiday budget and will put anything extra in savings after thrifting gifts and looking for deals. Clearly coming into money isn't going to change us 😉
Just beware you'll get a 1099 come tax time. Remember there is no such thing as a free lunch.
1. I did my grocery shopping for this week. Got $150 of food for $70. $40 was my free turkey, $15 was a “buy $30 of dog treats get $15 off”, the rest was loss leaders, BOGO, and lots of store coupons as well as 1,900 points on Fetch, points on the Purina app, and $10 back on Ibotta. Plus a free box of corn bread mix (Ibotta)
2. Made chili as I have an over abundance of canned beans. I threw in some puréed pumpkin from the freezer which needed used up. Lots to eat now and some to freeze for later.
3. Gave another free pumpkin to the chickens. They love them and it keeps them busy for a while.
4. Walked with a friend yesterday and today. Always a good time as she is a great story teller.
5. A friend started working at a local organic food store. One of her jobs is to prep the vegetables for sale. She discovered that they throw away all the scraps. Not any more! lol. She brings them to me for my rabbits and guinea pigs. Friday she gave me an 8lb bag of mostly cilantro stems. My crew ate then fresh for a few days and then I dehydrated the rest to use as hay toppers. I’m experimenting with dehydrating the kale and collard stalks so we will see how that goes. It’s way more than my crew can eat fresh. But here is to free pet food, which is always welcome!
I wish I had the tenacity to darn socks. Of course most of my socks are not wool, but inexpensive athletic ankle socks, and many were adopted from my son when he grew out of them. I find that there is no shortage of socks to make me want to be miserly with them at this time. Perhaps I find that clothes are in abundance at my home in general despite the fact that I dont buy them for myself, and infrequently for my son.
1. I received a $10 giftcard from Fetch and used it toward groceries at Target completing my shopping for Thanksgiving. My budget was very tight this year and I'm thankful I made it work.
2. I started a bag for clothes to donate. I have taken clothes from people letting them go for the last few years as I lost weight. This morning I found I had 9 two piece bathing suits. I was able to part ways with four easily. I will continue to go through and downsize so my room isn't busting at the seems. I realize how fortunate I am to be able to downsize clothes I didn't pay for in this way, and the need for breathing room in my home.
3. I saw a trash out pile down the street and investigated. I brazenly opened black contractor bags and found a pair of black garden boots my size that look like they were never worn, a perfectly good towel, unopened toothpick box in plastic, two unopened boxes of tea, a long bic lighter for grills and things still working, pens, scissors, an easter basket in perfect condition, a full bath mat set that seemed unused, as well as a gift package of 12 candles in tins with 11 tins present and only one used, a roll of plastic trash bags, tissue paper, and a few other things of interest. I brought them home. I'm sure my neighbors think I'm nuts, but I'm ok with it. There are some more bags I might go back and look at again if I have the time. It's insane to me that people wouldn't bring all of that to Goodwill. It's so wasteful.
4. We continue to make our way through John Grisham films I have been taking out on DVD at the library. We only have a few left, I'm a little sad to see it come to an end. Currently looking for new/new to me films and shows to watch.
5. Cobbling together meals this week. Mentally preparing for Thanksgiving.
Going out for lunch for Thanksgiving day with another couple. Frugal? Financially, no. Sanity wise, very. My Amish students have 1/2 day on Wednesday and resume school the day after Thanksgiving while all the other kids are off. Will be that way over Christmas, too. At least, since Christmas falls on Thursday, I will get a 4 1/2 day weekend as the Amish dismiss at 1 pm on the 24th and don't go back to school until December 29.
Sorted out more caning jars and have 11 pints and 12 jelly jars to sell. Posted on Marketplace. Hope they disappear and money appears quickly.
My birthday is 2 weeks before Christmas. My sister always gives me $ for both. For YEARS, I have either used it to pay bills, buy groceries, gas for car, etc. This year, I am going to treat myself...considering a full body massage. I need to learn to take care of ME (at least once in a while).
The last few months have been bittersweet. One of my mom's brothers passed Aug 31. My dad died 49 years ago on Aug 30 and my dad's older brother died 2 years later...on Aug 30. Mom's other brother died this past Tuesday, the 18th. My sister also died on the 18th...18 years ago. My uncle's funeral was today...on what would have been his 91st birthday. I couldn't get off work, so DH picked up my sister and they went.
Refrigerator about to spew all over as it is jammed full. No need to buy groceries (except milk) for awhile.
Got a $25 grocery store gift card for Thanksgiving with my last paycheck. Came across 2 salmon fillets reduced because they were about to expire. Bought both with the gift card. DH and I ate one tonight and the other one is in the freezer for a future "treat."
What a useful use of a maraca!
1. I grabbed a ride with my husband to "the big city" so I could go to Aldi.
2. We also went to the big Goodwill and made some purchases.
3. I'm using the green onions (regrown from store) and basil growing in my kitchen window.
4. Gave my mother-in-law some spools of thread (she sometimes does mending repairs for us).
5. Found some pennies
Unabridged version here: https://practicalwalk.com/2025/11/24/frugal-five-19/
Katy, I think the bright yellow yarn looks nice on the black socks you mended.
1. I found a bedside table. (I can't tell if it is supposed to be a end table for a living room or a table for a bedroom.) Anyway, I needed a bedside table w/ drawers so that is what it has become. It was curb picked. I also found a dog bed which went to the Humane Society. I took some bedding which I washed. It will go to the homeless shelter.
2. Inspired by others post, I made a tomato based soup w/ veggies in the fridge that had seen better days. I put the veg scraps in the field for the wildlife.
3. I got a free breakfast sandwich w/ some Dunkin points that were going to expire.
4. Inspired by Katy's Thanksgiving meal prepping I got busy. I made a graham cracker crust & baked it in oven. Then I squeezed a bunch of key limes. Now, all I have to do is prepare the filling for the key lime pie. I gathered up items for the corn casserole & will start on this tomorrow.
5. Trash picked a nice large litter box with a door and a flap. The cats need a new one.
I haven't darned for a while, but it is a satisfying task when I am in the mood. I love that you do visible mending, Katy!
1. A friend of a friend has been introduced to me, she wanted access to a bigger space to garden for food, and I have just the thing. She is lovely and excited to come and help out, I will give her sections that are hers alone to do what she wants, and we will share a lot of the rest.
I'm excited about getting a gardening accountability buddy – she has plans to come do a lot of winter prep so we can get a head start in the new year. She's already come for an afternoon while I was off at other commitments and we had a confab once I got home – anything she does is bonus, however I am practicing using lots and lots of words of affirmation as it seems she needs them. This is not hard since I now can see dirt where there once were weeds!
2. My one year anniversary with my weight training coach has arrived, and she asked if she could spotlight this really fabulous achievement by doing a write up in the occasional newsletter she sends to her training clients. I got to see a sneak peak and now I am all puffed up with how good she has made me appear.
Getting to a whole year has required a lot of focussed effort on both our parts, however it has also been a lot of fun, a game changer in how I see myself, and the positive impact on my flexibility, agility, fall resistance and overall strength is priceless.
3. I have taken a couple of days off as both my body and mind are kind of done with moving around. Got to a chiropractic treatment (mostly paid for with my insurance, for which I am grateful yet surprised.) . Fit in a massage for relaxation as the rest of the treatments I have been getting are directed toward 'issues'; the massage was such an enormous treat that I must allow myself a few more often in a year.
4. My daughter came up just for a visit and we cooked a meal together – simple stuff, chicken thighs (on sale) with homemade shake and bake, a chunk of squash that had been languishing in the fridge, some boxed dried Scalloped au gratin potatoes (a decadent treat that has been on sale lately so I stocked up), an enormous shredded cabbage carrot and celery salad whipped up with one of my machines, then dessert of apple crumble using frozen apples (thanks past EcoTeri) and the remainder of a bag of homemade crumble topping (that I make in volume for just this purpose).
We feasted, there are a few selections in the fridge, the dog loved pre-washing the pans, and the oven's three shelves were fully loaded for maximum efficiency.
Finished off the evening with a game of cribbage and a chat. Priceless to have a daughter who just likes to hang out with her mom.
5. I cut my Roommate's VERY long and VERY straight hair. This is a new one for me, my kids have wave or even curl so the hair is more forgiving. I made a point of really listening to what RM wanted done, discussed the length to take off (a lot as her hair had become quite damaged) and how she wanted me to deal with some of the bits that were in bad shape.
It turned out really lovely, she was very happy that I had listened to her and not gone hog-wild on the length, and we were able to give her a bit of a boost in her image. She figures I just saved her between $80 and $100 – I gather haircuts were pretty expensive in the Eastern city she was last living.
6. I picked up RM from her job, as a surprise, and she had chosen that day to collect bakery gifts for me. YUM! A lovely pastry, a scone and a bag of delicious ciabatta buns. I pulled out a couple of cans of tuna and made some tuna salad, stuffed a bun and inhaled the fresh goodness. Free baked goods and breads are such a bonus, and a way RM can express her appreciation. Yes, I will take these offerings, with pleasure!
Ecoteri,
It's a great time to do soil tests since some of the amendments take some time to reach fruition.