Five Frugal Things | 2 freebies, 2 sales, & a vacuum
Am I still busy getting freebies over here? You betcha!
1. I got a free wall mirror for my bedroom
I wasn't exactly looking for one, but I was keeping an eye out for things to hang on my empty bedroom walls.
So when a mirror popped up with a reddish-finish frame (like my free bed and dresser), Zoe and I drove over to pick it up.
(In case you are wondering about the gas money related to me picking up these freebies: they're all fairly close by. AND despite the high gas prices, I am happy to drive right now because Zoe and I are feverishly working to get her required driving hours in this summer. 😉 )
2. I got a free chair from Facebook Marketplace
I'm working on furnishing a little den downstairs for Zoe, so when I saw a free faux leather chair pop up on Facebook, I sent a request over.
It was a little dirty, and it smelled like it had been sitting next to a pot of bubbling stew...sort of a tomato-onion smell. But I left it out in my carport for a few weeks to air out and then gave it a thorough scrub-down. Now it's clean and fresh-smelling!
I would probably not buy this chair new; I hate purchasing faux leather because I know it will last such a short while.
But since it was free, I really do not care. However long it lasts is fine.
3. I sold three treasure house mugs
There were three 1999 Kahlua branded mugs that seemed to go together, so I listed them on eBay. Much to my surprise, they sold in a few days.
The shipping supplies I used:
- a hard box that my bobblehead had come in (scroll down in this post to see the bobblehead!)
- a cardboard box left from our move
- wadded newspaper from the free local monthly paper
- bubble wrap from my eBay-purchased electric kettle
4. I sold some Build-a-Bear clothes
My kids have obviously outgrown this stage of life, but we still had some random Build-a-Bear clothes hanging around. So, I listed them on eBay and gave the money to Zoe when they sold. 🙂
5. I got some vacuum accessories from eBay
I left my original Miele Twist vacuum at the house when I moved out, but I did want one for here at my rental. Unfortunately, Miele no longer makes this model.
But someone on eBay was selling a refurbished model, and I bought it. It was missing some accessories, so I just hopped back onto eBay and found someone selling them.
The vacuum itself came in a huge box, with lots of packing peanuts. But happily, I was able to give away both the box and the packing peanuts the same day.
Anyway, now my vacuum situation is all taken care of.
Last week did not feel at all frugal, as we were traveling and that seems to come with spending. We did stay with family most of the time, so our total costs for lodging for the 8 days was $175 for camping one night and a motel another night when storms made it unsafe to camp. Most of our food was provided by the same family, and I brought all our food in the car for the three travel days. So how about a list of things I felt it worth spending on while we were traveling? It's the anti-frugal things. 🙂
1) Coldstone Creamery. Everyone in our family loves ice cream, we can't easily get it here even at a grocery store, and Coldstone is like a kids' dream ice cream place. My children LOVED getting to choose the flavor of ice cream AND a mix-in. Plus, the fun of watching the mixing with those big metal paddles. For the six of us, I think it came to $35. Decidedly not the most frugal way to eat ice cream, but worth it for the experience.
2) A movie in a theater. "Top Gun" was a big thing in my childhood (my dad was a fighter pilot, which made it more interesting to me, but he thought it was ridiculous and I will never watch it with him because he totally ruins it :-), and I really wanted to see "Maverick." The nearest theater to my home is about 150 miles. So I decided to take advantage of visiting a city--and having my parents to watch my children--and see it while I was in Tucson. My husband didn't have much interest in the movie ("'Top Gun' is a chick flick disguised as a guy movie," were his exact words, and I can't disagree), but he came anyway just for the novelty of it. And he wanted to get a concession stand soda. For the two matinee tickets, and his soda and popcorn, it was I think about $30. Worth it for the experience of being in a movie theater after about ten years. (There are stadium recliners in there now instead of seats with people's heads always blocking the screen!)
3) One restaurant meal. My four-year-old daughter had eaten inside a restaurant exactly once in her entire life. Now it's twice. We stopped at a strip-mall, bare bones Mexican place my husband likes after a day out visiting family and got everyone combination plates with tacos, burritos, etc. My mom would have fed us at her house, but that $51 was, again, worth it for the experience. And the food was delicious.
That was about it. And now we're back to our house, where there's nowhere to spend money anyway. 🙂
@kristin @ going country,
I enjoyed reading about your family's great experiences. Compared to most people's vacations, this was a frugal one! Great memories made, too.
@kristin @ going country, I have heard you mention several times how far you are from stores, etc. Can I ask what made you pick your present location to live?
@Anne, We like living rural, although many would call this more remote. We moved here to be closer to family in Arizona, because the low cost of living means we don't have to work as much, and because there's a really good school here.
Count me among those who file your locale under "remote", not "rural". lol
@kristin @ going country, Missed you last week. I’m glad you had fun. I love ice cream too.
@kristin @ going country, I love your frugality while you travel, personally I think you did great! Especially the movie in the city!
Out of curiosity, if your dad was military, do you have base access? Many bases have movie theaters and get new movies. Some even offer concession.
@Colleen, I don't anymore. My dad does, and could probably get us on if we wanted to go. They live somewhat far from the base, though, and it's kind of a pain stopping at the gate and doing all the checking in and everything, so it wouldn't really be worth it to me. Plus, I bet the base theater doesn't have recliners. 🙂
@kristin @ going country, WE LOVED TOPGUN MAVERICK!!
@kristin @ going country, you're right about that - the last base theater I was in most definitely did not have recliners - it was a rickety old theater with a wooden stage surrounded by faded velvet curtains with tassels, and seats that kind of folded you up in them if you weren't big enough to hold them down (like Snoopy in his lawnchair at Thanksgiving dinner)..
@Suz, Ha. As I suspected. That's what I remember from the base theaters thirty years ago. I didn't think they would have changed much.
@kristin @ going country, Loved your descriptions of your experiences. You have a gift for making ordinary things funny.
@kristin @ going country,
We like ice cream too. We don't go often, but there is an ice cream stand at a farm a 1/2 mile up the street, and I feel I should support local once in a while. A kiddie cone is not inexpensive. So normally I buy the weekly ice cream on sale at the market and I have started to buy my own waffle cones (at the stand it is $1 more for a waffle cone). For the price of a kiddie side in a waffle cone, I can get 2 boxes of ice cream and cones.
You are totally rocking the free furniture!
My FFT are:
1. Bought new with tags socks and a pair of bike shorts on eBay. (I always mention "new with tags" lest anyone think I'm buying used socks. People get weird ideas sometimes.)
2. Used a credit from Amazon and 90-something cents to buy a used copy of Dinner Illustrated.
3. The only manager's markdown in the fresh meat case at the grocery store was a pack of thick little beef steaks called Denver Steak, which I'd never heard of and had to do internet research on to figure out how to cook. The $5 pack of steak was stretched by cutting it into bite-sized chunks and cooking it with sweet peppers, garlic and onions, then serving it over rice cooked with beef broth and a can of Rotel tomatoes, kind of like chunky fajitas over rice. It was a huge hit and made lots of delicious leftovers. Aside from the steak, everything else was in the pantry or freezer.
4. Used $3 in Walgreens Rewards this week, which almost made up for buying a single serving bag of candy that was $2.99 when I thought it was a dollar. Ouch.
5. Lessening the strain on our house's old central air unit by keeping the blinds down on the side of the house that gets evening sun and using a floor fan to move the air around.
@Ruby,
I wouldn’t have thought a thing about used socks. I guess we all have things that make us go eewwwwwwe….
I buy a lot of items second hand, but I have a list of items I won’t consider.
--I called our insurance to dispute $800 worth of claims that were denied despite everything being in-network. They have been re-submitted and will hopefully be corrected without further phone calls. I also called our doctor's office; they assured me that it was a known problem with this insurer and to not worry about any auto-generated bills until I hear from the doctor's office directly.* Apparently, all claims from a specific group number go through a specific processing center that ALWAYS has problems. The doctor's office is as frustrated as we are!
*I'll still call to check, though! After my husband was first in the hospital, I called to arrange a payment plan with their billing department. When I later called to make our first payment as allegedly scheduled, I was told we were days from being sent to collections because the first employee I spoke to didn't note ANYTHING on the account--not the payment plan, that I'd contacted them, anything! The second employee thankfully straightened it all out. After that, I made a point of paying in person (physical receipts, always!!!) and always writing down who I spoke to, when, and what about. TL;DR, my medical bill paranoia runs deep!
--I combined coupons and sales to get two tubes of full-size toothpaste for $1 at CVS.
—I’ve been reading the archives here and at The Non Consumer Advocate to keep up my frugal morale. After years of saving, saving, saving, it’s panic-inducing to spend as much as we have the past few months with buying a house and everything that entails. My husband keeps sweetly reminding me that this is what we worked so hard for and that we still have an “Oh, ****!” fund precisely because we were/are so careful. Even so, oof! I’m just not used to this kind of outlay, nor do I want to be.
--The staff of my favorite Ace always goes above and beyond. A few months ago, a staff member gave me a stack of their free 2022 calendars--all the pages have coupons at the bottom--to help with projects for our new house. Another staff member consistently gives me an extra $5 off at checkout no matter what coupons or Ace Rewards I already have. Between coupons and my "Thanks for not being a jerk" discount (seriously, I've been told that's the reason for the extra $5 off!), I just bought $30 worth of house project supplies for $15!
--PetSmart had coupons for $7 off Hills Science Diet cat food in the aisle back in May, with an expiration of 6/30/22. It was a truly giant coupon pad, so I took six individual coupons. The smallest bag is handily the most cost effective per ounce with the coupon ($13 instead of $20 per bag), so I've been buying one per week to make sure our boys are well-stocked while still leaving plenty on the shelves for others. I've one more week and one more coupon to go!
@N, lol”thanks for not being a jerk! Coupon”….that is awesome!
Apparently it really is a thing. I got my order for free at fast food place once because I was “so cute and pleasant in the drive thru”. Considering I was well over 40 at the time, I took as a compliment on many many levels!
As mama always said, it just pays to be nice!
@N, we love our local ACE too!!!
@N, After a prolonged stay in the hospital, I had the discharge nurse say that I was one of the nicest patients they had. I laughed and said she probably said that to everyone being discharged and she said she was serious. I always said please and thank you and I did not swear at the nurses or throw stuff at them or throw things like my used kleenex on the floor or tip my tray on the floor if I did not like the food. I was blown away as she continued to recount some things patients did to nurses and aides. Even if I were inclined to be that horrible, I would not do it to people who could easily kill me off!
@Stephanie,
Our local, right down the road Ace went out of business. Hubby was heart broken. But we do have a local hardware store in the center of town.
Those freebies are awesome! I’d be very happy to find those!
1. Shopped at Aldi. Always first on my list. I did 100% of my shopping there, too, which isn’t always the case.
2. Sold $200 worth of items on eBay. This is getting fun!
3. Used a fast food app to score a free burger when buying one. Now, next week I may not have even one sale. It seems to go like that!
4. Using only one car whenever we can. Mine remains parked most of the time. Since we both work from home, it’s do-able most of the time. Cutting down drastically on unnecessary errand runs, and making sure to batch them together.
5. Rummaged in the freezer and came up with a large package of chicken thighs. Chicken and rice for the frugal win!
You are creating such a lovely home! Made all the lovelier by frugal finds.
1. Went out to dinner with friends and chose a restaurant that was near other errands that I had.
2. Questioned several charges on my chiropractic bill; all were in error. One error was due to their not entering my payment and the rest were for sales taxes that they do not collect.
3. Planted peas from a two-year-old seed packet and they're growing!
4. Used up contents from upright freezer in the garage so that we could unplug it.
5. Harvested chives that I moved out into the field a couple years ago. They ran rampant in the garden but seem to be contained out in the field.
@MB in MN, Regarding your chives, they do run rampant in the garden. But, when you say you harvested chives, how do you preserve them, if you do?
That is always my question re my several herb gardens, which thrive all summer. I’ve never found a great way to preserve them for the winter. Thanks for any suggestions!
@Erika JS, I freeze mine chopped on a sheet pan then store them in an empty plastic water bottle in the freezer and shake them out when needed. I usually have 2-3 water bottles of them standing on a shelf in my freezer door.
@Erika JS,
Kevin over at A Garden for the House has lots of good tips for preserving herbs. Here's one of his posts on it: https://www.agardenforthehouse.com/how-i-freeze-a-years-supply-of-herbs/
Becca and Stephanie,
This is the such a great tip, and easy, too. And I love Kevin's site but somehow missed this post. Thanks so much to both of you!
From Kristen, who sets the tone, to every last member, this group is the kindest and most helpful of any I’ve known.
@Becca, excellent site recommendation, thank you!
@Erika JS, I snip the chives in tiny pieces and let them dry out before putting them in a spice jar. Good luck!
Found some free & nicer than mine planters so I will use them and list mine on Marketplace someone might want them.
Getting produce out of the garden so yay there. Dogs love the green beans.
I kept my shopping local and we got Juneteenth off from work so not much gas used.
Picked up a free outdoor wire basket, really cute will do something with it.
Due to the heat we are not going to mow our lawn, it's a little tall but it's either a little tall or brown so we will choose tall.
I had to pick up some drug essentials for a trip and OMG are prices high, when you shop at Walmart (not my normal store) and I kept saying I wonder if this is cheaper at the $1.25 store lol.
I am curious about the refurbished items that you have purchased. I have always shied away from buying used electronics and appliances online. Have you done this before and are you pleased with your purchases?
With a new grandchild on the way and my son’s wedding coming up in October, I don’t feel very frugal. I am spending too much money and the economy has me feeling uneasy. Although in all honesty, I’ve felt uneasy since last summer. (This can be a problem when you studied economics and you have economist in your family.) I’m trying to save where I can. None of it is particularly interesting or exciting.
1. I bought a new vacuum. DH picked out the one he wanted. (He does 80% of the vacuuming) I did an internet search and found it on sale saving $30. I haven’t had much luck buying these used. They seem to smell like other people’s dogs. I have my own sometimes stinky dog.
2. I finally hit $20 in my Ibotta account so I have transferred into PayPal. I also hit 25000 points with Fetch and have traded those for a Whole Foods Gift Card. There are a lot of jokes about “Whole Paycheck” , but I am able to get some gluten-free items there that are not available elsewhere.
3. I reserved and borrowed this month’s book club selection from the local library.
I was thrilled that they finally had a book my group chose.
4. For Father’s Day, we enjoyed a free beach day by our house. The extreme heat finally broke and it was a pleasant to be outside. We used our new chairs which were an estate sale find. Good beach chairs can be expensive. Our previous set lasted 11 years.
5. My mortgage company misapplied my mortgage payment. I’m not sure how this happened. The applied the whole thing as additional principle, sent me a nasty-gram, and charged me late fees. I spent an hour on the phone with them sorting through things. Grrrr…
I am doing all the usual things - eating at home whenever possible, drinking primarily filtered water, brewing my own coffee, trying to take care of my health and batching errands. Wishing everyone good health, peace and happiness.
Regarding your question: I usually just make sure there is a reasonable return period and I make sure to test the item as soon as I get it. I also only buy from reputable sellers with plenty of feedback. I would not, for instance, buy a used iPhone from a random person on Facebook, but I will buy a refurb iPhone from Amazon Warehouse Deals.
@Kristen, thank you for this info. I think I will give this a try next time I need to buy a household item such as you described. I’m not sure why since I believe in using things up and buying secondhand.
Way to go on free furniture and finding the vacuum and parts!
1. Thinking about vacuums, while this isn't a new frugal thing, I'm still using, and thanking myself for buying, bags from a large, unopened package of Oreck vacuum bags that I bought at a church-wide yard sale for ten whole cents a few years ago. They are the exact size for my Oreck vacuum. I think I'm finally down to the last one.
2. I finished painting my upstairs bathroom cabinet and I'm getting ready to paint the cabinet in the downstairs bathroom. The handles had been spray painted, but I think their original chrome finish will look better once the cabinet is painted. I followed a friend's advice and soaked them in a bucket of water with a few drops of dish detergent for about 48 hours, and the paint scraped right off. They look shiny and new.
3. I made frozen lemon custard for Father's Day, using two late-developing lemons that were still hanging on my tree for the zest and juice.
4. I made soup using homemade chicken stock from the freezer as the base. I'm gathering a bag of chicken bones in the freezer to make more stock.
5. I bought several ounces of loose leaf organic tea at the co-op's bulk bins to make my kombucha. It's so much cheaper than buying it by the box of teabags or as tins of loose tea.
@JD, yes to #5! I buy mint tea leaves in bulk for around $1 for a quart-sized mason jar. And small jars of bulk spices are mere pennies.
Wow, that vacuum bag find is amazing! I will probably poke around on eBay to see if I can find some replacement bags for my Miele, but I doubt I will find anything as cheap as you did.
@Kristen,
That was a once-in-a-lifetime buy!
1. We redeemed 2 (pre-pandemic) gift cards for a nice meal out for only the cost of tip.
2. Used my Target Redcard to purchase my niece's baby shower gifts for 5% off and free shipping.
3. Getting stuff we no longer need/use together into one pile for a garage sale. I don't have time to sell on Ebay, so this is the next best option.
4. Utilizing everything possible from my deceased relatives' houses in an effort to liquidate including plants, plant accessories, etc.
5. Batching errands, making tea and coffee at home, returning ill-fitting summer clothes which I purchased without trying on. I should have known better.
Mine are pretty boring, but here goes:
1. Hubby and I cut the grass ourselves after work yesterday instead of paying one of the neighbor kids to do it. It's well worth it to pay for it when we both have extra things going on at work, but not so much when it's just a normal workweek.
2. I made a big batch of hardboiled eggs on Sunday, made a big fruit salad, made hummus, and chopped veggies so we have ready to go foods for lunches and dinner if we're on a time crunch.
3. Made a big batch of biscuits and gravy on Sunday instead of going out for breakfast. It was cheaper up front and we've had leftovers for breakfast for the past two days.
4. Bought some buns and bagels on B1G1 to freeze for later. We seem to be eating a lot of sandwiches lately, so might as well get the buns cheaper when we can.
5. Bought some fresh mozzarella at a discount because it's close to its expiration date. I made sure to only buy as much as I had a definite plan for using before the expiration date.
@Danielle Zecher,
I freeze mozzarella no problem!! Just a thought if you happen to get a good deal in the future again.
1. Completed 4 Mystery shops this weekend. It isn't a huge amount of $$, but I get some free food and a bit of extra $$ to offset rise in gas and add to my vacation fund.
2. Eating radishes, garlic scapes, and arugula from the tiny garden.
3. Brought home rhubarb (from campus garden) to freeze, got a call from mom that she also has rhubarb for me, so I passed on my rhubarb to a friend. I like to think that we have an entire underground rhubarb network.
4. Brought home mystery shop french fries. Made them into homefries for breakfast one morning.
5. Dried clothes outside yesterday.
@BettafmdaVille, what do you make with your rhubarb? I have a prehistorically giant plant in my back yard...
@Mary, Not Betta but there's a ton of things you can make with rhubarb! It's so delicious. Pie. Syrup--for pancakes or to put into soda water. Jam. Chutney. Love it!
@Mary, my current go-to for rhubarb is a rhubarb-raspberry crisp (far superior to the strawberry-rhubarb crisp, in my opinion. Also, I think crisp beats pie any & every day!). But I also grew up having rhubarb compote over ice cream and, last year, I served it with duck confit.
I think it is an underrated vegetable!
This is the recipe that I used for the crisp: https://thekitchenpaper.com/raspberry-rhubarb-crisp/
@BettafmdaVille, & @Rose - thanks for the ideas!
@Mary, Apple sauce (mix half Apple and half rhubarb), rhubarb cake, rhubarb crisp. Mmmmmm
@Mary,
Rhubarb pie
Rhubarb jam
Strawberry & rhubarb jam (my favourite)
FFT, Further Adventures in Decluttering Edition:
(1) My yard guy bought another widget out of DH's garage collection. I think he's starting to think of the garage as his friendly local cut-rate Ace hardware store.
(2) Dr. Bestest Neighbor just asked for some seafood stock from my freezer (he needs it for a dish he's making for a charity dinner, and he couldn't find any at Price Chopper). I was happy to provide him with a quart of lobster stock--especially since I made the stock from lobster shells he gave me. A full-circle win.
(3) I continue to clear other things out of my freezer (in preparation for the arrival later this summer of the 1/4 steer) and my pantries. My goal is to be able to report $0 in the What I Spent portion of this Friday's WIS WIA.
(4) I made my approximately quarterly run to Clothes Mentor with a bag of clothes/shoes for resale (either thrift store finds that didn't work out, or clothes I have, ahem, outgrown recently). I got $20 in store credit after picking up a very pretty Croft & Barrow pullover.
(5) I then added the Clothes Mentor rejects to my box and bag of donations for the Salvation Army superstore and took them there. Naturally, I did some shopping afterward--and scored a pair of black LL Bean jeans for 99 cents. I'll have to ask Ms. Bestest Neighbor to shorten them for me, but at that price, I didn't hesitate!
Last week went by in a blur! The youngest is home for the summer and had job interviews aplenty. Here's our Five Frugal Things:
1. To save on gas, we planned her interviews and shadowing around my errands, grocery shopping and bridal fitting/delivery appointments.
2. Was gifted a quart of freshly-picked strawberries from a friend who borrowed my canning supplies to make jam.
3. Saved 11 cents a gallon on gas by scoping out the cheapest filling station while running errands and job interviewing.
4. Paid $1 for a much-needed white tank top while grocery shopping. Amazing the random things you can find sometimes.
5. Previously my daughter had thrifted a really cute, really huge flowing skirt for $4. We reconfigured the skirt to fit her and made a cute strappy crop top that laces up the back and a hair scrunchie from the remaining fabric. She received a couple of nice compliments on the outfit when we took Dad out for breakfast on Father's day.
This post reminded me to buy a replacement (used) canister for my 15 year old Dyson on eBay! Fixing instead of replacing...
Ordered grocery delivery online. Still cheaper than the local store here, so counts as frugal.
Not sure what else I got. Spending money like water around here. Sigh. Although some of the estimates for the cottage renovation came in under, so that's good, I guess. I bought a 19th century granite step online to boost myself up on my back step--since having Covid I have been struggling to get in there. $850 for a big hunk of rock is a lot but it's cheaper than having the stairs redone. And our local stone yard said, "Nope, can't do what you want, not for a year, supply chain issues."
Eating at home, cheaply, as usual, although my son's birthday is coming up and he wants to go to the local French restaurant which is delicious, but not exactly cheap, and eat escargots. Sigh.
@Rose, Your adventures are always interesting posts.
Can you tell us a bit more about your stone step solution because I think I can relate in several ways. How did you need boosting and how does the step solve it? Many thanks.
@Erika JS, My house is from 1920. While most stoops are level or close enough to the bottom of the entry door, mine are about 10 inches below that. I have long Covid and I've been weak ever since then, so it is hard for me to get up into the door, especially if I have heavy shopping bags. And I didn't want to redo the stoop I have because it's made of that old dyed slate you can't get any more. So I thought about what would work and I thought I needed a big hunk of rock to get myself up there. Originally I wanted an English Victorian memorial stone, the kind you see flat on the ground, from a cemetery that was deconsecrated, and I think that would have been AWESOME, but weirdly enough shipping an enormous hunk of rock to here from England was gonna be $3K and I'm crazy but not that crazy. So I started looking around for reclaimed stone and other house parts in the northeast and found exactly what I wanted. Putting the stone on top of the stoop means I can get in and out easily.
This is what I bought. https://www.oldenewenglandsalvage.com/stone/stone930.html
@Rose, watched Grey Gardens last night. Interesting!
@Rose, Awesome solution.
There’s a very old cemetery (they have tours on certain days) a few blocks from our house in which some of the memorials are flat on the ground, as you describe. Now I’m wondering if they have deconsecrated ones, something I’d never heard of before.
Thanks for the info and photo. How I wish this topic had come up a couple of years ago. We have three slate stairs/stoop at three entrances and one had a very deteriorated step. We also found that they don’t make this kind any longer and finally replaced the whole thing with cement :/ Mainly to save the mailman's life since we don’t use this entrance.
@Rose, what a neat link, and I love how your mind works re: antique stones and headstones. The cemetery my husband works for has a reject pile for headstones that broke during installation, have incorrect inscriptions, or that the families replaced for a myriad of reasons. I’ve always wanted the cemetery to Tetris the stones into a sweet patio,* but alas, good taste prevails. 😛
*They actually get broken up and reused in the foundations for new headstones and larger monuments, so at least they aren’t wasted!
@Bee, I'm so happy to hear it! I went to the tag sale Sally Quinn had when she sold the place in....2017? So many bargains. I bought a tennis racket of Big Edie's that Sally changed into a fairly odd hand mirror. I think I remember I'm actually visible in the CNN photos of the tag sale, ha. I kind of wish I'd purchased Ben Bradlee's desk, which was only $400 but we already have too many desks.
Oh and regarding headstones, I'm perpetually miffed that a house my ex and I wanted to buy in 2000, which included a small family graveyard in back, was in contract before we could buy it. I wanted to have my own graveyard!
When I was a docent at a local (very old) house museum, and they had the local fourth graders come to the house on a field trip, I insisted on being the person teaching them about the family graveyard. Those kids learned a lot about grave iconography, etc. "See this? The draped urn? That's a sign of death going back to Roman times. See the acorns on this grave? They signify strength and good character." They learned about headstones, footstones and everything else I could throw at them. I like to think some of them retained some interest. "See this? It's called a sarcophagus. You know why? Greek words, sarco, stone, phagus, eat. They thought the stone literally ate the body when it rotted away."
In conclusion, I adore old cemeteries. I do plan to be cremated though!
@Rose, Fascinating stuff about cemeteries. When Iwas a kids I went with my folks to my mother's family mausoleum. I was awed by the whole thing. Fascinated by death and became a hospice volunteer. I volunteered at a hospice based in a hospital for ten years.
What fun finds you always have!
This week found a lady who was advertising free craft supplies on a local FB site. Picked them up yesterday on the way to pickup child #2 from school thus saving gas. I will use them for the summer program that I run at our local library for the kids, keep a few things for myself and donate the remainder to our schools fabric and textile class and other ladies who make crafty things for the Kids Only Shop.
While I was picking up the craft supplies, it was the leftovers from and estate sale, also scored myself 2 huge metal bowls (one I will use for garden produce and canning and the other will make an awesome planter) and a campfire pie maker all for $5.
My husband and I did date night, also seeing Top Gun and used discount movie passes that we had bought pre 2020. And shared a large drink. So out of pocket total was $6.
Other than that it's the usual stuff of eating at home, limiting trips and combining all errands, hanging out laundry to dry and getting as much food planted as possible.
Ooh, you got some good freebies and sale leftovers. Good for you!
Good idea on looking for the vacuum attachments online. We lost the crevice tool for ours, and have been doing without. But I’m newly inspired to see if I can find a replacement part.
My main frugal win of the week is to not get take-out and to cook at home instead. Not flashy but definitely frugal.
My frugal things have been more for the benefit of others this week. My neighbors (most are older and retired) have realized that I'm happy to do the work to find homes for many items they've kept because although they may not have wanted them, they don't want them to be thrown out, either. This past week, I've helped find homes for: recent edition of magazines, a small side table, a bag of candle making supplies, glass jars, and plants.
My part is just to post this stuff on our local FB Buy Nothing groups, then field messages and arrange pick ups. It cost me some time and effort, but I like the idea of finding new homes for items, rather than just throwing them out (or cluttering someone else's home). It also helps my neighbors let go of and find a new home for items they don't use, but don't want to trash.
My daughter lives in a major city and doesn't always have a good response for finding new homes for items in her area, so when she visits, she will load up her car and leave everything with me (who lives in a smaller town, outside of a larger city). I can typically find a new home for items within 24-48 hours.
Does anyone have ant tips for selling on eBay? I think this would be a good thing for me to try adding to my frugality list. Any thoughts for an eBay newbie would be appreciated! Thank you!
Here's one with nine tips for eBay beginners: https://www.thefrugalgirl.com/a-few-ebay-selling-tips/
This one is about books, but a lot of the tips apply no matter what you are selling: https://www.thefrugalgirl.com/how-to-sell-books-on-ebay/
@Kristen, thank you so much! I will give it a try. I used to do garage sales, but I think I would prefer this:)
eBay is definitely better when you have rather niche items that you want to sell. For instance, those Kahlua coffee mugs would probably have been "just another mug" to someone at a yard sale. But on eBay it's much easier to get your items seen by someone who values them for their uniqueness.
1. I got a full geometry curriculum for less by buying it off ebay instead of brand new. Savings: $40
2. Because we're overseas most of the time we hire someone to mow our lawn for $40. Since we're here right now, my husband fixed our mower, spent about $7 on gas for it and he and my son mowed it. Savings: $33
3. I cut open an almost empty tube of Toothpaste and have used it multiple times. Savings: probably just a couple of cents!
4. Cashed in our rewards points from our credit card. Savings: $18
5. I've found coins on my walks. $0.18
I have been traveling for the last week visiting family in a more expensive area (New Jersey). Luckily I am staying with them, free room & board! I have been helping with chores some as thanks. I have gone grocery shopping once for road-trip & return home snacks & breakfasts & was under budget, yay!
I talked with sis-in-law about budgeting, systems/techniques, frugality, and grocery budgeting. A great resource.
My not-so-frugal spend has been walking 2 miles 3x in 9 days to a kosher bakery for special baked goods that we don’t have where I live. The walk is nice, the bakery smells wonderful, and the treats are beautiful. Does anyone have a good chocolate tart recipe?
I will return home in a few days with several plants for my garden - bell pepper, cucumber, tomato, and blueberry! As a non-gardener the foodie in me is very excited and a bit nervous.
It’s my birthday on Friday & I’m still deciding what I want to do and how to celebrate with friends and family across the miles. Thank you friends for the inspiration!
Happy early birthday!
You have some fabulous scores there, Kristen, well done you!
All my frugal wins recently seem to be for other people 🙂
I sewed a repair to No1 son’s jeans that had split
I sewed an extra channel in the dog’s bandana which fits onto his collar, a design flaw in my opinion!! He now looks very smart. FYI the bandana was a free gift after his free grooming at work, I’m not someone who spends money on dog bandanas even though it’s very cute :):)
I agreed to be a guarantor for No1 son’s flat at Uni which he will move into in late August.
I managed to find a great deal on accommodation in Scotland for when we take No1 son and his stuff back to Uni. We are staying for a few days and treating this as our holiday. I’ve chosen a fully equipped apartment so we can eat in sometimes.
I did take today off from work as I have a heavy cold (not covid as I’ve tested numerous times). Not frugal at all but a much needed rest, I’ve used the time to lie in the sunshine in the hope that this dries up the cold, it seems to be working. I remembered whilst lying here how much I enjoyed drinking fresh homemade mint tea during lockdown so I made myself a pitcher of it earlier and I’m vowing to do this more often. It’s yummy! Thank goodness for my ever growing mint patch!!
@Joanne in the U.K.,
Most of my dog’s bandanas are from the groomer. The rest were either gifts, freebies from events or I made them from leftover fabric.
We started off the week with city and a good chunk of the state with a storm and heat related rolling blackout. So We didn’t use or pay for electricity for a day. We consider ourselves lucky because there were folks who didn’t have power restored for three days.
We didn’t lose any food in the freezer because it was full and I had a bunch of big resusable ice packs in there to freeze for our cooler for a weekend event. I composted the food we lost in the refrigerator. I watered down the spoiled milk and yogurt and used it to water our calcium loving tomato plants.
I started pouring the last melted bits of candle and wax melt wax that loses it’s scent into an empty candle jar with a new wick. It’s usually an ugly candle which doesn’t matter when I pull them out for light during a blackout. We also burned some candles I can’t sell from an old craft booth that I remelted into larger empty candle jars during a winter cabin fever project
I made a dessert for the cookout - potluck from pantry items and had a great time on the cheap for the price of that and the sale drinks we brought with us in our cooler.
I changed the baking soda in the deodorizer jars we keep in our shoe and costume closet. I used the old stuff to freshen the carpet, mattress, and as scouring powder (with a slosh of dish detergent) to clean the bathrooms with the bonus of the baking soda cleaning the drains after rinsing. The rest of the old baking soda went into the Baking Soda for Cleaning jar (a repurposed jar natch.)
Wait! People outgrow Build a Bear??!
Not much for me since I've been vacationing.
1. Bought food at a grocery store instead of a restaurant.
2. Booked hotels and tickets early to get better rates.
3. Listed a few things online to sell.
4. Worked overtime before the trip.
5. Took a vacation closer to home than normal so less gas used.
We traveled to the Midwest to meet up with family in my hometown. All of us traveled so we stayed at the same hotel. There were a few "frugal-ish" things:
1. Our airfare one way was paid for using points I earned by opening and using an AMEX credit card earlier this year.
2. Breakfast was included with our room at the hotel. For other meals we all got the takeout of our choice and we met at the shelter in the park near our childhood home. A couple of meals I split with my husband. We also ate Culver's food a couple of times and made sure we ate frozen custard. It is included with the kids meals (any age is allowed to order them) and you also earn it by completing a survey about your meal/experience.
3. We packed snacks for the airport and drank the water provided on the flights.
4. We found $.53 in coins during the three day trip.
Non-trip related:
5. This is the fourth day in a row that I've worn a shirt that was previously owned by someone I know. I have gotten use to rarely buying new clothes and don't miss it. I'm saving time, money, and the environment.
I tried to protest a fee that was unfairly attached to a loan account. Ultimately, I was unsuccessful but the act of trying was frugal.
I mended the jeans I wear for painting and yard work. I think they are about to disintegrate completely but the patch bought me time.
I used wood filler to repair some nicks and holes in our baseboards. This is very satisfying work. After fresh paint the baseboards look amazing.
I spent two hours working on digging out a prickly pear cactus stump. We had talked about renting a stump grinder but it will cost $200 so I'm slowly digging it out on my own.
We went to the earliest showing of Top Gun: Maverick and our tickets were $5 each instead of full price!
Good for you for trying to protest the fee! You win some, you lose some, but if you never try, you never win.
@Kristen,
As my dad always says, "If you don't ask, the answer is always no."
Precisely!
1. I bought chicken thighs at $1.49/pound and put the packages straight into the freezer.
2. We welcomed a new puppy to our family this weekend and while this is not entirely frugal I am calling it so as we searched for a puppy in our price range - we had planned this for quite some time. I added him to our existing pet insurance policy to save $$ on routine medical care. And since gas is so expensive and we are staying home as much as possible, the puppy provides tons of entertainment and exercise for us all. Plus he is so gosh darn cute I can't stand it.
3. I continue to plant seeds in my garden adding in another row of corn this week, more green beans, green onions, and some sunflowers this weekend. Given the rising food costs I am looking to stretch our dollars in any way that I can.
4. I used the remainder of an aging bag of lemons to make a large batch of apricot jam, a pan of rosemary and lemon roasted chicken thighs, and a gallon of lemonade.
5. I made a large pot of great northern beans with an aging onion, a bag of frozen kale and some spices. These will be a great side for us this week and they are super healthy.
Happy Tuesday!
You are really cleaning up in the free furniture department! And everything you have looks so much nicer (after you clean/paint it) than your average free furniture, so congratsies on that!
My frugal things:
1. Had a friend whom we haven't seen in a while over for a visit. He was happy to just hang here and eat homemade food, so the socializing cost us nothing, and it was so good to see him!
2. Took my kids to our neighborhood block party early in the day. They got to happily bounce in a moon bounce with only two other neighbor kids, so I felt like it was a very safe social activity for them. We ate lunch at home, and they wanted to go back, but the crowd had grown past my comfort level by then, so I'm happy they got in their bouncing early.
3. Ate lots of leftovers this week that were already cheap meals to begin with-zucchini fajitas, rice, kale, eggs, etc.
4. Waited until I had a very full load of laundry to wash, but did end up using the dryer because I was feeling too headachey to fuss with hang drying. I did use the eco setting, but it was such a full load, I had to run the dryer twice-hoping it didn't use too much electricity.
5. Used very little AC this week since it got cooler on Saturday. On the hot days, we did all the usual tricks of covering windows, and using ceiling fans, and we tried to hold off on using the window units until after the sun went down. It seems to be helping because our electric bill has been much lower this year compared to last.
6. Found gas for 4.91 today and filled up. Most places on my commute are 5.09 or higher, so I'm hoping the 60 bucks I spent today lasts a while. I won't be commuting for two months since I'm on summer break, so fingers crossed!
7. Spent some time planning out our meals for our vacation in August. Since we will be taking both cars, I'm planning to bring some food from my pantry so I don't need to buy as much when I get there. I will buy frozen premade foods for dinners like pizza and chicken nuggets, so it will be more expensive than our usual dinners, but still cheaper than eating out and hopefully less work to prepare. My goal is to buy exactly what we will eat and have very few leftovers to take home.
8. Watered my garden and porch plants with dish water, cooled cooking water and rain barrel water. I have not used the hose at all yet this year, and hoping to keep up my streak!
9. Got a waiver at VEIP for my eighteen year old car because despite spending way too much money on it last month, it still failed inspection. I'm annoyed that my car seems have all these expensive parts breaking one after the other and none of them seem to affect the car's actual ability to function, only it's ability to pass inspection. Sigh. In two more years I can get it classified as "vintage" and then it will be exempt. The woman at the counter was in a bad mood and kept muttering about how she wouldn't be spending all this money on a car that fails inspection, but I'm wondering if she realizes how much a new (or even a used) car would cost right now. Definitely way more than the 450.00 dollars worth of repairs required to get a waiver, and otherwise the car serves me very well. I will drive it until it literally stops working entirely.
10. A possible frugal fail: a 5 dollar container of organic yogurt passed it's best by date yesterday unopened. I tasted it last night and decided it was not for regular eating at this point. My husband might be able to bake with it, so it might still be saved, but I dunno...worst case scenario, it'll go in the garden, but I'm annoyed with myself for possibly wasting one of the more expensive foods I buy. I blame the end of the school year!
Happy first day of SUMMER everyone!
Frugality is fun! Just change your mindset.
I am growing a little herb garden. For 20 dollars of outset I am getting lots and lots of fresh herbs for cooking.
Downloaded free library soundtracks for road-trips. Important ones like Fleetwood Mac, Motown the Musical and Carol King!
Still being very careful about grocery spending. Using online coupons in the app very carefully. Saved 22 dollars this week.
Packing a cooler for road-trips
( family funeral and wedding could not be avoided with current gas prices) and not buying fast food on travel days. Apples nuts TWIZZLERS Turkey wraps popcorn and drinks …nothing melts in hot car.
I love all your new to you finds!
1. My last electricity/gas bill was $50.48. At the end of the billing cycle, I still hadn't turned on my A/C. It's definitely on now, though. The heat index right now is 107!
2. I got rides to and from the airport to visit my daughter and son-in-law and took food for the flights. I stayed with them in their new house so no lodging costs either. I did buy some groceries since I was eating all meals there, and I paid for us to bowl a couple of games. All in all, a pretty frugal trip!
3. I redeemed Swagbucks points for two Walmart gift cards ($25 and $10). I used those for fresh produce when I returned from my travel.
4. My internet hasn't been working since I got home, but the Comcast tech repaired it today. Lo and behold, once that was fixed, my computer (which I thought was dead) miraculously came back to life. Hopefully, it will stay revived!
5. I redeemed some credit card points for a statement credit to help pay for the flights and my Medicare bill (I'm not taking Social Security yet so I have to pay for three months at a time - oof!).
You’re mentioning a lot of things you’ve left at the house. Aren’t those, like, your things? It seems financially unfair/tough that you have to build a whole new household? But you are doing a great frugal job of it! 🙂
Well, it's complicated. I could choose to take a bunch of stuff, but then he would need to buy replacement items. Overall, it's much cheaper for me to do that because I am significantly more motivated to save money. And since our finances are still not completely separated, I would rather do what is necessary to keep the joint accounts from going down so far.
It's not particularly fair (honestly, a lot of this feels pretty unfair!), but me shopping for replacement items seems to serve my interests better.
So, yeah, I could have taken the vacuum, but I'm quite sure I procured a replacement vacuum for less than he would have.
1. Husband put in 13 hours of watching You Tubes and tinkering and by the end managed to fix our fridge, which had stopped keeping the fridge and freezer cold. I made his favorite dinner, which was cheaper than hiring a repair person.
2. A friend brought over three bags of shredded paper from her office that were headed for the dump. I used them to mix with straw for the hedgehog bedding and with used poopy chicken straw to turn it into mulch for the raspberries. The rest went into the compost. The large plastic garbage bags that had contained the shreds were in great condition so we used them for the garbage cans in three rooms of our house.
3. Did a mystery shop with no money but a sub sandwich for pay. It was large enough to feed both of us.
4. We have had fencing sitting in our backyard for two years. I had finally had enough of seeing tht eyesore everytime I went outside so I listed it on FB Marketplace. It sold withing 20 minutes. $50 in pocket, yard looks better, and the young couple who bought it got a great deal because it was worth $200. I like it when I sell something and both sides feel happy.
5. I had a box of magazines from the 1960s, publications like Life magazine. I have no idea why I dragged them around for all these years, except that I had found them in my grandmother's house when she died 20 years ago and I loved her so much I could not stand to get rid of something she treasured. I finally listed them on eBay and made $210 by the time all of them had sold.
1. On my way home from church on Sunday I saw that a yard sale in our neighborhood was giving everything away for free, so we stopped. I picked up a drying rack, a book/notebook stand (that I think will be perfect for my 8yo's library books), and a tea set for my kids. I have one girl that asks for tea parties somewhat frequently, so I like that I won't have to worry about my grandmother-in-law's china dishes being broken in their tea party!
2. We camped last week, which is a pretty frugal 5-day vacation.
3. We cooked or packed all of our meals on the trip except for one on the way there and one on the way back.
4. We saved the ice cream coupons from our kids meals at Culver's on the way there and used them midweek when it was 100 degrees.
5. So many library goodies! I checked out a mobile hotspot so we didn't go over our data. Today I picked up about 10 books and 2 Adventures in Odyssey CD sets that I placed on hold or requested through interlibrary loan. (The librarian commented on it being a small stack for our family. Ha. I told him we'd be back on Friday and do a full visit.)
One frugal fail and one budget buster:
* I was a day late in cancelling my Unlimited Sip Club at Panera, so I paid for a month. I'll be sure to take advantage of it since I drive by often, though.
* I planned to make brisket for the first time for Father's Day since it was on sale for $4.99/pound (cheaper than steak, right?) After looking at recipes I was expecting it to come in a 3 pound chunk. Nope!! $52 later I came home with brisket! And I got the smallest one there... Most were $70-$90. So while it's still cheaper than eating out and we will get 3 meals out of it, I need to be careful with my spending for the rest of June.
@Ruth T, Your last one made me laugh because it reminded me of the time I ordered a whole brisket from a butcher to corn for St. Patrick's Day. When I went to pick it up, I was taken aback at the price, and when the guy asked if he could carry it to the car for me, I realized that I had never actually purchased a whole brisket at the store before. What I thought was a whole brisket is actually only the flat or point, which is about half a whole one. The whole one was about 15 pounds. This was in 2014, and that whole thing cost me $57. Seems like a bargain now . . .
@kristin @ going country,
Yes! You get it! Too funny.
Not sure if I have 5 but here goes-
1. Fed my visiting extended family a meal from the freezer & pantry, so no additional cost outlay.
2. Used the Rakuten app to order new tennis shoes for DH. I also compared the prices for said shoes on several websites, but they were all the same.
3. Finally broke down & bought a meat tenderizer. DH has had trouble at times with chewing (he wears dentures) so after letting the item sit in my “cart”, I finally decided it was a necessary & useful purchase.
4. I’ve been using the “sit in the cart” method more lately than ever before. It has really cut down on my “wants” purchases, leaving me with more money for actual needs.
5. Religiously loading coupons to my grocery app, checking weekly sale flyers, & stalking any clearance sections at the grocery, or any other store for that matter.
6. Found a few clearance items that I think will be suitable for “in case of rain” activity for my oldest granddaughter when we all are on vacation.
Thanks Kristen for the link to your post re selling on eBay. I too have been thinking of doing this.
Brand new salad spinner for 3.00, listed on Amazon for $30
Brand new Oreck hand held vacuum, still in box with all attachments and 1/2 dozen bags. Vacuum alone is listed at $189.00
Both found at Goodwill and scooped right up!
* hubby’s birthday is coming up. I already got him a pair of quality shoes at a deep discount and I also got him an electric blanket for the winter (he is always cold!) at half price because the packaging was in somewhat bad shape. So, shoes and blanket, I paid 35$ instead of 135$ at regular price.
* Paid 2,40$ fir 3 litres of cream (on reduced rack), total steal! Made a cream of brocolis with some and froze the remaining
* The city is offering all sorts of free activities this summer and I intend to take full advantage for myself and the family
* My car lease is coming to an end. Instead of exchanging it for a newer model (and a new lease, of course) it was already decided 4 years ago that we would buy it at the end of the lease, and the money for the buy back has been in the bank account since. I plan on driving it at least another 6 years, then pass it down to my daughter once she had her licences. Civics are pretty durable.
* Daughter graduated from 6th grade yesterday. Got her a 1$ card and a 6$ flower bouquet from Walmart. She was happy.
1. Picked up 100 kid's masks from Buy Nothing. Just in case masking is required again in future.
2. Purchsed clearance marinated steak from Aldi. It will be a delicious dinner while camping this week.
3. My daughter's daycare gave us 2 loaves of whole wheat bread. It will be used for breakfast sandwiches and PB&J's while camping this week.
4. I grew oyster mushrooms from a kit I was gifted for my birthday. I made dough and homemade pizza sauce using herbs from my garden. I added garlic scapes and kale from my garden with the mushrooms. The pizza is my lunch at work this week. It's delicious!
5. I have have been having some medical concerns over the past few days. My health system offers on-demand video visits with a medical provider, which is a $20 co-pay. The provider ordered lab work and sent an antibiotic to clear up the issue. Total cost was $38 for the visit/medicine and maybe 10 minutes of my time.
Last Thursday, my friends and I attended a walk against Elder Abuse. The walk was free (no charge at sign up); a t-shirt; and free lunch put on at a local restaurant.
We went to my daughter's for Father's Day. I bought the cake, which was not frugal but it was served there and then I brought the rest home and shared it with my younger daughter, who had been away for the weekend. I also brought a cracker spread that I make. I substituted the called-for butter with the leftover goat cheese (sometimes I use feta) from our Sat. dinner.
Today I had my teeth cleaned while I was at work instead of going back tomorrow (gas saving) when I would not be working. It's a work perc (thank you very much).
The club I belong to wanted to buy a gift for the facility where we have our meetings. They do not charge us for use. Another member found the item at a decent price but two days later the price had jumped by $50+. In looking through sites to find a comparable item with a comparable price that was approved, I found the same item $100 less than originally. Bonus.
Of course, I brought my lunch, coffee, and drink to work today.
I know some things were not "real, real" frugal--but there was savings and there was sharing.
1) Used a bunch of garden items in our menu planning. Lots of tomatoes, basil, lettuce, and made our first spaghetti squash.
2) We stayed overnight at a really nice place for one night for Father's Day. We loved it & had a great time. They had an expensive resort fee, so I maximized it by taking three workout classes in the morning before we left. I love trying new classes, and really enjoyed it!
3) Brought a bottle of wine to a dinner out for my husband's birthday. There is a corkage fee, but it's still cheaper than buying it at the restaurant.
4) My husband went through his closet & the majority of his stuff doesn't fit (he's lost weight, due to new restrictions & a food allergy). I gave away the vast majority on Buy Nothing (SO MANY bags on my porch!), and I've put away the nicer items to sell on eBay.
5) Made my 15 y.o. a quick meal between picking him up at tennis camp, and taking him to the airport. He still bought food while at the airport, but was able to buy much less due to the big snack/meal ahead of time. It's the little stuff. 😉
6) Bonus. We didn't have to pay for a gate pass, to accompany the kids to the gate at the airport.
Kristen, It's fun to read about your frugal or free finds for your home! It reminds me of the feeling I had last winter. Now the seasons have changed and I'll be soon packing up and returning to the States (with some mixed feelings as these things always are, happy to be back but I know I will miss my family and friends here).
As frugal activities, I have been soaking up the beauty of Nordic summer, which feels like such a rare treat after a long dark winter. I have been biking and jogging around the city lanes, nature preserves and parks, visiting gardens and beaches. I feel so "full" of this pleasure that I don't need to purchase things such as meals or experiences.
With the kids being out of school it's hard to keep up with all the food they're consuming (hitting a growth spurt!), but I also found some affordable camps where they get lunch served.
I haven't bought any new summer clothes as I know the summer sales are just around the corner, and I also want to minimize the amount of clothes we need to pack when we fly back.
On one rainy day, I took the kids to the movies. I had bought some movie tickets last winter, right before movie theaters closed due to covid. I had almost forgotten about them and feared they had expired, but luckily the expiration date was extended and I was able to use them.
1. Continue to pick rhubarb and make it into compote, which I’m freezing for use on waffles or similar.
2. Continue to shop the pantry and freezer for yet more company. Fortunately they are ok with using deer instead of beef for spaghetti and burgers so far. When you eat a lot of meat (which our company does) it gets really expensive, so we are glad to use our deer.
3. Scheduled my yearly eye appointment which is covered in full by our insurance.
4. DH took advantage of his brother being in town to do some much-needed tree work in our backyard. He used to do this as a high schooler, so it’s good for him to have the occasional refresher, and it saves us major $$. Plus he can leave the bulk of the tree to make woodpecker habitat, as we enjoy birds!
5. A neighbor dropped off yet another jar of rhubarb jam. It’s not our favorite, but it’s kind of her and we will use it eventually.
Hubby and I went to the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store which is their thrift shop. Lots of great stuff there. I bought 2 drinking glasses as I needed a couple.
Still watching electricity usage by shutting off lights and keeping an eye on the AC.
Saying no to online shopping. I did though sign up for a Land's End credit card to get 50% off an item.
Hubby made pizza from store bought pizza dough, jarred store brand pizza sauce and fresh mozzarella. It was fantastic. It cost about $7 to make which is way less expensive than the pizza places around here.
I made hubby a box of brownies for Father's Day.
Made rhubarb muffins with rhubarb from the garden
Stopped at the cheaper further away grocery store after work and picked up several 99 cent bags of produce and processed it right away after work (cut out the bad bits, washer in vinegar water, laid out to dry, chopped a cantelouope, and made pear/plum/apple sauce with the mushy fruits). Made some pickled jalapeño relish and some dried banana chips. Used up a bunch of carrots by roasting and putting in our Buddha bowls that night. Used up more carrots in mini muffins.
Made two homemade graduation cards for our friends’ kids instead of buying them at the store. Also made two teacher thank you cards.
Hubby got some free hot sauce and condiments from work.
Went to the free splash pad for entertainment for the kiddos on the really hot days this week.