Five Frugal Things | Free berry bowl
More on the berry bowl in item number five!
1. We got Zoe's windshield fixed
When I went to install her E-ZPass transponder, I noticed something on her windshield. At first, I thought it was a blob of sap, but when I got out to look at it, I saw it was a good sized divot in the glass.
Luckily, it was smaller than a quarter, with no cracks extending from it, so I knew it could be repaired. And our insurance has a no-deductible windshield repair/replacement policy.
Soo, I hopped online and booked an appointment for her. She took it in, and sure enough, it was a repairable problem, so now she's back in business.
2. I got a sink strainer from Buy Nothing
I have had zero luck finding a sink strainer that fits my model of sink, so I've been using the wonky one that was here when I moved in, and then I have a little silicone stopper that I use when I want to plug the sink.
The one from Buy Nothing also does not plug my sink, but at least it is in better shape than my old one.
Better than before is better than before. 😉
(This is a very small Buy Nothing find, but luckily it was very close to my house, and also on the way to my sunset park, which I happened to be heading to that day. No gas wasted!)
3. I got my internet bill reduced from $75 to $30
A friend told me there was a promotion running and also told me that the plan I had was probably more than I needed for my household.
Sooo, I got on the phone with Verizon and got my service downgraded.
$45 a month in savings is nothing to sneeze at!
4. I bleached my white shirt
I typically do not use bleach, but I tried all my other stain removal tricks for several light brown mystery spots on this shirt, all to no avail.
Sooo, I got out my bleach, and I'm happy to say the spots are gone.
I forgot to take a before picture, but you will have to trust me that there were four brown spots!
5. I accidentally got a free berry washing bowl
A ceramics artist, Pod Pottery, went viral for her handmade berry washing bowls, which use faucet water pressure to spin berries around.
It's not a necessary tool, but it IS kinda fun.
I was going to buy one to support her, but I quickly realized she is backordered forever from going viral and is not remotely lacking in customers. Also, as I understand it, the design is not hers; it has been made by a variety of ceramic artists.
So, I ordered this similar one, and when it arrived, I noticed a small imperfection in one of the drainage holes, almost like a piece of the bowl had splintered off.
I requested an exchange, and while they did give me a refund, they said it would not be cost-effective for them to have me ship it back. So, they let me just keep it.
The defect is not big enough to affect the bowl's function so...now I have a slightly imperfect but free berry-washing bowl.
Anyway...if you want one, they're about $30, they come in a lot of different colors, and I can confirm that the design works, even for bigger berries such as strawberries.
There are some very cheap plastic versions available (one I saw was even 3-D printed!), but this one is actually a ceramic bowl. It's not quite as cool as the Pod Pottery ones, but it's still quite nice.
The berry spinner is such a neat design!
How is Zoe? It is wonderful that she still lives in with you. You'd miss her and the cats could not do without her yet I suppose!
This week's frugals:
-- I found several empty soft drinks cans (not good but good: they were left as litter but I will accept the change for picking them up)
-- in the fridge I found a packet of parsley that I cannot use, I will freeze it in ice cubes
-- we are still DIY-ing. Progress is steady but slow, because paid jobs and regular housework also need to be done.
-- we've been cooking at home every day
-- we ran laundry and dishwasher on solar power whenever possible
--we filled up our car at the cheapest location en route