Five Frugal Things | Free berry bowl
More on the berry bowl in item number five!
1. We got Zoe's windshield fixed
When I went to install her E-ZPass transponder, I noticed something on her windshield. At first, I thought it was a blob of sap, but when I got out to look at it, I saw it was a good sized divot in the glass.
Luckily, it was smaller than a quarter, with no cracks extending from it, so I knew it could be repaired. And our insurance has a no-deductible windshield repair/replacement policy.
Soo, I hopped online and booked an appointment for her. She took it in, and sure enough, it was a repairable problem, so now she's back in business.
2. I got a sink strainer from Buy Nothing
I have had zero luck finding a sink strainer that fits my model of sink, so I've been using the wonky one that was here when I moved in, and then I have a little silicone stopper that I use when I want to plug the sink.
The one from Buy Nothing also does not plug my sink, but at least it is in better shape than my old one.
Better than before is better than before. 😉
(This is a very small Buy Nothing find, but luckily it was very close to my house, and also on the way to my sunset park, which I happened to be heading to that day. No gas wasted!)
3. I got my internet bill reduced from $75 to $30
A friend told me there was a promotion running and also told me that the plan I had was probably more than I needed for my household.
Sooo, I got on the phone with Verizon and got my service downgraded.
$45 a month in savings is nothing to sneeze at!
4. I bleached my white shirt
I typically do not use bleach, but I tried all my other stain removal tricks for several light brown mystery spots on this shirt, all to no avail.
Sooo, I got out my bleach, and I'm happy to say the spots are gone.
I forgot to take a before picture, but you will have to trust me that there were four brown spots!
5. I accidentally got a free berry washing bowl
A ceramics artist, Pod Pottery, went viral for her handmade berry washing bowls, which use faucet water pressure to spin berries around.
It's not a necessary tool, but it IS kinda fun.
I was going to buy one to support her, but I quickly realized she is backordered forever from going viral and is not remotely lacking in customers. Also, as I understand it, the design is not hers; it has been made by a variety of ceramic artists.
So, I ordered this similar one, and when it arrived, I noticed a small imperfection in one of the drainage holes, almost like a piece of the bowl had splintered off.
I requested an exchange, and while they did give me a refund, they said it would not be cost-effective for them to have me ship it back. So, they let me just keep it.
The defect is not big enough to affect the bowl's function so...now I have a slightly imperfect but free berry-washing bowl.
Anyway...if you want one, they're about $30, they come in a lot of different colors, and I can confirm that the design works, even for bigger berries such as strawberries.
There are some very cheap plastic versions available (one I saw was even 3-D printed!), but this one is actually a ceramic bowl. It's not quite as cool as the Pod Pottery ones, but it's still quite nice.
The berry spinner is such a neat design!
How is Zoe? It is wonderful that she still lives in with you. You'd miss her and the cats could not do without her yet I suppose!
This week's frugals:
-- I found several empty soft drinks cans (not good but good: they were left as litter but I will accept the change for picking them up)
-- in the fridge I found a packet of parsley that I cannot use, I will freeze it in ice cubes
-- we are still DIY-ing. Progress is steady but slow, because paid jobs and regular housework also need to be done.
-- we've been cooking at home every day
-- we ran laundry and dishwasher on solar power whenever possible
--we filled up our car at the cheapest location en route
She's good! She's just finishing up her two year degree at the community college. 🙂
That’s a really pretty berry bowl. Do the moving parts make it hard to clean?
Oh, no, nothing moves! It's just a bowl with an angled tube, and holes cut in the bottom.
Oh…hmm…so the berries just whoosh around from the force of the faucet?
Yes! Since the water enters at an angle due to how the tube is set on the bowl, it creates a swirling current of water.
Now that’s cool. Your berry bowl is like a science experiment, but in a good way.
As someone who can't throw a pot to save my life, I must say that berry bowl is a beauty!
FFT, All about the free!
--I received an offer for a free package of dried oatmilk, provided I left a review. The product was genuinely tasty and space-saving, but I was honest about the packaging flaws (not resealable) and the price point ($20 for 20 fluid cups when mixed). I'd actually buy it if I found a good sale, as it's been nice to have on hand without taking up room in the pantry or fridge.
--Last month's $10 CVS extra bucks went to mouthwash for my husband and a replacement lipstick for me. After coupons and sales, the cost was 65 cents, so almost free!
--My purse strap broke while I was running errands. I thankfully had a travel sewing kit with a safety pin, so I was able to cobble the strap together until I could fix it properly at home. Said travel sewing kit--a tricked-out Altoids tin that even has a magnetic needle minder--came from one of the coffee shop freebie/trade tables that I frequently contribute to.
--A friend upgraded several movies in his collection to 4k copies, so he gave us the previous DVDs and BluRays. He also gave his blessing to pass on anything we didn't want, but our tastes mesh well. The one outlier will go to a friend who runs a Little Free Blockbuster next to his Little Free Library.
--ThredUp had a Labor Day sale, plus a $10 credit to my account for reasons unknown. I "spent" only $5 of the $10 on two deeply discounted 100% cotton sweaters, as that's all I needed, and spent only $4 in actual money for the shipping.
--I contacted our local 811 line to make sure I could safely sink trellis supports/fence posts where I wanted. 811 is happily free--accidentally puncturing a utility line is definitely not!
811 is definitely a good service. When we planned on construction, I called it. Sad to say one utility had their "locating" service relying on GPS photos. I thought the person was incorrect and called again. Same answer as before. When the excavator came, soon there was a cable in the teeth of his machine. Cost us nothing as the utility's mistake. If the locator service determined the line was in the dead zone of our planned structure, we would have had to have paid at *least* $1500 at the time. But since the utility's error, zero out of pocket for us but a short time of no service. Thankfully it was *not* the natural gas line!
We bought and hired a nursery to plant some trees. The nursery required us to call 811 before they'd do the work. I don't blame them.
Oh my!!! That would be nerve-wracking.
Our 1890 house has several generations of utility lines, so I *always* call. Just because I'm told that one utility's underground lines have been decommissioned for years doesn't mean I want to hit one!
Love the idea of a Little Free Blockbuster, haha!
I'm hoping to downgrade my internet as soon as I have the nerve! I got AT&T years ago with a wonderful promotion and it has been flawless. It also did a huge price increase to $80 per month recently. I have an opportunity to switch to T-Moble, my beloved phone carrier, for either $35 or 50 per month. Can't make the jump and I keep trying to get the nerve up. But my neighbor keeps telling her horror stories about Comcast (would never use) and it's hard to change when we use the internet for so much. A work in progress.
My best savings happened a few days ago when my phone battery just went kaput on me suddenly. I ordered a Samsung low end model but when I got it, the quality of photos was abismal. Since I plan on selling on eBay in the near future, I woke up with the feeling of dread from making a poor decision. Then my son figured out I had inadvertantly changed a setting in my original phone that made the battery drain. Well, Bob's your Uncle, my old phone is perfect and I sent all the Samsung stuff back to Amazon with no return fees.
I got through Ikea without buying anything. A miracle. And I had fun.
My son mowed my yard and vaccumed my house for free. That is priceless to me.
I went to a Memorial service and 91st birthday party on two separate days that had beautiful catering. It was nice to not think about what I wanted to eat, because it was all there! Also, so different from what I make for myself.
I often find that calling your internet provider and nicely telling them you are thinking about switching will result in them promptly applying a new “promotion” for you. I also request a few years of this locked in rate which is a win for everyone bc they keep you as a customer and you have a rate you can afford.
I tried! AT&T was simply not having it. I might give it another try though!
As I noted in my Five Frugals, we recently made the switch from AT&T to T-Mobile and have no regrets. The annoying bit was having to take the box to the UPS store to return it, but the UPS store people were great, they packed it up for us and got it done quickly. Our streaming has been great, and even my computer scientist son says it has great bandwidth, working just fine for gaming, streaming and all our internet needs. We do have a WiFi extender at our television, so that may make the difference, plus we have a pretty small house.
Thanks so much. I might call next week and give it a try. I do need extenders because my walls are very thick.
If you have T-Mobile towers around you I would try Mint Mobil and it's Minternet. We have two phones with Mint Mobile that's $15 a month and we pay yearly. I'm not sure about their internet but the price was way lower than our big "box" provider.
Also paid in full yearly.
I love the berry bowl!
I had a major frugal fail this week which involved getting locked out, calling a locksmith and then someone finding my key...but still having to pay the locksmith a fee for coming out, which wasn't cheap. Oh well - this is what the emergency fund is for, right? The frugal wins feel rather superfluous now, but I guess they're better than paying the locksmith and not saving money.
Frugals:
1. I did the free parkrun (this was on the day I got locked out so maybe I would have saved money had I not gone...but it's good to do the run anyway!).
2. I went to a free openair railway trail. The tracks are no longer used but you can cycle or walk along them 🙂 I got a ride in a wagon!
3. I went to the cinema but I only paid for the ticket, rather than also buying popcorn. I considered staying out and going to the cinema after work, as the film was in the evening, and buying some food, but it was cheaper to take public transport back to where I live than buying dinner. I threw together an easy pasta dish when I got back.
4. I baked a loaf of bread earlier in the week and plan on making Kristen's French bread recipe later 🙂 I also baked some sugar-free banana bread, which was fairly inexpensive - it was also vegan, so didn't require eggs. I had all of the ingredients on hand apart from peanut butter.
5. I went to a yoga class which was unexpectedly cancelled at the last minute and, rather than going straight home, I used the time to do some strength training.
Otherwise I did all the usual things such as read library books, save portions of food for future meals (ie, I didn't need an entire tin of beans for one meal so put half in the fridge) and went swimming outside.
I am reading such a fascinating book: John son of John. It was published very recently, but I recognized both the comfort and the suffocation of growing up in a very small village. The book can be read on many levels and I particularly love its description of nature and colours. It is set in (on) a Scottish island, where crofters still produce tweed.
Cool! I've never lived in a small village but my friend grew up in one and had mixed feelings about it. My ancestors originally came from Norway and then settled on a Scottish island!
I'm reading two novels (The Other Bennett Sister and Get a Life, Chloe Brown) and a book on financial feminism 🙂
Kudos to you are the strength to not purchase the popcorn. Movie popcorn is a weakness of mine.
It helps that I don't enjoy Danish cinema popcorn very much (it's very salty)! I'm doing Sugar-free September, so am trying not to buy things like that. I brought a small packet of sugar-free candies (I'm sure they're not much of an improvement but I'm not going for perfection lol).
Would you feel comfortable sharing the banana bread recipe? It sounds great! Thanks
Sure! It was this recipe 🙂
https://www.lazycatkitchen.com/vegan-banana-bread-oil-free/
1. I sold another item on Vinted
2. The state is issuing new license plates. I tried to put the new one on myself but couldn’t get one of the bolts off. Stopped by the body shop near work and a kind mechanic changed it for free.
3. A friend gave me some mailing envelopes she isn’t using. I will use them for anything I sell. I used my last envelope this morning so this is a big help.
4. I cooked/prepped all of the food I bought last week to take to work over the next two weeks. The freezer is full and I can easily pull the next days dinner out the night before.
5. I made cookies for my co-workers as a treat to get through the next few hard days. I have someone who is gluten free and dairy free. I was going to buy a mix to make cookies for them by then realized I could make a 3 ingredient peanut butter cookie to fit the bill. Luckily, no one in the group has a peanut allergy
Two frugal fails: I turned too quickly with a hot tray of cookies, hit a chair and sent a dozen cookies flying. Unfortunately, only two were salvageable, which I ate out of frustration! The second was that I bought some deli Turkey for my lunches and did not realize until hours later that the Turkey had fallen out of the bag in the trunk of the car. Right into the garbage that had to go. I’m not risking eating hot trunk turkey!
Love the berry bowl!
FFT:
- Set up a Hoopla account using my library card. We're watching a series that wasn't available for free any other place.
- Purchased some sleepers for the grandbaby due next month at a consignment sale. I got 3 like-new sleepers for $3.
- I needed more containers for my toiletries for travel and picked up a set at target. When I checked my receipt, it was $14 instead of the $5 I thought so I returned it before I left the store. I'm making do with things I already had on hand instead.
- Purchased snacks for our flight tomorrow rather than paying airport prices for them.
- Returned 2 clothing items from Amazon the same day they were delivered so there was no way I could forget to return them after our trip.
Accidental frugal: I asked a friend who is fantastic at flower arrangements and has a small florist business to advise me on how to decorate the entry room table for our daughter's upcoming baby "sprinkle" (aka shower for 2nd baby). He is so generous and is going to make the flower arrangement for me for free. He says it will be good advertising when all the ladies see the amazing arrangement.
Ingenious berry bowl!
1. Ran out of vanilla extract and substituted bourbon.
2. Ordered a debit card associated with our credit union checking account. So many places are charging for the use of a credit card now and sometimes I don't carry cash, so a debit card is the perfect solution for me. It's also nice to have as backup in case something happens to my credit card.
3. Friend made me pita bread and hummus and took me out for breakfast. Brought home leftovers in my stainless containers. She rarely finishes her meal and never takes leftovers home, so she was happy to give me her remaining piece of bacon for our dog.
4. Registered for nine free fitness classes per week at the Community Center. They're not that grueling and most of them are back to back so two hours total on those days. All will help me regain strength and improve overall balance. I never ever want to fall and break a bone again never ever.
5. Received a clump of white phlox and moving boxes from Buy Nothing that no one else wanted. I transplanted the phlox and took the boxes to a local charity that provides household goods to those transitioning to housing stability.
Aww, I am cheering you on with your fitness classes. Good for you!
Yay for the classes! Also cheering you on!
Enjoy surcharge free debit while you can. Corps aren't adding a fee but most small businesses do. Tis the price they pay to the merchant service they use. Corps pay a minuscule swipe (the financial sector has yet to come up with a verb to cover swipe, insert, and tap).
My financial services message to all who read this board - every Zelle, Venmo, Paze, et al and debit transaction you do requires storage of said transaction at a financial institution. The day will come when the use of these these payment options will not be free.
Thank you, Kristen and Sophie!
We had more house spending over the past week (entire house water softening unit) & had additional plumbing work done. That's never cheap, but keeping your house in good working order is wise, I suppose.
1) Made dinners at home, although I did end up buying two lunches at work. One ended up being enough for leftovers for DS20 for a quick dinner before work.
2) Reviewed our 2027 budget & made some shuffles on cash flow. I have about 10 years until I can tap into my 401k, and while I have enough (I'm about to quit working), I've decided to invite my parents on a big trip each, and we will likely try to meet my MIL in Turkey in 2027. Therefore, I'll shift more spending into 2027 & dial back a few of the other years.
3) Realized we had way too many tomatoes & some fresh mozzarella that needed to be used, so spruced up our leftover burger patties by making a side caprese salad. Used basil from our garden.
4) Bought hiking snacks from Trader Joes, so we can take lunches on our hiking trips when we are in Utah next week.
5) Made a shopping list (including some prepped food from Costco) for our trip next week. We are staying at a friend's condo, but she intentionally doesn't keep much food (any, but coffee, really) there, so making a dinner isn't easy. But, heating up prepped food should be great. Way less expensive than takeout or eating out, and will likely yield leftovers.
Too many tomatoes and too much fresh mozzarella is a delightful problem to have!
1. I got a free packet of cinnamon nuts that were leftovers that didn't sell during the weekend at Bizarre Bizarre.
2. I got a $1 coffee for bringing my travel coffee mug to Bizarre Bizarre
3. I went to a free RESCU (a health charity for Ren faire workers) health clinic with local med students and doctors to have an injury checked out that isn't healing and got a local referral for further investigation. That's one of the tough parts of being on the road, being several states away from your local health network.
4. I washed laundry at a laundry mat and took it back to the trailer to line dry due to sticker shock (and lack of quarters for the machines) I'm on the hunt for a cheaper laundry mat.
5. I cut the bottom from a water bottle to hold change and quarters I'm squirreling away for laundry
Feeling better -- just two more days of antibiotics, and I'll be free!
1. I set up two identical sugar bowls (thrifted, but obviously originally from Aldi) with flour and sugar, and I have them on a caddy on my kitchen countertop. I so often just need a tablespoon or two of these ingredients, and I hate getting out the sacks from the pantry.
2. I figured out that if I carry down two lightly loaded IKEA bags to the laundry room, the contents will fit nicely into one the new, larger-capacity machines. And two lightly loaded bags are much easier to carry than one that is stuffed to the gills.
3. I am thawing cooked sausage (I believe) to make sausage gravy. If I'm wrong and it's actually ground beef, I'll make sloppy joes.
4. I was wrong about having beer cubes in my freezer. They are frozen cubes of chicken broth. They will stay there until I'm ready to make soup. So, no Welsh rarebit until I acquire more beer or wine! (I sometimes luck into free beer -- I live very near a beach, and in the summer partyers sometimes leave behind full untapped cans. I'm fine with them if it's clear the cans have not been penetrated.)
5. I'm washing a couple of bras right now, by letting them soak in a solution of baby wash and water. This is a regular thing with me; I believe it greatly extends the life of my bras, and also helps me to space out my laundry loads, which I pay for.
Glad you're feeling better, Beth. And that's a great idea in your #1 about the small bowls for flour and sugar.
I do something similar with sugar. I have it in a recycled jelly jar with a 50 yo scoop from long ago formula cans! The scoop is 1 T. I also have rice flour in a jar close by as I’m gluten-free. It’s so much handier than dragging out canisters.
Glad you’re on the mend, Beth.
1. We went to a wedding this weekend. I was thinking about getting a pedicure and manicure. I bought a $10 nail polish and painted my own nails instead.
2. I bought 4 loaves of bread for 50% off at Aldi.
3. I made 2 big jars of salsa using veggies from our garden.
4. I made vegetable stock using veggie scraps and peels.
5. My cat scratched our dinning room chairs. I replaced them with Pottery Barn chairs from Buy Nothing.
FFT, Vitreous Detachment and Good Thrifting Edition:
(1) On Sunday, I woke up with alarming symptoms in my right eye (floaters, flashes, and fuzzy vision). I called my ophthalmologist's answering service and was able to set up an emergency appointment with the doctor on call. This doc diagnosed it as "vitreous detachment" (here's a link: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/14413-posterior-vitreous-detachment). See my Sept. 13 FFT at the NCA for the full saga. But I'm glad to report that as of this morning, the flashes have gone away and the big floater shaped like the map of Italy has broken up into "provinces." 😛 And I've made an appointment for a follow-up with my regular eye doc in a month. Neglecting one's vision = not frugal in the least.
(2) But on to pleasanter things. As a reward to myself for getting through Sunday's challenges, I decided to treat myself to a morning of thrifting on Monday. First stop was Second Time Around, the pop-up shop that supports the nearby Catholic church's food pantry. I spent $51.10 here: $10.10 for a sweater and a pair of pants for NDN1, four votive candles with holders, and an old Martha Stewart Living magazine (grist for the annual calendar!); and $40 for a Radio Flyer All-Terrain Wagon that is going to be my new garden cart, and that retails for $219 and up.
(3) And as usual at STA, there was a large basket of day-old bakery products from the nearby Wegmans, available free one to a customer. I recognized one mystery package (the label was unreadable and was marked ??? by the STA staff) by smell as a garlic Tuscan loaf, and claimed that one. Retail on that one is $6.
(4) After that, I ambled down to one of the boutique stores in our local Thrifty Shopper chain--where I bought a stair-step basket that looked to me to be Amish-made, and six *very* fancy Ball pint canning jars (holiday designs) with lids, for $9.64 after applying my 25% off birthday discount.
(5) My last stop was at my favorite secondhand bookshop just down the road from the first two stops. Here, I bought three books I'd been hesitating over when I'd been there with JASNA BFF during her visit--notably, a Folio Society edition of Antonia Fraser's Mary Queen of Scots. (I'm a sucker for Folio Society editions, and this one was $9!) Total = $23.22, which got me two more stamps on my shop card (a fully stamped card - $10 off on the next purchase).
Ouch! Careful with your eyes!
A. Marie, I’ve had vitreous detachments in both eyes (most recently in 2023) and have not had other or related problems since then (and I have eye check ups regularly). I hope and pray for healing for your eyes and no more scary incidents!
Wow! I am so glad you were able to be seen (no pun intended!), and are better. I always love hearing about your thrifting adventures!
I'm glad your eyes are better now!
1. I made chicken matzo ball soup as part of a Rosh Hashana dinner. The next night we had chicken salad sandwiches and leftover soup for dinner, and two days later (just under the wire for freshness) my husband took a chicken salad sandwich when he went out of town.
2. I had coffee with a friend at Starbucks and ordered regular coffee..
3. I waited a few weeks on a library hold list to get a new bestseller.
4. I needed clothes, and shopped the deals at JC Penney.
5. I’m still using fresh herbs from my garden😎
1. Sold a total of 11 items on vinted/mercari this week for. My portion after shipping/fees etc. is $84.90
2. Inspired by Kristen, I started a mini freezer challenge as well and focused on all kinds of bread I had in there. I used up 3 hamburger buns, 4 soft taco shells, 2 English muffins and 2 pieces of Italian bread.
3. I went to an indoor yard sale this weekend that benefits a local cat shelter. I spent $3 on a cute Halloween mug, a hardcover children's book, a pack of flash cards, Connect 4 board game and some sequins for a project I'm working on.
4. I recently bought some wart remover for my son and it dried up after about a week of using it. I sent an email to the manufacturer and they're going to send me a coupon for a free replacement.
5. Continuing to go through all of my belongings and listing things for sale that I no longer need.
PSA: Wart removers never worked for my kids with regular bandages. Know what does work? Duct tape. Put on the wart remover and cover with the duct tape. It excludes all air, so it has to be occasionally removed so the skin can recover a bit, but then it can be covered again. This is the only thing that got rid of my daughter's big wart between her fingers. (Also, warts are SOOO GROOOOOOSS and I am so glad that one is gone.)
I'm going to have to try the duct tape! You're second person this week that has mentioned it. And yes, so gross.
I didn't know such things as that berry bowl even existed. How cool!
1. Major win: My lawn mowing guy is no longer in town, and the fellow I hired in his place was going to charge me $65 per mow. Yikes! (My neighbor said that was cheap....but TK had only charged $45.) But one of my favorite charity thrift shops/hardware stores solved the problem for me. I had actually gotten up early this Saturday morning, which I rarely do, and was heading over to Walmart. I drove by the shop and saw a bright red, shiny, new-looking riding mower on their parking lot up by the door. I drove by and then -- light bulb moment! -- realized (1) it was for sale and (2) if I didn't buy it right away, someone else would. So I turned around and rushed back to the shop. They had originally priced it $900, but had it on sale. (You cannot find a brand new riding lawn mower for under $1,000 these days, and many cost double or triple that.) It was from an estate and its first owner had barely gotten to use it before becoming sick; after he died, the window donated it. It's several years old but "low mileage". The guys spiffed it up, putting in a new battery and other parts and made sure everything was fixed and running as good as new. I got it for $700 and change and they delivered it for a $30 fee -- they had to rent a UHaul-type truck with one of those lifts on it. It arrived yesterday. I used to have a riding mower before it gave up the ghost, and then came my cancer surgery, so I started letting others mow the lawn for me. But I believe I can do it myself once again -- and save plenty of money. As per this charity's practice, if I need any repairs on this mower, they said to call them and they'll put on the new tires or whatever for free, as long as I buy the tires or parts.
2. My coworker caught COVID 19. Our drug store does not have the vaccine in stock; ditto, the flu vaccine. I misplaced my Medicare card, which is usually needed to get the shot. But I have gotten vaccines from Walmart pharmacy in the past, so I headed over there. Eureka! They have me on file and I did not need my card. So I got both shots Saturday morning at no out-of-pocket cost to me...in other words, free. (However, I ran fever Saturday night and had to call in sick at work on Sunday -- no work, no pay -- so that was a partial frugal fail. Still better than getting flu or COVID.)
3. Returning from Walmart, I stopped by the thrift store in #1. It was celebrating its anniversary and giving out free hotdogs. Had one for lunch.
4. Went to Aldi to grocery shop. Rarity of rarities: someone had left their cart in the parking lot; when I went back to my car, I saw it. So I dutifully took it back to its rightful place and got an extra 25 cents for hooking it up to the other carts. (You rent a cart for a quarter, which is returned if you take it back and lock it onto the next cart in line with the other carts.) As Katy at NCA would say, I came into some money.
5. Set up a solar yard light, one of those that are on a pole. It fell down. But it was next to a large heavy patio flower pot. (The flower pot is large and heavy, not the patio.) Because of our bad summer heat, the plant in it had died. I plucked out the plant and "planted" the light pole in the pot. It is still standing and I now have a good sturdy base for my light.
What a neat little bowl!
1. DH and DS#3 rode to the grocery store for a mid-week stop and found that the rear basket on DS#3's trike perfectly carries home a carton of eggs without breaking them.
2. They also found 26 cents on the road, so you could say we came into some money!
3. Little Free Libraries are really wonderful. In ours somebody had put a cute sticker and coloring book all about unicorns. While my guys were never into unicorns, I knew my best friend's youngest would love it, so I used some of my hoarded Forever stamps (bought before the stamp price hike this summer) to send it her way.
4. Another Little Free Library score: I usually buy a calendar every year, but in one of our neighborhood's LFLs somebody put in a pile of calendars--the kind that are given out from various charitable organizations. DS#4 was with me and chose the Ocean Conservancy one for our 2027 calendar, saving us nearly $20.
5. We dropped AT&T for our internet, switching instead to T-Mobile Wifi at home. We already have our phones through T-Mobile, so they offered us a deal and DH estimates we're saving about $50 a month or so, plus we aren't relying on fibers coming in to the house, so we can take our internet with us when and if we move much more easily. So far it's been working great for our computers (we do a lot of school online) and streaming without any hiccups.
1. I used my free birthday reward at Starbucks this morning.
2. I cashed in my Kindle Rewards on a book that I have been interested in as a birthday present to myself.
3. I opted to go to the movies on my birthday with my friend (her birthday is tomorrow!) instead of watching the home opener for our local football team. Because of the timing I was able to go to the matinee showing!
4. I dropped off a pile of puzzles at the library.
5. I turned a loaf of bread that was hanging out in the pantry for while into breadcrumbs.
Happy Birthday!!!
Happy Birthday!
Geneva, happy birthday!
My only son became engaged and we are thrilled. His fiance is smart, kind, and fun. She is the oldest of six so she also very down to earth which is just what my egghead engineer son needs. She is waiting until I can be in Michigan for Christmas to order her dress which is so thoughtful of her. Her folks have also invited us to share Christmas with them. I used my IHG points to stay close by for 8 nights. We might actually stay sometimes other places but this gives us a home base.
I reimbursed myself for all of Mom's expenses through her accounts. She need help during the transition from her finances to another company. I texted my 5 siblings ( many of whom do not intereact with each other) letting them know the specific reimburse items and those that wouldn't have a receipts ( being cash fix its.) I had mom sign the notations. It was over $4,000 and I wanted to be clear why she was paying me. As executor, I know things can get really litigious among members and I want to be clear. Not frugal but sound.
Mary Ann, you have my complete sympathy on the (probably thankless) task you have in being your mother's executor with contentious siblings. Very wise of you to get as much on record as possible. I haven't had to deal with similar issues myself: I was DH's sole DPOA and then executrix; and CF, I, and even NDN1's nephew (from afar) are working cooperatively on NDN1's behalf. But I do see horror stories on alzconected.org, the NYT articles about dealing with parental estates, and elsewhere.
And on a happier note, congratulations on your son's engagement to what, from your description, is a wonderful young lady. Cheers, Mazel Tov, and everything else!
Congratulations to your son!
I have always found it annoying that the sibling who is helping the aging parent is immediately under the microscope for "stealing" money from the parent. Sometimes being the only child is good thing. I know my sibling wants to move into our parents house once the last one passes. I'm not expecting any issues as sibling knows I'll do my executrix duties by the book. And that I do *not* have to sell the house to my sibling.
Fun little berry colander, makes washing berries less of a chore 🙂
1. We had a big expensive purchase this week as we replaced our fridge. On the other hand, we had made due with the old one 4 more years after we renovated the kitchen, as the fridge still fit the space and style of the new kitchen, and it was working just fine even though the icemaker stopped working in the renovation phase. Now it started pushing freezer air into the fridge compartment, so it was time to replace.
2. We lost some veggies and eggs to freezing, but we were able to take a freezer and fridge inventory and organize all foods for less waste.
3. Made banana bread out of some mushy bananas. Used the tail end of chocolate chip bag, the very last remnants of a plain yogurt I didn't quite like, and flax seeds as I only had one egg after the rest froze and cracked. Quite delicious and kids ate it quickly.
4. Repotted some plants I had picked up from a friend who moved away. I separated many overgrown plants and made new cuttings, which I will either plant or give away.
5. Helped set up and break down a family friend's outdoor wedding with frugal, natural decor. Wore a thrifted dress and sandals to the wedding, which fit the theme. It's good to have likeminded friends!
Never heard of the berry bowl before.
1. I joined a local garden club
2. My husband rigged it up so we collect dumped RO water instead of it going down the drain
3. I froze cherry tomatoes
4. Picked and Cooke sweet potato leaves
5.Collecting peppers from the garden
pics and more detail here:
https://practicalwalk.com/2026/09/15/frugal-five-garden-club-the-garden/
Good deal on #2 as if you live in an area where your outflow pipe might freeze, you won't have to bail water out of your sink. Ask me how I know!
I made a batch of roasted yard sauce (Roma tomatoes, peppers, onion, garlic, carrot, celery and one beet). Roasted, then immersion blender, filled 8 quarts 3/4 full and put in freezer for an easy meal. The beet sweetened it and turned it ruby colored just like my home canned V-8 juice.
I see those berry pots at farmers markets, pretty. I love an indulgent, useful, pretty thing!
I picked up 2 Sur La Table linen tablecloths that were in a mixed linen box for $8. The two cloths were large enough for my banquet table, one of them had two corners chewed, I got out my scissors, chalk pencil and string and rounded the corners and hemmed. These cost about $160 new.
I reroped the kitty scratching posts, using sisal rope I got for $1. It was enough to do all the kitty tree posts.
Getting all my ducks in a row to remodel our largest guest bath, we're taking out the 50 yr old tub, putting in a zero clearance shower, new heated tile floor. I picked up the shower pan on clearance as it was a custom order return (picking it up for 70% off is what instigated the project). Tile & heater is leftovers from a custom build from my builder buddy, as was the toilet, sink and quartz countertop. My friend and cousin are going to do the work. So excited!
Heated tile floor = swoon! Enjoy
Did my monthly expense calculations-a bit late, but still helpful to me to do it.
Refilled my jugs with 35 cent per gallon filtered water. Our water is safe here, but very high in sodium content, so it tastes yucky to me.
Reading from my TBR shelf, the library and my Kindle Unlimited, which I will drop for a while when it expires later this month.
Making a wish list of the books I want that I can't get from my libraries-I sometimes find that the desire fades after a while, and also putting them on my list usually removes the "need" to buy them right away (current case in point-Charles Spencer's book about Diana coming out later this month!).
Had a Poshmark sale! Mailed it in a recycled padded envelope I save for such occasions!
Found a dime.
Saved 2 bananas from the work garbage, they are in my freezer waiting to be recycled into bread.
The usual: Eating at home and carrying my coffee/snacks to work, reading free books from my library or the LFL.
I have about a month until the flooring is started so the first thing I did was wash so many loads of clothes (I have a bad habit of dropping clothes wherever I take them off). I did two loads at home anload in the clubhouse laundry room. Still have more to do BUT I don't have dirty clothes laying all over the place. Today the goal is to hang up, fold, and otherwise put away all the clean/dry clothes. The long term goal
I learned something new today!! Never knew about a berry washing bowl. What a great concept!
1. I’ve been working on using up what’s in my freezer so my grocery bills have been super low and I’m about halfway through finishing things up!
2. I got two books I’ve been wanting to read from the library
3. Listed a ton of things on marketplace and have sold a bunch, not making a mint but definitely extra spending cash!
4. Been wanting to replace my downstairs thermostat with a smart home design but didn’t want to spend the $279 to do it, found a brand new one on a local auction site that was paired with a fire stick. Got both for $39 and sold the fire stick for $20 so my $279 thermostat cost me $19.
5. Doing more stay at home and less go out and do, saves money on entertainment!
That is a wonderful chunk of change saved on your internet bill!
My Frugal Fives
• A kind and wonderful friend treated me to lunch after we went for a walk on a local trail.
• Scored a generous amount of extra food from the food pantry that would have otherwise been thrown away or fed to the chickens.
• Extended the lifespan of my wardrobe by shaving off clothing pills and mending small holes.
• My Amazon price alerts paid off by notifying me when watched items dropped to their lowest prices within a year, allowing me to save on birthday gifts, Christmas presents, and summer dresses for myself. This makes an easier alternative to using camelcamelcamel.com.
• Watched a series of free self-help videos from the Organizing HQ 2026 and Take Your House Back course during their free trial week without committing to a full membership, giving me great content to keep me busy while tackling chores around the house.
• Borrowed the audiobook "Buy What You Love Without Going Broke" through the Libby app after it was recommended by a keynote speaker at Organizing HQ.
1. Took my college son off our car insurance while he's away at school in another city without a car. We will add him back on when he's back for the holidays but we got a $900 refund!
2. Downgraded my son's meal plan at school since he wasn't using as many meals as we anticipated. Saved over $1000, some of which will go towards groceries instead.
3. Bought a cardigan from Thredup after they gave me a $10 credit. It was supposed to be in very good condition, but had a hole in the armpit. I messaged them and they promptly refunded my money. I realized the hole was at the seam and could easily be repaired, so I was able to sew it up quickly and still use it.
4. Collected a box full of bubble wrap from some recent purchases. Posted it on my local Buy Nothing and someone claimed it right away. She even left me a hydrating face mask as a thank you gift!
5. Received $50 through paypal in a settlement claim I forgot I was part of!
We're going to be making those berry bowls in our pottery class this month!