Five Frugal Things | a mailbox flag refresh
This first one is making me unreasonably happy. 😉
1. I spray-painted my mailbox flag
The mailbox here at my rental is past the flower of its youth, and the flag in particular was showing the mailbox's age.
I looked at it one day and thought, "Hmm, it would be sweet if I could paint that." and then I looked inside the mailbox and saw that the flag was just held on with a screw.
Oh yes.
Amazingly enough, I'd gotten an almost empty can of red spray paint in a bin of spray paint from the Buy Nothing group.
So serendipitous!
I cleaned the flag as best I could, gave it some coats of spray paint, plus a coat of clear gloss (also from the Buy Nothing bin), and reinstalled it.
The plastic was rather degraded, so the flag is not perfect even with paint.
But it's improved, which is what matters.
Before and after:
I love $0 projects. And I also love that I was able to use up the random almost-empty can of paint.
2. I picked some wild blackberries
On my walk, I spied a patch of blackberries. So, later that day I walked back with a bucket and picked them (don't worry, they weren't on private property or anything!)
I did get a few scratches in the process, but I enjoyed the blackberries for several mornings on my bowl of cereal, so it was worth it.
3. I listed SO many things on eBay
The other day, I tackled the job of organizing my office.
It was sort of a catch-all room when we moved here, so it definitely needed some organizational help.
In the process, I found a lot of books and other odds and ends that I wanted to sell. So, I made a big ol' batch of eBay listings.
And now I just have to patiently wait for it all to sell!
4. I did more furniture sanding and painting
I'm close to finishing four more free-to-me pieces: a tall bookshelf, two shorter bookshelves, and a nightstand.
I might finish these all in the next day or two. And then my carport will get slightly less cluttered. 😉
(That is, as long as I don't pick up more free furniture.)
One of these days I will actually be able to park my car in the carport!
5. I helped Zoe get some CVS deals
She wanted a few beauty products (lashes and nail polish), so we chose some items that had ExtraBucks offers, and I let her use the ExtraBucks that were already in my app.
Her total was initially $26.68, after my ExtraBucks it was down to $11, and then I got another $8.22 in ExtraBucks in my app for next shopping trip.
I'm always happy to help my kids stretch their dollars. 🙂
1. I bought home improvement store gift cards at the grocery store to earn money saving coupons/rewards. We have purchases planned at Lowe's/Home Depot so I bought gift cards for them at the grocery while there were promotions. That enabled savings at the grocery stores.
2. Neighbors borrowed our power washer and a cooler. They hosted a BBQ on the 4th. I received leftovers of two avocados, three lemons, and carrots and broccoli.
3. I paid our annual property tax bill online. There was a processing fee of $.95 but it required no stamp, no USPS delivery, and no human processing at the county offices. There is a discount for paying the bill in full in July.
4. I continue to bust my yarn stash as I knit hats and scarves for those in need. I have not bought yard since the pandemic started. I have been gifted some yarn but overall my stash is greatly diminished.
5. I caught up with a friend while walking a trail last week. It had been a while due to our schedules.
@K D, I hope that you don't find this odd but I have a basket full of yarn taking up space in my closet. My mother in law was convinced that she could teach me to knit when my hubby and I first got married and well....I am just no good at it. Would this be useful to you perhaps? I'd be happy to send it to you so that someone could actually use it!
@Angie,
That is very sweet of you to offer. I will email Kristen and ask her to provide you with my email address.
1. The pilots in Scandinavian Airlines are on a strike so this seems to become a very frugal summerholiday for us. The plan was to travel to the Faroe Islands but that is cancelled now. Thankfully we got a full refund for airplane tickets, hotel on Oslo and Copenhagen airport and Airbnb accommodations and rental car on the Faroe Islands. Trying to sell our traintickets to Trondheim as they are non-refunable.
2. Had a stand at the summer opening of a museum selling handmade things. The things are stock from before I got burned out and quit sewing so it was no effort from me but sitting in the sun and chatting with nice people while made about $500 on what’s now more or less clutter for me.
3. Eating out of the freezer still. Minimal grocery bill, buying only fruit, produce and milk.
4. Sold the last of some yarn on Finn (Norway’s version of Craigslist) I bought myself there as part of a packet. Now I sold all the yarn the knitting bag that I wanted (the reason why I bought it) was free. In theory saved $90, but would never have bought it new at retail price anyways 😉
5. Got Ikea glass shelves for the Billy from fb marketplace for next to nothing and some regular for kitchen cabinets. that my parter cut to fit our cabinets.
@Gunn from Northen Norway, my husband has tickets on SAS in a couple of weeks. I'm glad to hear you got a full refund. Not sure what is going to happen.
@Gunn from Northen Norway, wow, you did really well on cleaning out your handmade stock. I'm sure you feel good about that.
You really dodged (most of) a bullet by getting refunds for almost all of your travel plans.
@Kristina M., hopefully the strike will be over before your husband is travelling. The longest strike before was six days.
We had paid with reward points, so I actually cancelled before the strike, while I was still able to get a refund for everything else. So now that SAS has applied (not sure if that’s the right word) for chapter 11 in the US, perhaps there is a chance we’ll get to keep the points - only way I can afford to travel from this outpost we’re living at 😉
@Anne, thank you! It feels great that the things I spent so much time making are getting appreciated in new homes yes 😀
—Our Goodwill KitchenAid tea kettle was looking worse for wear—not surprising, since it’s used 3-5 times a day! I descaled the inside (our water is comically hard) by boiling a water and vinegar mix; once it had cooled a bit, I poured the mix into our cooking pans to help shine them up. Bar Keeper’s Friend brought the shine back to our kettle’s outside; BKF also refreshed the bathtub and several of our most-used pans.
—We used a tension rod and a curtain we already had to make a “door” for the kitchen. This keeps any cooking heat contained and also helps keep our one window AC (centrally located in our little house) focused on the rooms we’re actually in the most. By happy accident, the curtain perfectly matches the dining room wall.
—Related long-game frugality: We purposefully bought a little pre-war house (well under 1000 sq/ft) to keep utilities in check. Our electric bill has been consistently $15-20 less than it was in our 1000+ sq/ft apartment despite running the AC on several 90-100 degree days. It’s also opened our eyes to how much unused space we had before (because of heat registers, random hallways, etc.) vs. every inch having a purpose. Our house feels so much bigger than it’s footprint!
—We accidentally got free food! The house's previous occupant didn't update their meal service delivery, so we had a random subscription box show up. It took a few phone calls, but we tracked down a relative of this person in town. Since the intended recipient now lives too far away, they told their relative to take what they wanted or to give it to us! Their relative took the meat, leaving us with a substantial pile of vegetables, noodles, and sauces.
—A while back, I lucked into $5 flats of clearance meat (whatever would fit a large box top) at our local grocer. One flat included a 4.5 lb corned beef brisket that was originally $25 by itself! We threw it in the crock pot with the free veggies from the subscription box. When the first round of meat and vegetables was gone, we added still more vegetables and lentils to the leftover broth for soup. Altogether, we managed two meals and one work lunch from the brisket and five servings of soup from the rest—not bad!
@N, we have lived in a 1937 built small house for over 43 years. When we were younger we looked to move in a new home. What we found was that our house “lived” bigger than the houses being built. They had what I consider wasted space because of large bathrooms and closets. We have fewer rooms but every one is used and it’s still perfect for our retirement. I wish you many years of enjoying your new home.
@N, Bar keeper’s Friend is magic. It’s the only thing that will clean my white porcelain kitchen sink.
@N, We just moved to a smaller house (from over 2000 sq feet to 1700 sq feet), and our utilities are quite a bit lower--also, as you said, there's so much less unused space! The bathrooms in our old place were large, and that seems like a good thing until you realize, that's not living space, just more floor to mop!
@Bee, I agree! Bar Keeper's Friend is amazing.
Looking forward to hearing about the shelf! It looks like laminate (?) I didn’t know you could sand or paint that. Btw: I think you are inspiring even more people by having your stuff in the carport. I would be excited to walk past that, watch the transformation, and be inspired to do the same ;). I’ve never posted 5 frugal things, so he goes: 1. Selling random things that no one wants anymore. If they been sitting for years, they can sit while we wait for a sale. 2. Instant pot for a huge batch of black beans. 3. Free water hyacinths. I waited too late in the season to buy—the nurseries are out—asked in my freebie FB group and someone obliged! I’m hoping to share the love of our procreating goldfish in the future ;). 4. Free plants from a neighbor redoing their garden. 5. Turning up the AC when I can.
FFT, Addenda Edition:
I posted an FFT over at the Non-Consumer Advocate on Sunday, but here are a few things that have happened since then:
(6) I picked up a lovely NWT summer dress at the Clothes Mentor 4th of July sale, and used part of my accumulated store credit to pay for it.
(7) I drove out to a nearby town to visit friends on Sunday afternoon. I gave each of them a thrifted shirt in a style they prefer; they gave me a Williams-Sonoma loaf pan they weren't using any more; and we exchanged the magazines we save for each other. We also had excellent birdwatching from their screened porch (bluebirds, orioles, hummingbirds, etc.).
(8) And finally, A. Marie's Locally Famous Refrigerator Pickles are starting to roll out! I did have to buy cukes this year ($11 total so far), but I had all other ingredients (particularly the blossoming dill) on hand. Nine jars (four quarts, three 24 oz., and two pints) in the fridge so far, waiting for distribution.
@A. Marie, I kinda love the crossover with Katy's blog and your numbering on from there. Would you consider sharing your A.M. LF pickles recipe with us?
@Erika JS, I'll gladly do so, since it gives me a chance to promote a good book: It's the "Refrigerator Quick Dills" recipe on p. 205 of Andrea Chesman's The Pickled Pantry, with a tweak or two of my own. I mix my own pickling spice (my recipe for this is a bit different from Chesman's), and I include a whole dried chile pepper in each quart (2/3 of one in each 24 oz. jar and 1/2 in each pint) in place of Chesman's black peppercorns. The dried pepper, according to fans ranging in age from Dr. Bestest Neighbor to his 10-year-old great-granddaughter, is the magic ingredient.
@A. Marie, Many thanks.
I’m googling up the library right now to order the book. I already like the dried chili pepper tweak because I "taste" recipes as I read them, which makes reading cookbooks pleasant.
1) We had friends over for a meal Sunday and as a gift, they gave us a small friendship plant and a small cactus. I love little things like this!
2) I was able to do a mystery shop last week. Got a free meal and was paid $25. It took about 30 minutes to do the form, so I thought that was a good deal.
3) We "electrified" our garden this year. We didn't really want to, but it's also very frustrating to put in so much work and have it all disappear overnight. It cost about $100 (we had some of the fencing already), but I'm hoping in the end it will be a frugal choice.
4) I was able to use $10 in rewards at BJs club.
5) I agreed to take a whole suitcase full of baby clothes from one of my children to another...both new moms. We are flying Southwest and get to take 2 suitcases free (God bless Southwest!!!!) and usually only use a carry on, so this will save them so much in shipping.
@Tricia, If you pack the baby clothes in big ziplocks with the air squeezed out, you might fit even more into the suitcase than you expect, (unless it goes over weight).
And of course, suitcases are easily available at yard sales or thrift stores.
That flag really looks a thousand times better! Shows you that it really is the small things sometimes!
1. I finally installed the water heater blanket! The internet said it was a two person job, but I thought it went fine by myself. It was rather like wrapping the world's largest wine bottle using the world's itchiest wrapping paper. Hoping it helps my electric bill, especially in winter.
2. I walked to a dentist appointment and to the local health food store. No gas used and limits what I can buy to what I can carry.
3. I stopped in CVS after the dentist appointment to buy allergy pills and shampoo and conditioner. I used my mom's phone number to use her extra care card and got 10 dollars off my bill plus a bunch of coupons and extra care bucks printed out. I've never been much of a couponer, but I can see how the CVS coupon game could be fun.
4. I made elderflower syrup using the elderflowers I u-picked at the farm last week. It turned out tasty and then I used the strained flowers and lemon slices to make two batches of slightly sweet lemonade for dinner treats.
5. Used up lots of leftovers and produce this week and have had no food waste since I'm home to help cook. I'm going grocery shopping today after a three week hiatus, so will definitely spend some dollars today. I'm also buying all the frozen and pantry food we will need for our vacation next month so this bill will be high, but I should only need milk, cheese, eggs and fresh produce for the rest of the summer after today. Planning to use the buy only what I can carry in my bag method after today.
I’ve been reading and listening to books from our library, which is a real bargain.
Had two old chickens in my freezer. Cook one in the instant pot which I made chicken salad for company along with a chocolate pie. The pie shell was a chocolate cookie one I picked up after Christmas and put in the freezer. The leftover chicken became wraps. The second freezer chicken was grilled for the 4th.
I’ve been picking up free food when on offer at my grocery. Usually if it’s something I wouldn’t buy I don’t get it. But with prices the way they are I’m trying new things. I have received so far, chicken sausage links, cauliflower pizza, plant base cream, almond butter, 1/2 gal orange juice, and several flavored waters.
I bought a gift card at my grocery when it had bonus points. I will receive $1 off gal gas when I fill up in a week or so. I usually get 18 gallons so this is a nice deal.
I sewed the loose bias tape on a bag I carry. Which I had let go to long and was thinking about buying a replacement bag.
1) Something listed on Craigslist finally sold. It's going very slowly; I need to decide if slow is OK or if I should drop my prices more. (FB Market is out because I refuse to tell FB where I live and eBay is more work than I want to do.)
2) The freezer is almost entirely eaten down. I even have a plan for the old pulled pork: add a lot of sauce and make into hand pies. The 7 containers of hummus and the smoked pork parts will take longer and I'm not going to ditch the tub of lard, I still aspire to try soap-making. The freezer is now also inventoried and defrosted.
3) I took advantage of a sale to get a vast amount of chicken at a discount (20 packs parts, 20 packs ground). Some friends let me put it in their freezer as I defrosted mine. For July's sale on frozen shrimp, I expect to get at least 10 bags.
4) Staycation was inexpensive and (somewhat) productive. I'm usually an organized person but insurance paperwork usually gets the best of me. On vacation I finally got a start on the embarrassingly large backlog. This will mean more money in my pocket ... eventually.
5) I'm watching the hell out of the streaming service I got for the summer. I will discontinue it no later than August.
@WilliamB, I give our police station's address as our address on FB. And only twice have I had someone come to my real house, usually I meet them at the police station parking lot.
@Lindsey,
That is brilliant!
Good morning! I am a little late to the party, but I read yesterday’s post this morning. Happy Birthday to The Frugal Girl! I enjoyed reading your observations, and I appreciate the community of frugality and kindness that you have fostered over the years.
On the 4th of July, I also celebrated the birth of our nation and the birth of my grandson — our little firecracker! My son, who is a history buff, named this cutie pie after a former President, and I have taken to singing “I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy.” Such fun!
This week my FFT are rather ordinary. I am batching my errands, reading a library book, drinking a primarily filtered water, brewing own coffee, and yesterday I wore my favorite thrifted red, white and blue shirt!
Wishing everyone peace and good health!
@Bee, Congratulations!
@Bee, Yay for your grandbaby! I hope you get to cuddle him soon.
@Bee, congratulations on the little firecracker!
@Bee,
Congratulations! My youngest was very close to being born on the 4th, and yes, he is a bit of a firecracker!
@Bee,
Congrats on a dandy grandson! You will enjoy celebrating every Fourth going forward.
@Bee,
Congratulations, I know you are absolutely thrilled! And your grandson will always have a big party on his birthday!
@Bee, I have a nephew who was born on the 4th of July. When he was young he always thought the fireworks were for his birthday, and wondered why his siblings didn't get any.
@Nancy in Eastern Washington,
Thank you everyone!!! I have gotten to cuddle him quite a bit. I’m in love already!
@Bee, congratulations Grandma!
Like A. Marie, I also posted on NCA, but here are some additional things...
1. I resewed the hem on a pair of pants that had come undone.
2. I used kale from the garden and rather than throw away the stem, I minced it and sautéed along with the rest of the kale leaves. Likewise, I chopped up cauliflower leaves and core and sautéed them.
3. I did a mystery shop for a delivery from a burger-type restaurant. I ordered a BLT (no mayo) and (after my requisite bite) deconstructed it. The B became a side to next day breakfast, the bread became croutons, the T was chopped and made into a Provençal sauce for cod, and the L was chopped and topped a taco pasta dish. The fries are becoming Spanish tortilla today.
4. Switched to homemade ice tea instead of coffee (only a few days a week) as I can make it much more inexpensively.
Our Fourth of July celebratory meal was frugal (I think--I didn't actually do any calculations) and fun for me, so I will focus on that.
--I made hamburgers with the ground beef that came with the whole cow we bought last year. The cost per pound of that came out to about $4/lb for every cut. So the liver (which the dogs eat) was $4/lb, but so was the filet mignon. And I gather even ground beef is more than that now.
--I made hamburger buns for a holiday treat (we usually eat them bunless) because I was baking bread anyway, so I just stole six balls of sourdough and baked those separately. Given that my sourdough is literally just flour, water, and salt, those are some seriously frugal hamburger buns.
--The tomatoes and lettuce for the hamburgers came from my garden. I suppose I should note here that while it is entirely possible for garden produce to not actually be particularly frugal, depending on the amount of money spent to set up the garden or care for it, I don't garden the 64-dollar-tomato way. I plant in the ground; I mulch and feed with the pre-fertilized (ahem) waste hay from our animals; I save many of my seeds; start all of my own plants; water with a plain ole hose; and generally treat growing food as a practical exercise rather than an opportunity to buy things. I know this is not an option for everyone, but I delight in raising food as frugally as possible.
--I also made coleslaw. I made the yogurt (using your method!) that is the majority of the dressing, and the cabbage and carrots came from my garden.
-- The "baked" beans were three jars of pinto beans I had pressure-canned from a 25-pound sack, plus a bunch of other stuff from my refrigerator simmered on the stove. Sorry, diehard real Boston baked bean people (my MiL). These were not Boston baked beans. My kids liked them though.
--Also a holiday treat: lemonade. Sugar, water, and the bottled lemon juice I always have on hand. Happy discovery: Whem lemonade is mixed with grapefruit-flavored seltzer, it tastes like Squirt soda (and AZ-based grapefruit soda that I used to love).
--I made an American flag cake with a single recipe of Great-Grandma Bishop's chocolate cake--a recipe from my husband's family--and white buttercream frosting. The red stripes were strawberry jam loosened with some water so I could spread it easier, and three sour cherries cut into small pieces that my kids brought me from our neighbor's house when they went over to feed their cattle and weed their garden (they're away right now). The star section was frozen blueberries. Not winning any decorating prizes, but it was festive. And delicious.
I'm focusing on these small things while I plug my ears to the approaching freight train of expenses that comes with the start of school and football season. Lalalalalalala . . .
@kristin @ going country, do you have information on how you garden somewhere? (If I recall, you have a blog?) I just planted my first garden this year - my husband and I have fallen down a YouTube gardening rabbit hole. And while I've learned a lot, I've also been daunted by the COST that can go into gardening. We'd like to do it primarily for the food (I can so we can preserve a lot of it) so frugality is key for us. We don't mind spending money on the items that make sense and will last, but it feels like there's a million gadgets and tools that we're being told every gardener *must* have. I think the biggest "WHAT??" for me was the "it is cheaper to start things from seed" followed by "you'll need this $150 grow light to do it". I mean - okay yeah seeds are cheaper but I could buy a LOT of plants at the nursery for $150.... Not to mention the shelving system, seed heating mat, electricity, plant pots, dirt, etc. that goes into an indoor seed starting system...
@Florence, I never have done a "how I garden" series on my blog, although I probably should. For seed starting, we have some fluorescent lights that were in the shop outside when we moved in (we hang them from chains on the underside of the cabinets in my kids' bathroom, in an alcove where the washer and dryer used to be located), some relatively thick plastic pots that I reuse every year (with flat sides, so they fit together better in the tray); some of the large clear plastic clamshell things like strawberries come in that I use for some seedlings that don't get as big and can be separated, like basil; a few of those large disposable aluminum baking pans that I've collected from various places as the trays; and potting soil. I buy the potting soil, but nothing else. I don't generally use additional heat to start seeds, but when I did start peppers that needed it, I would use our regular heating pad on low wrapped in a thin cloth with the pots on top of it. There is always going to be an upfront cost to anything, though, but as with everything, it's amortized the longer you use the things.
Most advice on the "necessities" for gardening is like advice on what to buy before having a baby: almost entirely b.s. Which makes me kind of mad, actually. As with baby gear, I feel it's best to start with the most minimal set-up you can get away with, and then add things as you find you REALLY need them.
@kristin @ going country, thank you! And I would LOVE to read a series on your blog on how you garden! It sounds like a great approach.
@Florence,
My in laws have always had a big veg garden. They start their seeds by placing a seed tray (because it holds a lot in a small space) in front of a South facing window. Another gardener friend never buys special seed starting pots and reuses empty plastic food containers.
It takes my garden a little longer to produce food but I usually just stick the seeds in the soil after my frost date. I just don't have much room in my house or the winter sunlight to start seeds early
@Florence,
You absolutely don't need to spend much on gardening!!! The only tools I use are shovels (one big, one small), a good pair of hand pruners (I've also used regular old scissors, but I tend to break them), a pitch fork (if you use wood chips, otherwise optional), a wheel barrow (helpful, but also probably optional), a hose or watering can, and an electric lawn mower (which you probably already have if you have a lawn).
And for seeds, you should try wintersowing! It requires almost nothing but seeds, some dirt and literal trash. Here's one of Kevin's blog posts on it: https://www.agardenforthehouse.com/winter-sowing-101-6/
You can "wintersow" all year, by the way. You just have to water the seedlings more in summer.
And here's another frugal gardener I like on YouTube: https://m.youtube.com/user/memberson/featured
He rambles a lot but has lots of videos on saving seeds and growing things from cuttings, etc. He also grows fruit trees and mulches with "chop and drop" which is where you cut down weeds and use them as mulch. I do that and it works well for me.
@Florence, I am njot sure where you are located but I have always started seeds directly into the soil and had a good result. I can't tell you that every single one germinates but I can't tell you that every single seedling makes it either. Just my two cents but I believe that gardening is all about your dirt. If you have $1 to spend I'd advise spending $0.90 on soil amendments and the rest on seed. In our situation it has been worth while to have composted soil added to the garden and we buy a basic plant food that we use for all that we plant. It works well and we get an abundant harvest from our garden of roughly 1200 sq ft. Enough to eat fresh and put away for the year ahead. We don't have grow lights or drip irrigation and use the same alumiminum pans and seed trays from previously purchased seedlings, sweat equity and a good ole fashion water hose. Does the trick for us 😉
@Angie, your garden has more square footage than my house!
@Lazy Budget Chef, Being able to use a south facing window depends on where you live. In the interior of Alaska, the sun is too angled and at night (and sometimes during the day!) the temps get too cold and leaves get freeze-burned. But I do agree that most of the stuff people are told to buy is not necessary and is harmful to the environment in that it is mostly plastic. We do use shop lights to start our seeds but you do not need fancy gro-lights unless you want to induce flower blooming, but that is a different issue from seed starting.
@Florence, You can get free garden advice and information from your county extension office, which draws on the research and information at your state land grant university. I am a Master Gardener in my county, and we offer free public events or consultation just about any time. You are quite right that you do not need to spend a lot of money on gardening. What makes the extension advice especially helpful is that it is local. Books and blogs published miles away may not apply to your garden. When MG members move states we have to retrain for the new conditions. Our local public library also runs a seed bank for free--people can check them out and share their own excess seeds!
Thank you all! I've really just skimmed the surface of gardening, but I'm glad to know it CAN be done on a budget! You guys are wonderful!
@Florence,
Check out roots and refuge farm on YouTube - she has all sorts of videos about how to garden inexpensively.
I like the "improved but free" flag update. I like it in part because it saved something from the trash heap (or delayed it) and that the paint was used for something useful. A movie I saw recently had a line that said something along the lines of "It's a thing and things are to be used." Kinda makes me think about some of the stuff I have around here ...
1.) Speaking of, I put a ton of stuff in my garage sale pile. I don't know how much I'll make off them but I can guarantee I will never, ever use them. It's a start ...
2.) About two months ago I went through my closet, purged out all my polo shirts as they aren't work appropriate any more (and I feel I've outgrown the polo shirt stage of my life.) I took a photo of them and chucked them into a garbage bag and listed them on Facebook for $10. I thought about reducing them in price a few weeks ago as they weren't selling but I forgot all about them. On Friday I got a message from someone in town and she stopped by, took my bag of shirts and gave me some cash. Everybody wins!
3.) Used a 15% off coupon plus my B&N membership to get a couple of books I wanted. Books (particularly manga) are one of the few things I own that are really just for me.
4.) Switched my car insurance and homeowner's insurance after my old insurance no longer wanted to give me a competitive rate. I guess you gotta switch once in a while (but I hate doing it and going through it all.)
5.) My biggest one is that I wrote a check for the final payment on my house. I know that a lot of people say not to do this but in my case it was just a matter of staying in a house long enough that all those payments (and little extra payments) just added up to where I owe the bank nothing. So this will give us
One of the sad things about this is that I can talk about this anonymously online but I can't tell anyone; not even my family because I don't really trust their reactions. As a wise man once said, "Be careful who you share good news with." I don't really have any close friends that I could share this with who would be genuinely happy for me and my family will either give me a "it must be nice" response or more likely "well you're lucky" response and neither of which will make me happy or feel like they have my best interests at heart so I will keep quiet on it.
The good news of course is now I'll have a good chunk of income that will be removed from my monthly expenses and we can perhaps earmark some of it for some of those "someday" purchases such as renovating our kitchen, upgrading some of our hand me downs like our table and even our bed.) Alternately we could save and invest more but mostly I want to figure out what the ultimate end goal for us would be.
@Battra92, Congratulations on paying off your house. Once our house was paid off it was so freeing. Because let’s face it there are times when money is extra tight. Having low monthly obligations made those times much easier.
@Battra92, I think you can count on us here to be genuinely happy for you on paying off your house. I, for one, know what a good feeling that is. Congratulations.
@Battra92,
I, too, hesitated to tell people about my final payment on my townhouse. Many were struggling and it seemed almost like bragging. But, I worked hard, as I'm sure you did to get where we are and this is a great forum for sharing such an accomplishment!
That extra money each month is a bonus.
@Battra92,
Congratulations on paying off your home! It's a great achievement, and I know how hard it can be to put a little extra on the principle. It's not luck- it's discipline and making hard choices at times.
Celebrate!
@Battra92, Yay for no mortgage! I'm with you on this one. We payed off our (cheap) house in just a couple of years. I did not even know it was a thing people were against. Seems totally natural to me to own your house outright and never worry about not having a place to live, no matter what the income situation is.
@Battra92, congratulations! Thanks for sharing with us. Your "secrets" are safe here.
@kristin @ going country, when I mentioned once that we paid every four weeks instead of monthly as it meant less interest and 13 payments instead of 12 I was met with many "But you shouldn't pay off your mortgage faster because you lose investment opportunities" and stuff like that.
I just like the security of owning my house outright. I may not stay there forever but at least I know that it's mine for now and I just have to worry about utilities and taxes is all. It should make budgeting easier and reduce our liabilities in case one of us loses our job or we can't grow as much as we intended.
@cc, Yes! I'm especially thinking about the future in case something comes up. Even buying a bigger house in the future or the possibility of a lateral move is less daunting because I have the capital in my home already.
@Battra92, The "It must be nice" people are so bitter and jealous that you have done something they COULD have but did not. I began replying "Yes, it is nice" to such folks.
Congratulations!
@Barbara, yeah I'm not a braggart usually. I just like to once in a while share the rare accomplishment.
@Battra92, Congrats on paying off your mortgage! That’s a great accomplishment!
@Battra92, Hooray for the peace of mind of a paid off house! Good news from you!
@Battra92, I heard that same thing from a family member, expressing amazement that another family member would want to pay off her mortgage when the money could be used for investments. Meanwhile, in my head were all these question marks and exclamation points, because it had never occurred to me to NOT want to pay off a mortgage as quickly as possible. I guess I'm not a finance person, though. I did quite mildly mention that perhaps the person just wanted to be done with payments and own her home outright, but I don't think it really registered with the investment-focused person I was talking to.
@Battra92, Congratulations on paying off the house. All of us here are happy for your wonderful news
@Battra92, congratulations on paying off your house! We paid ours off in December and the peace of mind has been huge.
I have also been reluctant to mention it to people in real life and the few I told I also told how we managed to do it early, by making extra payments and then in the last 13 months doing a huge push of double-plus payments, which meant a year of no discretionary spending whatsoever. We're very close to retirement age and just wanted to be done with it so we could focus on other things.
@Battra92, congratulations!!! I've poked around enough FIRE forums to see the "you shouldn't pay off your home" people and their arguments. And while what they say is valid, I'm squarely in the pay-off-my-house camp too. The security of owning your home I'm sure is incredible and freeing (we're a few years away from this ourselves but working hard towards it!)
I think you're smart to be careful about who you share your news with, in order to protect your joy and accomplishment. You have worked hard, made smart frugal choices, and you were careful with your money and all of those thing landed you with a paid off home! Now go celebrate! 😉
@Battra92,
We paid off a mortgage too. That meant when we received really bad medical news we were able to adjust to a new normal quickly. A paid off home gets you flexibility, and isn't that the reason we are all trying to be frugal? To have choices is the most freeing thing of all. Even when the options are less than great.
@Battra92,
Congratulations! Our house is paid off, too, and considering all the major health issues my DH has had, I am so, so grateful that we paid it off early! The feeling of relief is wonderful to me.
@Battra92, yes, I have heard the "it must be nice" comment a few times in my life. My husband and I always had very modest salaries and , of course, the added obligation of supporting his children from his first marriage. For anyone to insinuate we were tossing around cash was so ridiculous. But, as someone mentioned, "yes, it is" is the only possible answer.
Dude, this is AWESOME news!! Good for you! You guys should be very proud of yourselves.
@Battra92, that is AWESOME! Congratulations on your house being truly yours! I’m already thinking bout the “Should I even say anything?” dilemma for all the reasons you mentioned, as our new-to-us house should be paid off in five years. We don’t make a lot, but we are SO CAREFUL with what we do have. We chose our house in part because we’ll have it paid off by the time upcoming medical expenses need tending. The “It must be nice” or investment people will never understand or care that we and others have a different long-game to play. You did what was best for you, and you should celebrate your hard work!!!
@Battra92, congrats!!! So happy for you!!
@Battra92, congratulations! And, as we all know, you weren't "lucky." You worked hard and made sacrifices others aren't willing to make. Kudos to you.
@Battra92,
Congratulations!!
I’m in the group that believes in paying off the mortgage. The investing can still occur alongside the payment. We had periods of unemployment and a medical diagnosis that was able to be more easily handled with a paid off home.
Bravo!!
@Battra92,
Congratulations!!! That is such an awesome accomplishment! It must feel great! I'm glad you feel comfortable sharing it with us because I feel like I'm getting a bit of your joy vicariously!
@Battra92,
Congrats on paying off the mortgage! Mine will be paid off by the end of the year too. My S/O who is a financial wizard has encouraged me to pay it off sooner but it's hard for me to write a check that large, and cash in the bank gives me a sense of security. I'm already paying off the 12 yr mortgage in about 7 years! He always says something along the lines of: "How much interest is your loan costing and how much interest do you earn on your savings account?" to illustrate the value of paying it off sooner. It's certainly a great way to look at financing any purchase vs paying with saved funds. I currently rent my house out so my tenants pay a large portion of the mortgage anyway (which helps me pay it off sooner), and the pittance I pay in interest will help a bit with tax hit at the end of the year. With the house paid off, the only benefit to increasing insurance premiums and the jump in property taxes is that it counterbalances the loss of interest write offs at tax time...but that's the ONLY benefit haha!
When my daughter and son-in-law paid off their 12 yr mortgage in about 6 years, they had the exact feelings you did. Even though none of my SIL's siblings struggle, he felt like there would be those same comments of "must be nice" etc. and chose to keep that awesome accomplishment fairly quiet.
@Battra92, I'll just add my hoot of congratulations, that is so cool!
@Battra92,
Woot! Woot! Congratulations on paying off your mortgage. That is no small feat and you are so young. This is just wonderful.
@Battra92,
Paying off your mortgage = priceless! Congratulations on hitting that milestone! It will really be fun next month when you don't have to write that check.
@kristin @ going country,
I often hear that you should invest and not pay off your mortgage. In the economic climate of the last decade, that may have made sense. Interest rates have been relatively low and investment returns have been relatively high. This has also been accompanied by sky rocketing real estate prices. However, there is no guarantee that the economic climate will remain that way. Chances are it won’t. Does anyone remember the challenges of the Great Recession?
For me, as I approach retirement, I want the security of a home that I own. I don’t want to be nervous about movements in the markets. If our mortgage was paid off, we would have more choices and may have retired by now.
So Battra and others who have paid off your mortgages, good job!!!! I wish that I had been as smart as you are.
@Battra92, Congrats on paying off your mortgage. I paid off our mortgage even though hubby made noises about losing the tax advantage but we had paid just about all the interest at that point. Having a paid for house and paid for cars and knowing I can pay to repair the cars just makes me super happy! So again, congrats. Your frugal friends understand.
@Battra92, Good for you for paying off your house! We managed to do that some years ago and it was very freeing---not just money, but worry about what would happen if the bottom fell out of things. For the most part we kept putting the same amount each month into savings, although the first few months we did go a little wild with the financial freedom. I know the financial advisors say otherwise, but for me the peace of mind was worth it. (P.S. I agree about not telling everyone. I told only my younger sister, who is both closed-mouthed and thrifty herself so I knew she would not suddenly feel like I had to give her a loan...)
@Battra92, Congratulations! We are working an paying ours off early. I don't tell people in person either. I like people to think we don't have a lot of money otherwise I know some would ask for money.
Love the mailbox flag transformation!
1. We have an abundance of lettuce in our garden, so when we were asked to a potluck cookout I offered to bring a huge green salad.
2. Used way too much olive oil when roasting asparagus so I cut up an onion and roasted that in the remaining oil.
3. Started taking vitamins/supplements every other day.
4. Received an unexpected $75 prepaid VISA card from a recent car rental. The car rental itself was the very opposite of frugal so this was a nice bonus.
5. On a rare cool and cloudy day, I divided perennials and transferred them to blank spots in the garden.
Kristen,
I was not around yesterday to congratulate you on 14 years of blogging delight. Working my way through the comments, I agree with Everybody in our community: the unique blend of kindness, and usefulness in so many directions, makes me look forward to your words and the group's comments every day.
If only it weren’t unique! If only most online writing/commentary were so pleasant. I learned in a conference that the culture and tone of any business is set by the person on top. Yours is a place of comfort for its tone, joy for the humor, and where you can learn a thing or two from the combined wisdom of the group.
We need you so I’m glad you love it and may carry on with it even when you’re helping people IRL out in the wild.
A big, hearty thanks!
@Erika JS,
Your beautiful comment unexpectedly made me tear up--in a lovely, heart expanding way. This blog makes me happy. Kristen is the only blogger I've mailed something to "just because". It is the only blog that I read ALL the comments by "old favorites" and new names and I love virtually celebrating the small victories and accomplishments of other frugal folk who share here. *Include yourself here @Battra92.
Kristen is the shining heart of all this goodness, kindness, and positive energy. Congratulations to you, Kristen, on your blogiversary and may good fortune and many blessing be yours in the coming days and years.
Your comment was so lovely, Julie. I'm so glad that you find joy in the community here!
Your mailbox looks great! As a fellow renter, I know the excitement of being able to fix something up for free (and that improves the property--our philosophy has always been to try to leave the place better than when we found it!).
I had foolishly ordered an item of clothing off Amazon (aside from socks, I should never do this, as clothes I buy without trying on never fit). I took the clothing plus a couple other items to return at Kohl's--I love that they'll package it up for me and return it. I made sure to pair that errand with dropping off some forms at the school board, since it was close by.
For using Amazon return at Kohl's I got $5 Kohl's cash, which is pretty useless for a full item. When was anything useful at Kohl's five bucks? But they also sent me a "gift" for my birthday--another $5 bucks. My son needed some socks, so I combined those and got him some nice socks for just 6 dollars. I picked them up at the store rather than pay for delivery (ran that errand during another errand).
I stopped buying milk substitutes--my low tyramine diet excludes soy milk, which I was using (I don't like cow's milk and always feel more mucusy after eating dairy). I considered trying Oatly, which is the only oat milk without gums in it, but it's so expensive. Then I thought, "What would I even use it for?" I don't really eat cereal, and when I do eat oatmeal I don't really need to pour more liquid on it....so I just decided to not start buying a new expensive food stuff. Usually when I try a new regime and change my diet I get way too excited about what I *can* eat and buy all kinds of new stuff. But with food prices the way they are, that's silly.
We had a low-key, low cost Fourth of July. Dinner at home, and we stayed home. We don't like the loudness of fireworks, especially me (tinnitus), and we always hunker down and watch Independence Day and have snacks until all the popping and explosions are over. We also found some sparklers during the move, so the kids got to do sparklers, and we tied some to our homemade water rockets and sent them up as well. That was fun. In our new place we were just able to see a few fireworks off in the distance from a professional display, which was neat.
@Karen, The Kohls near us has greeting cards so maybe the $5 could be used for that in the future? I've also picked up shorts for my girls to wear under their dresses for around $4-$6 so the $5 rewards have come in handy to stock up on those too.
1) My newly turned 13yo needed a bigger bike. The cheapest new bikes we could find were close to $200. Thankfully, I decided to search online for used bikes and found someone selling exactly what we needed in our own neighborhood for just $40! I have since listed my son’s old bike online for $50 and already have someone interested. If all goes well, we’ll have an extra $10 plus the new-to-us bike!
2) I’ve been “shopping” my garden before buying produce in the store. Right now, I have raspberries, zucchini, yellow scalloped squash, snap beans, tomatoes, okra, kale and the occasional sprout of broccoli being harvested.
3) We were celebrating an anniversary this week and had a gift card to a very nice restaurant. It covered a good chunk of our celebratory meal. Not being into fancy expensive gifts also helps save some money!
4) My 7yo has been getting into baking. Obviously, those homemade muffins are cheaper than store bought.
5) Not a big money saver, but I’ve been saving my cooking water and produce washing water to use in the garden. We’ve had almost no rain this summer, so every little bit helps!
1. I discovered the building that my son's summer camp will be held in for the next two weeks will provide free breakfast and lunch to all students! My son loves school lunch so this frugal win for me is also a treat for him!
2. I cruised the clearance section when I stopped by Target and I found two long sleeve thermals the next size up for my son. We'll put those away for when the cooler temps arrive.
3. CSA season has started so I will be doing all meal planning AFTER I pick up our weekly box. This week I used many of the items in our box to bring to a 4th of July potluck.
4. I didn't have enough rhubarb from our CSA box for a dessert I was making this weekend, so I harvested additional rhubarb from the plant in the back yard. This time of year rhubarb is my go to dessert ingredient since I can harvest my plants 2-3 times a summer.
5. I'm continuing to shop our pantry and freezer before heading to the store, making my own coffee at home, avoiding food waste, meal planning, batching errands, and picking up books form the library. Consistency is key!
First frugal list ever 🙂
1. Gave myself a pedicure for 1/5 the cost of a professional one
2. Made my own microwave popcorn using kernels and a paper bag (I grind kosher salt in a mortar & pestle so that it is really fine and it actually sticks to the popcorn)
3. Learning how to sharpen my own knives
4. Cashed a rebate cheque from the local co-op (over $100)
5. Applied for a promotion at work
@kj, Hello! Good luck on getting your promotion!
@kj,
That salt grinding is a good tip! Thanks!
@kj, Yes, good luck, and also thanks for the salt tip - we make popcorn that way and the salt never does stick well; will have to try that!
Years ago I had a copy of
Peter Menzel's Hungry world and loved it. Recently I looked it up online and found he has two other books.
Material possessions and
What I eat in a day: around the world in 80 diets.
One is free online and I've been enjoying it.
@Tiana, oh and I ran across a show called Struggle Meals on YouTube, more free entertainment. And a depression era recipe called Water Pie.
USPS rates go up next Monday, the 11th.
I can't figure out the packaging increases as I never can read those charts, but first class Forever stamps are going up from 58 to 60 cents; international letters up ten cents; post cards, and second ounces also going up.
So if you have been procrastinating on sending packages, or need to get some international stamps for Postcrossings, now is the time to do it!
1. I purchased a half bushel of #2 peaches from a local farm. These are slightly blemished and bruised but were less than half the cost of the #1 peaches. I plan to make jam with them so this will not matter in the slightest. While at the farm stand I noticed that their blackberries were 50% off and I purchased 3 gallons to add to our freezer. These two fruit items alone would have cost me well over $100 in the regular grocery store and I only spent $28! Plus I supported a local farmer & that is a win in my book.
2. I used 5 lbs of potatoes that we starting to sprout to make a batch of German potato salad to go with pork tenderloin for our 4th of July dinner.
3. I planted more seeds for sunflowers, zinnias, and marigolds. The marigold seeds were scavenged from spent marigolds I already have growing. Assuming everything germinates they will drive pollinators to my garden which means a larger harvest. I will also cut flowers for our home so we can enjoy them throughout the season.
4. We fed the garden with some fertilizer and worm castings we already had on hand. We also installed a trellis for our green beans with items we already had on hand.
5. The garden has begun to produce and we are harvesting cucumbers, yellow squash, zucchini, peppers and a few tomatoes daily. We continue to water and nourish it the best we can so that it will nourish us well into the next year.
My week was not frugal. My son ended up getting COVID, so my husband drove 12+ hours each way to pick him up from my parents house, to hopefully reduce exposure risk to my parents, nephew & our other son. Everyone else is testing negative, so fingers crossed. My husband stayed at a hotel on the way there (drive was unexpected, he left in the evening), & gas.....oh, my sweet love. The cost of GAS. But, everyone is safely back & my 16 year old is quarantining at our house, keeping my parents as safe as possible.
1) Used up so many garden goodies this week. I stress cook, and spent the day my husband was driving stress cooking & organizing/decluttering. I also bought a 5+ lb bag of tomatoes for $1 at the produce stand, and made fresh tomato sauce for the freezer, using up herbs from the garden.
2) On a similar note, made a 4x batch of pico de gallo, using garden tomatoes, cilantro, & peppers.
3) Made a macaroni salad, using lots of green peppers from our garden, as well as some fresh mozzarella leftover from a caprese salad. Caprese took advantage of tomatoes & basil.
4) Used mint in a watermelon salad (it was so delicious, and also had blueberries & feta in it, for the 4th of July - red, white & blue). Made a chimichurri sauce, using overgrown parsley & oregano. Dried a bunch of mint, and ground it for our spice jar.
5) Decluttered so many things. My porch is filled with bags for Buy Nothingers. Gave away 50+ items in the last few days. Also listed a few things on eBay, after a long hiatus, and sold three already, plus an item on FB marketplace. Listing more today.
@Hawaii Planner, I believe you have a blog of your own? I have not been able to find it. Can you give me it's exact name? Or provide a link? Thanks.
Here you go: https://thehawaiiplan.blogspot.com/
@Anne, You can get a passport photo from Walgreens. I just had mine done and it was $14.99 + tax. I've got a passport appointment next Wednesday to hand in the paperwork/photo and check. My town's post office is one that will process passports so I don't have to travel far.
@Anne, https://thehawaiiplan.blogspot.com/ - thanks!
I finished removing a cactus. We thought about renting something that could help but decided it wasn't worth $200. Digging in clay is hard.
I cooked up a bunch of carnitas and froze it for later. Yesterday was 83 degrees and that is perfect weather for running over for hours.
I patched my work jeans again.
I spray painted another lamp so that it will match the rest of our black lamps.
Solely cooking and eating at home.
Monitoring and repurposing left overs.
Walking and biking.
Sitting in front porch enjoying OTHER people’s fireworks ( zero dollars!)
Using free library app for summer entertainment.
Got some holiday gifts on clearance.
Happy summer everyone!
Your mailbox flag looks very spiffy! Can't wait to see the new furniture too!
My FFT:
1. I am short-waisted and for a couple of years have had a cute pair of thrifted denim capris that were uncomfortable to wear because the waist came up too high on me. I nearly donated them back to Goodwill several times, but they are so cute and otherwise fit perfectly. Yesterday I noticed they were exactly the width of the waistband "too tall." So I took the waistband off, put two darts in the back for a better fit, and used some retro floral fabric from a yard sale to cover the raw edge of the garment, with an extended tab at the zipper top to put on a trouser hook and eye fastener from my sewing stash. This took about an hour and half and they are so comfortable now.
2. While I had my sewing stuff out, I also took up the waist of a pair of cotton bike shorts that were too big. Much more comfortable than wearing them held up with a binder clip, which is how I had to wear them the first time. 😀
3. Using all the leftovers: I bought a package of 10 for $10 premade fresh hamburger patties at Aldi for the July 4th holiday. We cooked five of them for our holiday meal. The other five were added to some Italian sausage from the freezer, some grated frozen bread heels, leftover onion from the holiday meal, some reconstituted dry milk from making pudding, and other ingredients to make a meatloaf for the next meal.
4. When popsicles hit $5 a box at the grocery store, I bought two sets of popsicle molds from eBay and this week we have been enjoying homemade popsicles that cost pennies. I love orange ones and can make an entire batch of just orange if I feel like it.
5. Rescued more stuff from cleaning out student apartments. I took a bag of household goods and clothes to Goodwill, washed some plates to put in the office kitchen, and took home some opened-package toilet paper. My family has been the recipient of 50 rolls of toilet paper at this point. It takes just a little effort to keep perfectly good items out of the landfill.
@Ruby, I am always so impressed with your sewing tricks! If we were neighbors, I would pay you to teach me.
@BarbG, I don't do any fancy sewing any more, but I'd be glad to teach you if you were my neighbor. Being able to alter thrifted clothes saves me a pile of money because I'm a kind of funny size.
@Ruby, your #5 made me gooey with nostalgia for the days when (a) I would actively trashpick in the university area and (b) DH had university students as tenants. Of course, it was no fun cleaning up after the tenants after we'd cherry-picked the good stuff. But these party-school kids thought nothing of throwing away valuable, usable things, because Mommy and Daddy would always buy them another one.
@Ruby, Well, I thought I was the only one who used binder clips to keep my pants (and sometimes underpants!) from falling down!! And every time I do tht I remember my grandmother admonishing me to wear clean underpants in case of an accident where the ambulance had to be called. In fact, I broke my ankle while skiing (cross country no less, not even downhill) and the very first thought I had was "What underpants do I have on today?"
We had a very low key holiday weekend so it was frugal and relaxing
1) We didn't travel anywhere for the holiday so we saved on gas
2) We didn't spend (aka waste) money on fireworks
3) Took advantage of free shipping on any order to purchase a shirt and two pair of pants for less than $30
4) Made meals around food we had in the house and used up produce that was soon to go bad
5) Signed up for free trail of PBS Masterpiece so we could finish watching a show we liked. I'll cancel it at the end of the week.
@Beverly,
I am curious about the PBS Masterpiece trial you mentioned. Was it through an app or subscription service? I live in GA and, as a contributor to our state's PBS website, we used to get *exclusive" access to a lot of shows. I have noticed recently that there are very few shows available now, which makes me wonder why we pay for *exclusive* access. We love Masterpiece shows so I would love to know more about your experience.
@Barbara, Some of the sparse offerings might be because few new episodes are made to broadcast in summer? At least on network TV, that is the case now, don't know about PBS.
Great mailbox fix!
Haven’t done this in awhile, so let’s see what I can think of:
1) We’ve come across great sales of {buy one, get one for $1} at Meijer just when 2 family members needed sandals, and another time when our kids were needing new swimsuits. One swimsuit didn’t fit, and when we exchanged it for a different size we were given back $1.50 due to a new lowered price. Unexpected win!
2) Now that we live in a vacation area of west MI we are day tripping to the beach every few weekends vs. spending any money on an Airbnb vacation. And we have a huge backyard & fire pit, so will “camp out” here later in summer. Our old city and previous backyard had no vacation feels, so this feels different here in regards to summer fun.
3) Signed up for free summer reading programs at our library, Barnes & Nobles, and a local bookstore. Free prizes & books (& motivated kids reading) ahead! There are also many little free libraries near us now too.
4) There are SO many free kid’s community events, live music, & such here. We’ve gotten free snow cones, lunch, & bounce house fun. It’s definitely a lot less boring on a budget.
5) I found a $3 snap circuits kit in pretty good condition at Goodwill. My science loving daughter is ecstatic, and I found that online it’s $64 right now. A few parts were broken, and the company’s shipping those to us for free.
Counting our blessings is so good:)
Your flag definitely looks much better with the new paint, and how neat that you were given bright red paint for free!
1. My cloth napkins have just about seen their final days, so I found cute fabric on a good sale and made two. I like how they turned out, so I'll be making more. My quest to find secondhand napkins - or decent fabric - has been unfruitful for over a year.
2. I found and bought a small refrigerator to replace the ancient laundry room refrigerator, but it had some cosmetic defects when my daughter and I got it uncrated. I let the store know, and they returned 15% of my purchase price, sight unseen. I offered to send the pictures, but they said it was unnecessary.
3. I used digital dollars from Prime to rent a movie to watch this weekend.
4. I brought lunch from home on Sunday since I was going to church, visiting DH and then going grocery shopping.
5. I sold some random metal to the recycling center in town, getting $11.50 for it.
Right? Buying a whole can of paint for such a small project would have been frustrating. But that almost-empty can was perfect.
Good job getting the discount on the fridge!
1. Mended a reusable grocery bag that came apart at the seam.
2. Cooked supper last night when I really wanted to just get takeout. Under $10 to feed 4 people, plus at least 1-2 meals of leftovers makes this so much cheaper than takeout!
3. Called to pay a medical bill instead of using a stamp.
4. Watered flowers outside using the dehumidifier water.
5. Got groceries and stocked up on a few sale meat items to replenish the freezer.
I missed yesterday's post but read it this morning. Thank you, Kristen, for this kind forum. I feel like I know some of the frequent commenters and often wish they were my neighbors! Your blog is the best!
Now frugal things:
1. I downloaded the Sprouts freebies on July 1 and already picked up these: Lara bar ($1.50), chocolate chunk cookies ($3.99), black cherry seltzer ($2.29 which I will give to my niece), a bottled smoothie ($3 again for my niece), a pint of non-dairy ice cream which I have already polished off ($5.99) and Bob's Red Mill crackers ($3.50).
2. I found clearance potatoes and mini croissants at Kroger. I plan to make potato salad and chicken salad this week so those are perfect.
3. I've harvested about 40 grape tomatoes from my laundry basket garden.
That's it for the last week.
This reminds me that I need to try the Sprouts app! I do drive by one about once a week.
@Kristen, you have to "clip" the digital coupons on the first day of each month. There are usually five full-size freebies, but this month, there were 10!
Ohh, so I missed the boat for July!
Hi, In your last post you mentioned not always agreeing with or loving the feedback you get on your blog...so sort of feels like the door is open to share the thought on my heart.
So many women stay in bad marriages. Or try to work on them when they would be better off leaving and moving on with their lives. You've been vague about your situation with readers (and that's a valid choice), but it seems enough snippets indicate something quite bad. And something that has repeated itself. Whatever it is...there doesn't need to be a reason to stay. A reason to leave, like really leave is good enough. You seem to be in this temporary place physically and literally. Why not just move forward? Sometimes women aren't as open in sharing that. Sometimes women encourage staying back and "working on it". Sometimes those women encourage that because they have their own unhappiness in their lives and can't break away themselves. I'd go for good. And move on for good. Not put my life on hold. but hey - that's me. And you may not like my choices either. Sharing is all.
This type of feedback is just fine. 🙂
I'm in a temporary place right now, renting, because I'm not quite six months into the required year of separation. But this is just a pit stop in the process of moving forward...and while I'm patiently waiting for the year to go by, I'm working on continuing my education, with the goal of getting my RN.
I'm curious in what ways you see me putting my life on hold (and I mean that in an honestly curious way.)
@Kristen, great response. Everyone's situation is different.
How funny you should post about painting the mailbox flag. I've been pondering the same thing the last week or so. While I don't have spray paint, I do have some artist tube acrylic paint. If it works, I've saved myself $10 (cost to replace flag with a new one).
When something is in terrible shape, I figure that an easy rehab is always worth a try. It's unlikely you will make the thing worse!
My husband and I spent the holiday weekend chilling out at home. My husband needed a do nothing planned weekend. I needed a get the rest of my outdoor projects finished weekend. We're both happy.
1. I removed the rust spot and repainted our front door. I also removed, cleaned, and repainted our faded vinyl shutters to match the door again.
2. I pressure washed the porch and front of the house while the shutter paint dried (with the bonus of cooling off on a 90+ degree day while doing it!) Our pressure washer isn't the most powerful but it did a good enough job that we can hold off hiring a pro to get the tough spots until next year.
3. Spray painted a $5 thrift store metal plant stand I bough last year to expend my patio herb garden with spray paint from my stash to protect it from rusting and fading.
4. Harvested and dehydrated herbs from the gardens to use during the winter.
5. Spray painted a chrome vanity light I replaced during my Master Bathroom renovation mat silver so I can swap it out with the light in my guest bathroom. I also repainted the wall and outlet covers because the mat finish started to come off the switch plate. A bit annoying since I thought I was paying for quality metal I wouldn't have to replace. At least it's a free fix since I already bought the paint for the light.
1. I turned my daughter's leggings with holes in the knees into shorts. I mended other clothes and showed my oldest how to use the sewing machine.
2. I took off the covering off an old headband and recovered it with ribbon that I had on hand.
3. We didn't buy fireworks this year. We enjoyed other people's fireworks.
4. I made all our meals at home. We ate up leftovers so there was almost no food waste.
5. I helped my youngest make a teddy bear out of material we had on hand.
Eating up food from the freezer, so I only need a couple of things from the store. Going over all of our subscriptions and canceling things. Looking into less expensive cell phones and car insurance. Decluttering so hopefully I’ll find a few things to sell.
FFT
(1) removed sticky label residue from a fancy mustard jar. I do this frequently to the pretty jars I receive from mustards and honey. I repurpose the jars frequently with dry dip mixes we create, dried herbs to gift, or homemade lemon curd. I have a bottle of rubbing alcohol I use for this project with a BB of 2014.
(2)Suggested two books that I’ve wanted to my library system. Sometimes I check reviews on the Goodreads app and think I wonder if the library would purchase this first before I spend money?
(3) I’ve been using the Flashfood App for a couple of years. Recently the algorithm of when produce boxes drop has changed at the locations near me. I don’t seem to be getting those but wow the amount and variety of meat at half price has been amazing.
A suggestion is to ask at the front counter when you do pick ups if they have an idea of when certain products are put into the app. Every store is different on how they do this. One store near me drops produce boxes around 11:30 at night so when I used to get up at 4:55 there frequently were many still to choose from, now not so much.
It’s really gaining popularity where I live and if you happen to see items you like ,you might want to purchase right away. Sometimes I just purchase the amazing one offs and go back and look for other items to add to my order.
(4)Argh,I knew that the additional health insurance I purchase is cheaper if paid once a year. Thought this was also true for my home insurance. In the last couple of years the company I purchase from was bought and a new one put in place. When I went to look at this years statement saw they had changed to a monthly charge which I accidentally paid last year. It’s about $40.00 for the year. When I was mentioning this boo boo to my husband, I said,”It’s like a pizza order’s worth”. I find when I can summarize a cost in relation to something else I could have purchased it makes it more relatable.
As a side note I found the least expensive option for house insurance through my university alumni association. Prior to retirement our best price on supplementary health insurance was through the professional association my husband belonged on. So if you are a teacher, accountant, engineer etcetera this might help.
(5) In the spirit of shopping at home, I frequently use small fruit/ dessert dishes for portions of fruit and yoghurt. I could really do with some additional pieces. I went looking for my mother’s china and there were some there. I’d prefer to hand wash these and I do hand wash dishes/ pots daily that don’t go in the dishwasher. It’s lovely to use something now and associate new memories while reminiscing during their use.
Also does anyone use the term fruit “nappie” . My mother always did and my children have been chuckling everytime I use it.
@TG,
My only association with the word "nappie" is the British English slang term for diaper, so I would probably giggle along with your kids. 😉
@TG, My grandmother used the term fruit nappy to reference a small shallow bowl. Haven’t heard the term used in many years.
1. THe most frugal thing this week was avoiding the waste of free, slightly outdated food. A friend moved and left a freezer for us to sell for her, telling us to eat the rest of the food in there first. 10 one pound packages of hamburger, looking lightly freezer burned. A box of puff pastry, also elderly. A bag of cherries, marked 11/19. A carton of onions. We had only a small amount of room in our freezer due to an influx of halibut, so I made a giant vat of bean-free but heavily onioned chili, giving half to the neighbors who have a boatload of kids; in my experience putting chili spices on meat will hide slight freezer burn. The cherries and puff pastry were turned into cherry handpies, using both of those items up. Except for one dinner when we had crepes because guests were here, we have been eating chili for lunch and dinner since Saturday and have at least three more days to go. The husband is so good about eating leftovers without complaint! The handpies, a total of six, have been breakfast for three days. And in thanks for the chili, the neighbor's two teens came over and weeded the peas, green beans and leeks areas of the garden!! I forgot how a 17 and 15 year old back can bend over weeding and then stand up without the assistance of a crane.
2. Sold a book locally, so no money spent on postage. Sometimes FB market works and other times...
3. Made bread, several loaves, to make the best use of the oven.
4. Spent an hour or more on the phone with the insurance company, mostly on hold during which I could bang my head against the wall to work off frustration so I did not take it out on some poor clerk. But in the end I was victorious and clawed back $201 they initially were refusing to pay.
5. Spent more time on the phone with insurance, this time on behalf of an acquaintance who is in end stage cancer and is being dunned for money. After several fruitless hours, I ended up calling a former colleague who is now on a state legislator's payroll and it only took one call from him to fix things. This did not save me money, but it gave me a better feeling of victory than winning my own battle and it was frugal for her so I am counting it. One of the best things about living in a less populated state is that you always know someone in some level of the government and can call them for assistance.
@Lindsey, Thank you for sharing your #5 success story. I am still unpacking it, and loving that you dove in to the insurance-phone-hell again to help out your friend, then used your 6-degrees of separation superpower to find someone who got it done. You make my heart swell with good feelings, here - love that you did a thing that was awful, to spare your friend. go you!
My frugal six:
1. Ground beef was $2.49/lb so dh got almost 3 lbs while grocery shopping.
2. Used our deck to entertain my sister in law and hubby's high school friend on Sunday. We didn't have to pay to drive down the shore to see sil but hubby spent a lot on food and booze. I had a protein shake.
3. Watched the neighbor's fireworks.
4. I didn't drive for 4 days.
5. Revived ds's year oughts Sony Walman CD player. I have a cheap external speaker I use with my Ipod shuffle and now this. Got to listen to Bruce Springsteen and the Backstreet Boys, lol!
6. Had hubby use the water that the corn on the cob was boiled in to water our outside plants. I cut a couple back cause they were getting "leggy".
1. I continue to pick wild cherries, mulberries, juneberries and black raspberries. I made lots of muffins that I froze for my son's snack at camp. I also made a great mulberry and cherry crisp. I used kale and garlic scapes, from our garden, in my lunches this week.
2. My husband scraped, sanded, and re-painted our deck.
3. I picked up 3 reels of weed wacker string from Buy Nothing. I also listed a bunch of stuff on Buy Nothing, most of which has already been picked up.
4. My 3 year old daughter got her COVID vaccine this weekend, which was free
5. I have been diligently using my compost bin for our food scraps.
@Corrine Wilson, I love your wild berry picking and gardening edibles! I know we have mulberries around here but I haven't made time this year to pick any. Hopefully next year, and I will have to check on other berries too.
1. My friend gave me baby clothes for my foster son. He outgrew them, so I have them back to her along with a few additions to pass on to another kiddo in need.
2. I was given a $100 voucher for the next size of clothes. I managed to stack sales so that I could buy baby another full summer wardrobe for only $1.20 out of pocket. I love "end of the season summer specials" when it's only early July.
3. We invited several other families over for Independence Day. Everyone bought a few fireworks on last minute sales, and we ended up with a great show without anyone having a big expense.
4. My husband is on a business trip, so I'm avoiding shopping with all my kids in tow. That means we're doing a great job eating what we have in the house already.
5. My dog good sick over the holiday weekend, and a call to a knowledgeable family member allowed me to cook for the dog until she could eat kibble again. That saved an expensive vet bill!
I love that you found wild blackberries! So cool! During the Depression, my grandma showed my mom and her siblings where to find wild fruits. Mom took us there one time but then the bees chased Mom so we ran back to the car!
Here's my FF:
1) With food prices increasing, I decided to look online for a rancher that sells directly to the public. I found one not far away and placed a (grass fed) beef order. The price was better than anything I can find at the market. I purchased 1/4 cow and will pick it up this Summer.
2) Due to the purchase above, we have to clean out the freezers. Hubby found italian sausage on clearance for 50 cents a pound at the market and I froze it. I thawed some today to make jambalaya and homemade bread.
3) I've been finding packages of yeast for 99 cents (3 pack) and have been making bread.
4) I needed a part to fix my faucet and contacted Delta (manufacturer). They sent it to me for free.
5) I checked my rewards points and got a waterproof/padded mattress cover for free on Amazon.
Well done on the mailbox flag revamp! I need to do something similar, if I can find a similarly almost empty paint can!
1. Family friends visiting brought us multiple jars of homemade jam and spicy mustard. Oh and 2 pounds of lovely fancy chocolates.
2. Found a dime when out walking.
3. Frugal, but not cheap: tried to batch getting tires rotated with an oil change. The tire rotation was free, but the place tried to first upsell me on an engine cleaner (no thanks) and then didn’t tell me they were going to do synthetic oil (almost $100!). Fortunately I checked my email where they had sent the work order, and after texting with DH he called them and they hadn’t done the oil yet, so they agreed to do regular. Then another person from there called me, told me what DH had done, and said that he MUST do synthetic as it was required by manufacturer, blah blah. Which wasn’t true at all per our manual or past experience. Anyway, this was all frugal in that we avoided paying for the synthetic oil, but after three hours of sitting around waiting for the vehicle I still need to get the oil changed. **Update: before posting this today, DH got the oil changed at another place. It ended up still being synthetic, but at least it was only $55, so we saved $45 over the other place.
4. Cleaned some key windows after company and little-kid griminess. It’s frugal to maintain what you have, and it helps my mood to not see all the grime and fingerprints.
5. Using it up: a solid lotion bar, an SPF sample, and deodorant that wasn’t my favorite but that still worked. In the food department (from recent company): lime juice, broccoli stalks (diced and sauteed with our regular lunch veggies), iceberg lettuce, carrot sticks, and taco shells. I’ve also made a list of things that are in the freezer so I can start working on those- freezer burn is not frugal, ha!
6. Looking through my closet I decided to wear a couple of cute but too-low-to-wear-in-public shirts to bed and retire some of my admittedly unflattering/ratty sleep shirts. I’ve also decided to get rid of some shirts that are not fully cotton as they always make me feel sweaty.
7. Gave away rhubarb via Buy Nothing to someone who had asked, hopefully building community. I’ve received such amazing things from others via BN (in particular, new Apple earbuds come to mind!) that I was pleased to be able to help someone out when they asked!
8. Reminding myself that the routine things are also frugal: eating beans and veggies for lunch (beans are cooked from dried), eating steel cut oats or scrambled eggs for breakfast, and eating mostly vegetarian dinners cooked at home. Using Libby app for ebooks from library, and returning books as soon as possible to let others read them too. Washing full loads on cold and hanging to dry when possible.
I picked up a piece of furniture on the roadside. I don't think I can restore it if it is even worth the effort. I will talk with my son-in-law for his opinion.
You have done so well making things beautiful and useful again.
I...switched my credit card. Maybe I already mentioned this, but I'm just amazed at the difference and the "cash back" feature. Wow!
I presented a confident suggestion for a way to add more business to a client that also comes with a slight increase in his monthly retainer. He went for it!
We came home to eat leftovers after our bike ride on July 4 instead of going out to any place for lunch. Tonight we're having an impromptu gathering with some friends and guess what? I told everyone to bring something sweet and BYOB and we're ordering pizza using coupons. The end! The whole point is for us to all hang out. I've got a giant bag of carrots I can cut up for veggies! And I'm so grateful to be able to provide a great backyard space for us all.
I updated the freezer inventory. I'm always happy to see what's there and grateful for the abundance of space I'll have for all the garden stuff I'll need to freeze and preserve too!
We...RSVP'd NO to a wedding. How is this frugal? We'd planned to camp that week in the area of the wedding, but it was Labor Day weekend and the camping sites were more expensive. By choosing not to go to the wedding (which, believe me, is such a stress relief for us) we were able to switch our camping trip to the following weekend when prices were lower. We can use that money saved to get the couple a nice gift.
Thanks Kristen for the Five Frugal Things! I can't wait to see how all the furniture turns out.
1. Hubby needed a new battery for his truck so I cashed out a $75 gift card from Ibotta to put towards it. I got $2 instantly back.
2.I traded some herbs with a friend. My thyme , oregano and sage are going crazy. She had lots of parsley. So we swapped some.
3. Pork butts were 50% off at Aldi so I got 4. They came to 99 cents a pound. Hubby smoked one over the weekend so we had leftovers for several days.
4. I got 4 boxes of free ice cream pops from a coupon online. They only had strawberry left so my son is very happy.
5.All the work in the garden is paying off. I got our first eggplant, some cherry tomatoes, lots of lettuce, beets and snap peas. My friend's garden that I helped her set up is also doing great. She gave me 2 zucchini and 1 yellow squash.
Your mailbox flag fix up was great. Just one thing: Your flag is attached with a nut and bolt, not a screw.