Five Frugal Things | I sold old glasses!
1. I sold a pair of Sonia's old glasses
Katy, of The Non-Consumer Advocate, gave me this idea. I listed this pair quite some time ago, and when the "you sold an item!" email came through, I almost wondered if I still had the glasses.
But mercifully, I did. So, I packaged them up in an extra glasses case and mailed them off.
This is how small they were:
This is how old they were:
2. I finally used my credit union's free bill pay feature!
Remember how last time I had a water bill, I mailed my payment, but mail delays made the payment late?
(Our water department charges a fee for online payments and I have been too petty to pay it.)
So, after paying a late fee the last time, I was finally motivated to sign up for my credit union's free bill-pay, and so this time around, I paid my water bill instantaneously online, for $0.
Yay!
3. I used my CVS deals on hair products
I had a bunch of CVS Extrabucks on my card (things like a $5 reward for filling prescriptions), so I got two Maui Moisture hair products plus a color-safe shampoo for Zoe (she's in a hair-dying phase of life!) for $7.59, plus I got $4 of ExtraBucks Rewards with the purchase.
Maui Moisture bottles usually cost $6-$7 apiece even at Target, so this was a really good deal.
4. I fixed another towel
YES. Seriously. Another one of our very new towels (a bath towel this time) had a seam come apart.
I swear they use dissolving thread in these modern towel factories!
(Faithful readers will remember that this "I fixed a towel." item has been in my five frugal things posts a lot of times.)
Happily, this is a very quick and easy fix, so I can't complain too much. I'm just grateful I have a sewing machine since that makes it a two-minute job.
5. I fixed a rip in my joggers
You know the ones; an old pair from American Giant. Usually, they rip because of old age, but this time, the rip was caused by nature.
When I was on a snowy walk last week, admiring the beauty, a thorny branch next to the path got stuck in my pants and caused a rip.
Your turn! What frugal things have you been up to?
And also: do your kitchen and bath towels come apart all the time too?
FFT, Third Trimester Insomnia Version:
1. DH and I were out late today running errands, but instead of ordering takeout we remembered we had frozen tortellini, pesto, and roasted broccoli at home which made for a cheap and super fast dinner.
2. Gratefully accepted a last-minute shift at work.
3. Purchased a rocker/glider from FB marketplace for $40. Total spent so far before baby: $48 (the other $8 was a special book). Second hand is wonderful! Grateful for hand-me-downs from friends and Buy Nothing.
4. Using up miscellaneous food items before baby comes and I don’t have the energy or brain power! So far: coconut milk powder with a BB date of 2018, a vegan “taco meat” packet, and some previously frozen Brie cheese (yummy melted into a soup).
5. DH has been slowly cracking shagbark hickory nuts and tediously picking out the nut meats. They make a delicious nut cookie and it is super satisfying to eat foraged food, even if it is probably not actually saving us money in this case, ha.
@Lindsay B, when my parents were alive, their home was on wooded acreage. There were many hickory trees. My husband was in nut heaven, foraging them, picking out the nut meats, and freezing the extras to use on his morning oatmeal. Good to know he's not the only nutty guy around .... ok, that was a groaner ....
@Kris, when I was a kid, we used to pick up shagbark hickory nuts too. One patch was on top of a hill so steep we tied a long rope to a tree at the top to help with climbing up and down. We worked hard for those nuts!
@Lindsay B, when I was a kid in the South, I used to crack open nuts from our hickory tree (I'm not sure of the species) too. And I've done black walnuts from our current Upstate NY property. In both cases, I probably expended more calories extracting the nut meat than I got from the nuts--but great fun anyway.
I have towels 16 years old that we use daily. No rips or seam issues. Although the colour has faded it doesn’t really show because they were “oyster” and are now pale cream.
We’re hoping to move soon and I’m telling myself I don’t need new towels!
We’re eating cheese every other meal to use up my enthusiastic ordering for Christmas.
Great job.
I am being completely serious when I say I have never had a bath towel seam unravel.
@Stephanie, I haven't either. Heavy bath towels won't dry in our bathroom, so we use lightweight beach towels that have a woven selvedge. If that ever starts to get worn, I just turn it under and zigzag it down. But usually the towel itself is worn out and ready to be a dog bath towel by the time that happens.
@Stephanie, Same here.
Yes my towels come apart! I think it's because they use bigger seams. Seriously, look at the seams on commercially made products and they are very easy to spot! I've learned to fix when it is a small problem instead of procrastinating and then a whole side is fraying...
FFT:
1. I patched a hole in my son's shirt (we got it used).
2. We haven't been grocery shopping since most of the people in our house had covid, so we're still in the quarantine phase. So we have been having some creative meals using the food we have. We had burgers with popcorn as a side the other night!
4. I did not buy wool clothes. I have one pair of wool base layers and as the days get colder I want more! I am resisting the urge so far as they are not cheap.
5. I got new books from the library. I went sans kids since our 2 year old doesn't have a mask that stays on her face. This is the best entertainment. Seriously, you'd think it was Christmas by my older kids reactions.
The glasses are still very pretty and will serve the new owner well!!
FFT
Purged husband's wardrobe and found plenty of clothes in his present size. His now too big clothes have been washed and gifted.
Made French toast from old bread.
Used up nearly wilted produce in a stew.
Moved around some houseplants and knick knacks to update our sitting room looks after Christmas.
Cleaned and then treated leather couch with leather lotion (long term frugality). Couch looks great again!
Plus one: sewed on a button and mended a seam.
Some of my towels come apart at the edge like that, but I'm finding that more of them fray on the side that doesn't have a hem. . . even when the towel part is still in super condition!
@Jody S., Mine tend to do the same thing - wear out on the long side first.
Most of our towels treat least 20 years old. I am now working at keeping them looking decent. So repairs of those are few.
1. We went to the fruit shop and bought much more veg, more cheaply than usual. My mother was with me and she went way off plan and now I have a lot of stuff to become creative with.
2. Our petrol/gas went up 60 cents a litre (quart). My son and I went and filled cars and seven fuel cans. About $250 (AUS) was spent.
3. All of our meat for this week's meals has come from the freezer.
4. Somehow the eating of leftovers and reducing food waste has become very important as food has gone up so much.
5. So far I have managed to stick to the no buying of craft stuff rule.
--I hit a selective few post-Christmas sales and spent all of $5 on 1) a $3 pattern book for a friend who recently took up knitting and has an upcoming birthday and 2) $2 for 10 Hallmark cards, which the store was clearing out. I chose either birthday cards or pretty, blank cards for all occasions.
--I popped by the dollar store to stock up on sponges and plastic food bags (for freezing meat--we try hard to avoid plastic otherwise) before prices go up in our area. I also grabbed a few rug samples to help contain messy winter shoes.
--Apparently I'm just catching up to everyone's need to nest in 2020-2021! I've been rearranging furniture and artwork around the house to freshen up a space which has been the same for most of the ten years we've lived here. With the exception of one $25 bookshelf that I bought new (I couldn't find a thrifted one the right dimensions), everything was already ours. The new set ups are working so much better, I feel a bit silly for not shuffling things before!
—Ace Hardware has been a champ lately (the staff at my favorite location is amazing). They were able to duplicate paint colors based off paint I’d saved from the house’s most recent repairs (three porch boards and plaster patch on the ceiling). This meant I only needed a fraction of paint to blend the new into the old.
—Bonus frugality: The paint match for the ceiling also matches our indoor trim! I was almost to where I was willing to pry a quarter-sized piece off for color matching, as I’d been unable to come close via paint cards. I can now tend to just the places that have worn through over the years without having to repaint everything. Victorian = SO MUCH TRIM!
@N, WE LOVE THE SERVICE OF ACE HARDWARE. cannot recommend enough. We have two very near us. Join their rewards program too!
@Stephanie, I’m a member, don’t worry! 🙂
@Stephanie, we love our Ace too! The staff is so nice and I've used the ship to store option for things like a case of HVAC filters that it didn't have in stock.
I don't recall my kitchen or bath towels ever coming apart, even the ones I've used forever as rags.
1. Received four mini jars of flavored honey. Used the hot and spicy one to make roasted spicy cashews. I can reuse the empty jars, too, so this is my favorite kind of no-waste consumable gift.
2. Saved the white netting that pearl onions were packaged in to use as gift bags in the future.
3. Went through Christmas cards we received with an eye toward what could be reused next year - e.g., I cut off fronts of cards to use as postcards and cut out images to make gift tags.
4. Found another use for those bamboo toothpicks from restaurant sandwiches. This time I used them to label the different cheeses on a cheese/nut/fruit tray.
5. My flannel pajama bottoms developed a large unfortunate rip. Shopped my closet for some different bottoms and chose a pair of linen drawstring pants that I no longer wear in public.
@MB in MN, I cut up Xmas cards for gift tags too. One of my fave post Xmas tasks!
FFT, Bundle Up, Chow Down, and Stay Home Edition:
It's an extremely cold day here in Upstate NY--nothing that would impress Lindsey or other Alaskans, but cold enough that the city schools closed for the day. So I took care of necessary business Sunday and Monday to be able to stay home today. Here's what I'm doing during the deep freeze:
(1) I experimented with a new breakfast recipe: Fred Opie's hoecakes from Marcus Samuelsson's new cookbook The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food. I substituted a couple of ingredients I probably shouldn't have, and I need to make some tweaks to my prep technique, but I was pleased enough with the results that I'll try these again soon.
(2) And, as always, I'm appreciating the self-cleaning effects of corn meal and bacon grease on a cast-iron pan!
(3) I'm forgoing a shower today. Too dang cold for this, and it's a modest savings of water and energy, which I'm putting toward...
(4)...running a much-delayed dishwasher load (it takes time for a single person to accumulate a full load), which I will follow with an also much-delayed cleaning cycle. These should have the bonus effect of keeping the kitchen a bit warmer and more humid.
(5) And I will spend the rest of the day:
(a) catching up on correspondence, including a handwritten note to a 90-year-old Jane Austen friend;
(b) mending, including fixing a ripped hem on a pillowcase that must have come from the same factory as Kristen's towels;
(c) processing/bottling some dried herbs; and
(d) tossing the herb twigs into the fire I intend to build in the woodburner shortly.
@A. Marie, I am a 50 year old Jane Austen fan! Lol
@Stephanie, my 90-year-old friend is in assisted living and thinks computers are the invention of the devil; hence the handwritten note. But it's good to have at least one friend to write notes to by hand.
And P.S. to the main post: My bird feeders are absolutely mobbed on this cold day. I feel like the Birdwoman of Alcatraz.
@A. Marie,
I love handwritten notes and letters and only wish I had someone appreciative of them to write to!
A few years ago I needed to write to a collector to request a painting of his for an exhibit I was mounting. Our computers were down and I needed to get this out quickly (on museum letterhead) before a printing deadline for the book I wrote to accompany the show. So I wrote it in longhand. The owner of the painting and his wife remarked at the opening reception about how charmed they were to receive a written letter.
@Erika JS,
I have a few friends that I correspond with via letters and snail mail. There’s something wonderful about opening your mailbox and seeing a letter.
@Erika JS, I love this story. I am a bit of a stationary snob. I just love good stationary and hand written notes. I even lived stationary sets when in elementary school!
@Bean, I love to receive handwritten mail of types —letters, cards and invitations. They seem more meaningful in this extremely busy world.
@Erika JS,
If you enjoy sending letters, check out "Love for our elders." Such a wonderful cause and I enjoy writing letters each month!
@A. Marie, I know Fred Opie professionally! Delighted to see him mentioned here.
@Jessica, Strongly agree with this one- or local VA hospitals for veterans!
@Jessica, Thanks for sharing! I will definitely be doing this.
1. Our local bookstore went out of business 🙁 On the last day they were open, I filled up a large bag full of books for 10 euros.
2. Picked up a free bunk bed for my kids. I had to rent a van to transport it, but we were able to combine trips to transport a heavy bookshelf for my son.
3. Went into our local secondhand shop when they had just gotten their new inventory, and purchased some high-quality winter clothes I needed, first picking!
4. My husband has been doing meal prepping on breaks from work at home, resulting in better meals on busy nights.
5. Cut up my old 2021 calendar art into note cards. It's made out of heavy card stock so they came out nice.
1. After Christmas I folded all tissue paper neatly to reuse, plus folded up gift bags to reuse. I also made gift tags by cutting shapes from this year's Christmas cards (I got 21 tags).
2. I've been keeping track of my no-spend $ days in 2022 and so far I have 4 out of 10.
3. I open the mail at work to distribute. They want me to weed out any junk mail. We received an offer to order birthday cards etc (which my work doesn't order). There was a sample of a birthday card in the envelope with no company printing on it, so I took it home to use this year.
4. My mom had $10 in Kohl's cash she wasn't going to use before it expired. She gave it to me and I used it towards 2 t-shirts for me that I needed.
5. While running my teenage daughter around doing errands, she bought me lunch and a snack as a thank you.
6. My daughter and I received the Chick-Fil-A coupons from the promotion that Kristen mentioned and we redeemed them before the expiration date. Thank you, Kristen!
I've never had bath towels come apart, but one kitchen towel from Williams Sonoma unravelled.
1. My no spend month is going great so far - 10 days of $0 spent and I have no plans for today that would require money.
2. It has been so cold here (lows in the teens and twenties) since our record high of 79 Christmas week. I changed the thermostat from 60 to 61 only twice for a couple of hours. Wearing layers and using a throw when I'm reading or watching TV has been keeping me warm.
3. All meals have been made with food on hand.
4. After I had already started a new recipe for baked pumpkin oatmeal, I realized I didn't have enough oatmeal. One of the Sprouts freebies I got awhile ago was a box of instant cinnamon oatmeal. I used a couple of the packets in the recipe, and it worked fine.
5. Entertainment has been library books and free streaming.
1. I've started to make bread regularly! I don't know how long it'll last once I go back to work, but I'm trying to get in the rhythm of it. We prefer not to buy breads with preservatives, but the grocery store "bakery" bread is...not that good. My food processor makes awesome loaves. Our favourite so far is Stella Parks' yeasted pumpkin bread (not a sweet loaf).
2. My pediatrician recommends giving some of the childhood vaccines earlier than the provincial schedule, which means that I have to pay for them. I submitted the claim to insurance quickly, and about 75% of the cost was covered!
3. We cut out one of our streaming services (Disney). We just weren't using it.
4. I got a gift card to Old Navy on "sale" using my credit card rewards, which means that I paid $4 out of pocket for some new sleepers in the next size up for my baby.
5. Today, I'm restocking our fridge and pantry at the discount grocery store (we're motoring through flour, since I'm making 2-4 loaves of bread a week), then popping by the fancier one for meat.
The kids were skiing with my husband this weekend, so I took advantage of the quiet to do a lot of cooking/kitchen prep.
1) Made banana muffins with overly ripe bananas on the counter (+ 1 from the freezer)
2) Made meatball soup, using up meatballs & tomato sauce that have been in the freezer forever.
3) Prepped fajita marinated chicken, white chicken chili, & chicken taquitos for freezer meals.
4) After making the fajita marinade, I mixed up chicken tacos for the crockpot. When they were done, they were beyond, beyond spicy. They shouldn't have been, given the ingredients. I tweaked the recipe, and kept adding more chicken, cream cheese, etc. I finally realized that I'd used cayenne pepper (sitting out from the fajitas) instead of taco seasonings. 2 tbsps, in fact. That is a LOT of cayenne pepper. I decided to instead rinse the chicken numerous times, and then re-add the other ingredients, plus some lime & agave to dial back the still remaining heat. That cayenne really sticks with the chicken! It's all good now, & I was able to save the chicken.
5) Made desserts for the freezer for the kids. Packed meals for the boys ski trip. Avoided the siren song of a ski in/out place for MLK weekend, and stuck with our very unstylish but functional rental that requires a bit of a drive. Redeemed two $20 rewards for groceries. Discovered I had $300 worth of hotel points, and used them for a stay in the summer for a wedding. Requested a $300 Delta gift card for another upcoming trip. It was part of a promo, & I never received it.
I don’t know if I pay attention to whether my towels come apart, it seems likely as I haven’t bought new ones in awhile, I’ll have to check!
My toddler started school which is the theme of my first 3 frugal five this week!
1. With my daughter starting school and the nanny share ending, I had a lot of baby items we no longer needed. Most of the stuff I’m giving away but a few of the more expensive items I listed on fb marketplace. So far I’ve sold one item.
2. My grocery bill this week also went down slightly, since the school feeds her and I was packing her a lunch and snacks before (and was buying a lot of individually packaged convenience foods for her lunch which adds up!)
3. My son’s tuition decreased by 10% because we receive a sibling discount now.
4. Someone was giving away 2 bags of clothes in the next size up for my son. I have not had good luck finding hand me downs in his size now that he’s in bigger sizes, there just aren’t as many or I’ve had the unfortunate experience of picking some up and they are all badly stained or ripped. These 2 bags were really good though, no stains and there were even a lot of pants (I think second hand pants are hard to find since kids usually wear out the knees)
5. Lowe’s has free DIY kits for kids once a month. My son really enjoyed the first one we picked up and I was able to get him this month’s as well (thanks to my dad, you have to reserve one and reservations were full at our Lowe’s but my dad got one at his) I’ve set a reminder now to sign-up for these, good free entertainment.
@LB,
Yes, boys hand me downs are SOOO hard to find in good condition.
Towels, bah! There are a number of reasons for this problem. Longer stitches, cheaper thread, narrower seams. I've solved the problem by immediately reinforcing every seam when the towel is brand new. Don't wash it, sew it first! I was using straight stitches, but now I prefer zigzaging. I haven't had a towel unravel since I implemented this practice.
It does seem like the stitches are so, so long! I'm sure that saves thread and cuts costs, but it's not good for durability. It also seems like maybe they don't backstitch the seams the way you do when you sew something yourself. If that's the case, no wonder they come apart!
Kristen, you do such a wonderful job mending things promptly. Do you have a dedicated sewing area in your home?
After spending the last 6 -8 weeks in total chaos, I continue trying to organize my life again. Sometimes it seems overwhelming.
My to-do list is long.
1) I sold an item on eBay yesterday and shipped it in repurposed packaging.
2) I cleaned out and reorganized my eBay storage cabinet. I pulled out several items that have been listed too long and donated them to the food pantry thrift store along with several other items that have found their way into the guest room. I also found several items that I needed to list.
3) I listed 5 items on eBay yesterday and accepted free packaging materials from a friend who orders online often.
4) We are updating are irrigation system so it will run as efficiently as possible. Capping off outlets that aren’t necessary. I hope this will reduce our water bill when we must irrigate.
5) I have been utilizing my library. It was finally my turn to check out the best seller “The Lincoln Highway.” As expected, it is beautifully written. I also checked out the book “The Home Edit” which I am thankful that I did not purchase. Although everything looks beautiful, I wonder if some of the suggestions are practical. For example, organizing by color works for clothes but not books which are better organized by subject matter. I very seldom think I want to read a book with a green cover. I think that I need a gardening book.
Have a great and frugal week!
I actually don't have a dedicated area. My sewing machine and sewing box are in a closet, so I have to get them out to do some mending. But it's not an enormous setup; it probably takes five minutes to set it up and five minutes to put it away.
I'm chuckling about the book organization; I have never wanted to organize mine by color either!
@Bee, I once visited a thrift store where someone had organized the extensive book display by color. It almost drove me out of my mind, and I haven't been back.
Imagine if a library was arranged that way!
@Bee, I actually ended up arranging all my cookbooks in order by color. I didn't have them in any particular order anyway, so the 2 shelves I have for them end up looking quite pretty. 🙂
So we are home now from our forced week of quarantine after my hubby got COVid. Thankfully none of the rest of us have gotten it. FFT post quarantine:
1. We are home and that means I am making meals from our freezer and pantry. Hooray!!! This is so much tastier than any take out food, healthier, and an extra frugal item as foods that we consume from the freezer/pantry will result in less items we have to move in a few short months (fewer boxes, less time).
2. Paid my water bill early to avoid the late charge which is, wait for it, DOUBLE the amount of your bill if paid even one minute after 4PM on the due date.
3. Used home canned diced tomatoes, and tomato sauce in a pot of chili on Saturday. Used the last of a batch of chili beans I made from dried pintos in the chili - way cheaper than buying canned chili beans and so much tastier.
4. Filled up both cars at Sam's Club after seeing gas for $2.89/gallon. Haven't seen that in far too long to remember.
5. Brought in wood to enjoy fires in the fireplace during this cold snap which allows us to turn the heater down and save on electricity.
Happy Tuesday!
1. My older daughter bought some pants from American Eagle which fell apart after two washes. This is very unusual for this brand. We contacted customer service, emailed them some pictures of the pants and they gave us a full refund credit. My daughter then used the credit to buy some ski pants that were on clearance. She will also try to repair the original pants or use the fabric for something else.
2. We cleared the following random items out of the freezer: Baggie of ground coffee (not enough for a full pot of coffee but made a small pot one day), 1 leftover banana muffin (put it in my husband's lunch), baggie of frozen mixed fruit (used for a smoothie), 1 individual cup Stouffer's Mac and Cheese (after school snack).
3. Organized the linen closet and sent a box full of twin size bedding to my SIL. She is reorganizing her kids' bedrooms and moving kids to different beds and rooms and needed some twin sheets and blankets. We had way more than needed since we have only one twin size bed these days.
4. Brought several boxes to donate to the thrift shop and did NOT go inside to shop.
5. I saw some beach towels on clearance and almost bought them. Then, I decided to go home, look at our beach towels and think about it. When I got home, I decided our current ones were fine for now.
Did you ever say how you learned to sew? I was just thinking the other day how much I wish I had learned as a young child, because it is not something I'm particularly interested in learning as an adult, but I do wish I knew more than (very very) basic mending. I feel like learning as a child, when I just learned whatever I was told to learn regardless of my own inclinations, would have been the way to go for a person like me who probably doesn't have a innate talent for it.
Anyway.
Frugal things:
I brought home the leftover chicken and cheese quesadillas from school lunch yesterday, which went nicely with the chili I had already made for dinner. Ialso brought home the "failed" oatmeal-raisin cookies that the school cook gave me. The butter had been too warm, so they were very flat and crispy, but still a nice surprise for my children. They'll eat any kind of cookies, failed or not.
My daughter wanted a button-up shirt (to be like her brothers, no doubt), so I dug out some really nice Children's Place flannel shirts that my mother had given my oldest son when he was around four years old. Which means the shirts have been around for 8 years and three previous children. She was very happy with her "new" shirts, and they keep her warmer than her standard t-shirts do. Plus, so funny to see these blue plaid shirts paired with pink pants and rainbow hair bows. 🙂
We were running out of milk last week with no school Sysco coming in due to the Christmas break and no trips to the Outside World, so I did some interesting combinations of whole milk stretched with powdered non-fat milk, or half and half with the powdered milk. No one noticed, and we made it until my husband had to go get hay. There is no "running to the store for milk" when the store is 60 miles away.
Making the personal loaves of bread for the children last week I suppose was frugal for them, since they wanted to buy bread at the store. The bread they were looking at was probably around 3-4 dollars (I didn't look, but it was cheap bread), and I once figured that a loaf of my sourdough bread is like fifty cents--to say nothing of its greatly superior quality--so you're welcome, kids.
My mom mainly taught me to sew! I sewed quite a few clothes when I was a middler-schooler/teen, and I've just used those skills to figure out how to mend things.
I'm no professional, but as long as the mending doesn't have to be perfect, my skills suffice.
@kristin @ going country, I learned to mend and dye by reading the Refashionista blog: https://refashionista.net/. The writer sadly passed from cancer last October, but the 10+ years of posts remain a wealth of information and a testament to a sweet, witty person I wish I could have met. Her specialty was transforming $1 Goodwill finds—the more hideous, the better!—into brand new pieces, but she also has tutorials for simpler things, like buttons and hems.
@Kristen, I think I have had the most unusual sewing teacher: my husband. His mother made sure all three boys knew how to sew and he came into my life with his own sewing machine. I learned by watching him. (HE is so good he has made me dresses!) I was ridiculously proud of myself when I made him some Christmas handkerchiefs for an Advent gift a few years into our marriage. He was kind enough to use them, even though I am sure he came in for some ribbing when he would pull them out at work.
@Lindsey, you and I may be in the running for the best DH of all time. I know you're enjoying yours still, but here's my personal request: Keep doing so while you still have him.
@kristin @ going country, My mom and paternal grandma sewed when I was young. Possibly my maternal grandma as well when my mom was young, but I don't recall her doing it by the time I came along.
I didn't have any interest in learning how to do it until home ec in 7th or 8th grade. We made a duffel bag, and I found it fascinating and loved it. But in the busyness of sports, academics, and work I didn't bother to try to learn until I was a SAHM with my oldest (12-15 years later). I had grand plans to learn to sew cloth diapers and baby clothes. Well, that didn't happen, but I quickly learned to mend holes in hems, knees, armpits, etc as things fell apart due to quality or boys being rough.
I wanted to make some of my own clothing, and have made a few pieces. Mostly I've realized that I have little patience for all the other "not fun" aspects of sewing like assembling the PDF pattern, cutting out the pieces, and other prep work.
So today I fixed some old towels and it was satisfying to extend their life.
I've learned a lot by following a handful of blogs and watching a lot of YouTube videos. I go in spurts of sewing. I tend to do more in the winter when I'm inside more.
@N, I enjoyed the Refashionista blog for years. So very sorry to hear of her passing as the world has lost a creative, witty, kind soul. My heart especially goes out to her darling husband.
I have to weigh in on Ebay. A friend saw a box of donation items in my trunk and started pulling from it. She was headed to her Ebay seller and insisted they would sell. Well they did! Since following this seller I am stunned at what people will buy...empty boxes and tins, old Playbills, menus, ANYTHING airline. It is amazing. Obviously if you sell yourself you keep 100%, but even if you hand them over to a seller (who takes a percentage but does all of the work including packaging, shipping and any customer inquiries) it can be really eye opening what people will buy!
We have twenty-year-old towels that have never had a seam come apart, and good quality towels purchased a year ago where I've already had to repair multiple seams! They must use inferior thread now. Thank you for the idea to repair the seams. I have a sewing machine but am no seamstress and would have been afraid the towel was too thick for the machine until I saw you do it. As you say, it's just a 2-minute job, so thank you!
What color-safe shampoo do you recommend? We're looking for one for the first time.
My frugal things lately have been about using stuff up...
- finally remembering to take my gummy vitamins every day. If you're going to buy them, take them!
- I have some "damage protecting" hair stuff that's been sitting around a while...so I'm using it before we go skiing to help protect the ends of my hair that always freeze.
- constantly trying to use up stuff from the freezer before it gets too freezer burnt, etc. Last night we had veggie burgers from the freezer.
- prepping and freezing meals for our camping trip next week so we don't end up eating out
- avoiding a winter gym membership by learning new yoga poses and riding the exercise bike on days when we don't ski.
I don’t have 5 but a very big one. Due to being ill and not being able to get to family Christmas dinner with ribs I had cooked, I ordered on line on Christmas Eve from my sister’s go-to grocery store a baked prime rib roast. It turned out it was not “ready to eat” but required putting off Christmas dinner for 2 hrs so it could be made edible. I found this out after I just visited my sister. I called the grocery store and they refunded the $53.
1. I received a fleece vest at work that was too large for me, plus I don't wear vests because my arms get cold. An Etsy seller had a cute, inexpensive patch that covered the large corporate logo on it and I gave the vest to my son, who loves it.
2. The snap of very cold weather in the deep South last week revealed that the three old pullover sweaters I have are worn out and too thin to keep me warm, so some judicious shopping was done on eBay and I now have warm sweaters. Perhaps they'll last 15 years like their predecessors. 🙂
3. I have one pair of heavy jeans that are seldom worn because they're so heavy. However, they are my cold weather britches. Last week I wore them six straight days, being very careful to keep them clean and hanging them up every night to air out and drop wrinkles. No one at work noticed because our office is casual most of the time and everyone was bundled up to their eyes.
4. Present Me was very glad that Past Me spontaneously made some jars of chicken corn chowder for the freezer after Christmas, because Present Me had to work through the weekend on short notice and yet has home-cooked brown bag lunches this week.
5. Also happy for past foresight: The magnetic notepad on the fridge that we use to jot down items for the grocery list was used up this week and I went to my desk to get another one. There are three or four left in the drawer, all bought more than a dozen years ago for pennies each at a liquidation store. Each one lasts about a year, so it will be a while before I have to come up with some new, cheap way of keeping up with the grocery list.
Faithful reader here so I know of your plight but I’ve never had a seam come apart on our towels which are going on 15 years by now. And I don’t buy pricey ones, I get very basic ones at Bed, Bath and Beyond. Come to think of it, my MIL was always repairing towel seams. Not sure of where she bought hers in the tiny town in which she lived (sadly, long ago).
I am constantly amazed at what one can sell on eBay. Those glasses are adorable, though, so not so surprised there. I was in a second-hand shop once when a savvier than me person scooped up a pair of old glasses. I asked her why and she said she’s taking them to have the lenses replaced in her prescription. The frames were beautiful! That taught me something.
Some time ago I read that it's a good idea to zigzag sew around the edges of a new towel or wash cloth, and the edges would stay nice much longer. I have done this and the seams don't ravel even though the towels get so thin you can almost see through them.
Kristen, your American Giant pants are going to be one big repair before long. 🙂
My towel seams don't unravel, the terry itself finally gives way, losing its threads or wearing down to being almost smooth. I have had clothing seams come apart fast, though, grrr.
1. We received a gift basket of candy, nuts and snacks at work. The snacks were eaten by my co-workers, and I took the basket to help organize my husband's space in his closet at his assisted living facility.
2. I pay most of my monthly bills through my bank, as I've mentioned here before. It's easy, it's free.
3. I've started taking a meal with me when I go visit my husband after church on Sundays. He has a microwave in his room that I can use to heat it, so I'm not starving and tempted to stop for something on the way home after my visit. I don't know why I didn't think of that earlier. That means I now pack my lunch six days a week. Leftovers are my friend.
4. When I take my lunch to church with me for later, I use a Coleman cooler that was a gift to my husband from a former employer 35+ years ago. It has certainly held up.
5. I made two batches of kombucha this weekend. This saves major money for a daily drinker like me. I reuse the bottles I've had for about nine years. I've replaced the caps only once, and that was probably four-five years ago. The only expense now is tea and sugar.
I know, right? At this point, I am stubbornly continuing to mend them; they don't need to be beautiful for my morning walks!
1. I got some clearance Christmas candy to put in the pinata for my daughter's birthday party next month.
2. I normally do self-checkout at Meijer (less waiting and my kids can help instead of just test their patience) but I had to go through a regular checkout line yesterday. I spent the time the kids were riding the penny pony afterwards to look at my receipt and noticed that I was missing a couple of discounts. We went to customer service and they gave me a refund for one (they said the other 15% off sign I saw was only for meijer.com orders) and then gave me an additional $5 credit because it didn't ring up correctly! Honestly, since my kids were struggling to keep their energy contained and the whole checkout process took so long, I really appreciated that extra $5!!
3. I've been using up a lot of food that we already have on hand. Yesterday for dinner I grabbed a box of taco shells from the pantry, some leftover turkey from the freezer, and some black beans from the freezer to make the meat stretch farther.
4. I renewed my dog license with the county today. I often forget about this annual task, but this year I got it done a month and a half early and avoided the stress of being at a deadline or having a late fee.
5. We recently took everything out of our girls' bedroom and I really wanted things to go back in better and to have less go back in. I recently read about the Dollar Tree having fabric storage cubes (not in the storage bin area, but in the laundry area) and I found a bunch yesterday! I got 6 bins for their closet shelves for a total of $7.50 and it is SO much more peaceful to look in their closet now! I was thinking I'd have to spend a whole lot more on bins, so I'm super excited about finding these!!
Selling old glasses is something I confess to never having thought of before. Of course when I'm done with glasses I am *done* with them. Which reminds me, I need to order some new glasses soon.
Not a ton on the frugal side for me this week. It's actually been super quiet around here, which is a good thing.
1.) Not driving as much as, thanks to the frigid temperatures we've got in the Northeast, I am working from home again. They actually closed schools due to the cold and ice and I can't say I blame them. This doesn't save me a million dollars but it does save miles on the car and gas in the tank.
2.) This is an old one but circumstances dictates that it counts this week. This summer I bought a snow shovel which looks a lot like Wirecutter's top rated snow shovel. That is a $30 shover. I paid $3 for mine. I remember my dad asking why I was buying a snow shovel in July and my response was "It's gonna snow again someday!" to which my brother pointed out to our father how much those are new.
3.) Bought some CDs (yes, CDs) used on eBay pretty cheaply. I don't do Spotify or anything like that and getting the CDs, even with shipping, is cheaper than buying MP3 files.
4.) The new front door and storm door are doing a great job at keeping out the cold! (WELL ACKSHULLY only heat can go into areas of less heat so you can't actually let the cold in ... )
5.) Was asked to work overtime this week and I'm doing it. Always nice to get a couple more bucks in my check!
Are you saying that your old glasses are sometimes held together with duct tape? 😉
@Kristen, Duct tape, no but superglue has been used before.
1) We have a new comorbid diagnosis and are working with our speech therapist to get our daughter's very necessary speech therapy covered by our insurance. As a society we like to pretend health insurance is black and white--either something is covered or it's not. In reality there is a lot of room for negotiation and interpretation, and health insurance companies will make calls in their own favor every time if you don't fight for it. Which I guess is true of a lot in life. 😉
2) I am making a big crock pot chili tonight. It uses up odds and ends in the fridge and gives my husband and me something easy to heat up when we don't want to cook.
3) I listed a google home mini on FB marketplace. I got it for free when we ordered a steeply discounted Nest a couple months ago. We finally installed the Nest but have no use for the home mini. Hopefully it sells.
4) I noticed this week our shower curtain rod and hooks are rusty. I don't think they are too far gone, so I am going to try CLR on them to avoid having to buy new.
5) I completed applications for some upcoming grants and fellowships to hopefully offset my future research costs.
I never knew glasses could be sold until I, too, saw it on NCA, but, I'd like to share another way to dispose of old glasses: Give them to Lion's Club International. Many Walmarts have collection boxes in the front of the stores and some communities have collection boxes elsewhere. The Lions collect glasses not just in the U.S. but in many other countries and send them to optical missions around the world.
@Bobi, I've seen the collection boxes at a library and a post office.
They also take just the lenses.
What site did you sell your glasses on? Did you have to provide the prescription/strength details?
I sold them on eBay. I did not provide the prescription strength...the listing was really for the frames, so I just provided all the info on the sizing of the frames (it's all printed inside the frames).
I hope this counts as frugal... Lord help me if it doesn't....
We are in the part of our major home/garage conversion where we've torn down the existing wall between our living room and 1-car attached garage, gotten up a sliding glass door in our new backyard entrance, added a new window to the front of the house, laid subfloor, completed insulation/drywall/texture/paint... Now it was laying hardwood floors.
My husband caught COVID in the middle of this project, so we've been in varying stages of laying 700+ sqft of hardwood for about five weeks. With no furniture, and a toddler, two dogs, and a cat. Oof.
We finished laying the hardwoods this past weekend. On Sunday, we mixed up a stain (a particular product we've never used but we have stained plenty of wood in our lives). We started staining, and after we did about 80 sqft, we looked at it and it was AWFUL. The overlap lines were atrocious. And we were doing everything right. We stopped what we were doing, and decided about 6 p.m. to re-sand it and start over. We got done sanding about 12:30 a.m.
I took yesterday off work so I could help him stain it again. But this time we opted for an oil-based product instead of a water-based one. While certainly smellier, it worked INFINITELY better. Not a single lap line. The process was as it should have been. Hallelujah!
Because we seriously, seriously, seriously considered hiring someone last-minute to come in and save us. But we did more research, found the problem, and did it ourselves.
Today and tomorrow are polyurethane days. Woo. By this weekend, we should be completely done with the floors, and I can finally have my furniture back!
So...I estimate a savings of a few thousand dollars right there. 🙂
Oh my word! You guys are DIY beasts. Good for you!
I had no idea there could be a market for old glasses. Might have to dig out a few pair and see if I could sell them.
FFT:
1. Cleaning out pantry and freezer to mostly make meals this week
2. Resisted the urge to buy lunch from the food truck parked in my office parking lot. Leftovers for me instead
3. Ran into grocery store Sunday evening and then my car wouldn't start. Called AAA to come jump me off and I'm counting that as frugal since we pay for the service and I didn't have to get anyone else involved or spend any money to get it going
4. Put all of the life insurance money I received following Mom's death into savings instead of thinking of "fun" ways to spend the money
5. Got my free credit reports today to make sure there weren't any errors that needed to be addressed
Back in the USA for a while edition.
1. Bought some clothes, kitchen utensils and make-up bag at Goodwill.
2. Cooked pasta by turning it off after boiling second time. Takes a tad longer, but saves a tad of $.
3. Went on 2 walks and found 2 pennies each walk.
4. Didn't trash our hotel room and should get $150 back.
5. Bought a cute used jar for my mother in laws birthday. We're filling it with notes of things we appreciate about her.
@Katy in Africa, your number four LOL!
1. Made some beef vegetable soup with a tougher cut of mark down beef roast and some frozen vegetables that have been in my freezer too long. I make it using my pressure cooker and less than a pound of meet goes a long way when you cut it into smaller cubes.
2. Asked our Buy Nothing group for some food storage containers to make freezer meals for my grandma and someone gifted some to me.
3. I work from home and instead of turning up the thermostat (temps have been below 0 lately), I have been wearing my fleece leggings and fleece long sleeve tops as a second layer.
4. My mom gave me some blankets to donate to a local charity and after washing them I noticed a couple stains didn't come out. Since the charity will not take stained items, I will put the blankets I can't donate in our camper since I was going to buy a few more for in there anyway.
5. I've been making popcorn for a snack instead of munching on bagged chips. It's a lot less expensive to make homemade popcorn and also healthier 🙂
I have deemed January a "no unnecessary spending month" and at about 1/3 of the way through January, I am doing well. If I decide to buy something that I don't really need, I have to use one of the many gift cards that I have on hand.
Sobey's / Safeway offers Customer Appreciation Day once per month where you get 15% off so I did a large shop last week and bought about 75% of what I will need for the month. Much of what I bought was on sale to begin with so that provided extra savings.
My pet food store also has Customer Appreciation Day once per month and I bought my cat's food on that day, saving 10%.
I price matched at the grocery store for the first time ever last week. I was getting very low on coffee and price matched to another store that had the brand I buy on sale.
I have cooked every meal so far this month. I usually allow myself to pick up take out once a week or so but that's not allowed during a "no unnecessary spending month".
We've had extreme cold weather the past three weeks (-40C with the wind) and I have tried to not turn my furnace up more than where it is usually set and have added slippers and a sweater instead. I'm not looking forward to next month's gas and power bills, though, since the furnace does come on more frequently.
Bonus - I sold something on ebay.
1. I'm attempting to root cuttings from my monstera plant. Over the past two years it has grown very leggy.
2. I've been meal planning with a heavy focus on using up freezer items - I need to make room for our annual 1/4 cow purchase.
3. I've also been working on reducing the size of recipes. We have a family of three and cooking for 6 as a recipe states is too much when only one of us eats the leftovers.
4. I'm cashing in on my Amazon promotional credits for my Kindle that I 'earned' while Christmas shopping.
5. My husband and I are thinking of moving this summer so I'm starting to purge what I can before the mad rush of packing begins. The less we have to move the better!
* I needed a pair of jeans and a wallet. Got both at the thrift store for 4$ and 2$. Did not buy anything else
* Went to the dollar store to pick-up 2 items and got out of there with only 3. Usually I go in for 1 item and get out with 15!
* Eating way less meat lately. Replacing with lentils mostly, and cheese, eggs, canned fish. The less expensive stuff
* University class starting tommorow. Trying to get my hands on a used copy of the required text book, or better yet just borrow one from the library (different edition, might not work)
* My entertainment has been 0$ for a while now. I got so used to this new Covid-life, a.k.a going at work and hanging out at home, I don't even miss it. I read library books, play board games, take walks, do Youtube workout videos, read blogs and watch vlogs on frugality, etc. All free.
I didn't do anything unusual in the frugality area this week, beyond the ordinary. However, I am riding the high from closing out last year's ledger. I have said before how obsessive we are about taking a few minutes every single day to mark down what we spent and where. One of the categories is "freebies" where we put what we save using a coupon or getting something like an Ibotta (rare, since we usually buy generics) or Receipt Hog or Fetch (the three I use) rebate, what we saved by getting a book from the library instead of buying it, found money, and credit card cash backs. For 2001, the grand total was $6239.52! It really keeps me motivated to do the small things that take only a few minutes of time when the final total for the year is this good.
The other thing I want to brag about (since this is the only place I don't sound like a weirdo to be so thrilled) is that in 2015, we spent $846 a month on food. I was so horrified that I began working on lowering the amount by trying to eliminate food waste, substituting ingredients instead of buying an expensive spice that I might never use again, making more soups, eating in season produce instead of hideously priced strawberries in January, and so on. Every year since 2015, I have lowered the amount we spend on food. For 2021, we spent an average of $486.35 a month on food, and yet I think we eat more healthy food than we did five years ago.
I have been so pleased seeing these numbers that I am in danger of breaking my arm from patting myself on the back so hard!
I think you should bask in the joy of the $6000 of savings as lonnnnng as you want.
@Lindsey,
These measures you take are so good to hear about. They’re something we all can do but may not think about doing and you’ve gathered them up for us. Please bask in that too, helping others on the road to more frugality. It’s what Kristen's blog is all about.
Holy moly, I did not know she had passed away. That is awful.
She was one of the bloggers around in the earlier days of blogging. Man.
Okay, this is wild. I bought something for the first time from eBay this week - a pair of readers! Quality ones are pretty expensive, and I’m finding I need replacements every year or so. Plus it’s always nice to have a pair somewhere close where I can find it. I got brand new Eyebobs (currently $95 at a local shop here in ABQ) for $23! Very pleased.
1) I had purchased 3 big bags of jalapeno sunflower seeds (probably 2 lbs each) for my sons for Christmas as they used to eat them when they were younger, but they ended up leaving them at our house due to lack of room in suitcases going home. I know I would never eat them all, and didn't know if the birds could handle the jalapeno seasoning, so today I rinsed them all off and toasted them in the oven until they were dry. Now I can feed my birds!
2) My husband needed a specialized tool for a project he is doing and I really didn't want him to buy one, or even have to rent it. Today, we brought some food to a neighbor and he was asking my husband what he was working on, and when he told him, our neighbor said, "Oh, I have this tool that makes that job really easy"...and BAM...we're borrowing it now. Happy Dance.
3) My husband currently gets a free eye exam every 2 years with his insurance, which we may not have long, so today he went in for his exam, which did happen to be overdue. Yeah!
4) Our taxes will be tricky this year because of our move back from Hong Kong and we had to hire a new accountant. We have really been sweating this one aspect (too complicated to explain here), but I was able to get the paperwork I needed from HK (a minor miracle) and we think it is going to work out OK now. It sounds simple, but it's a pretty big deal in our world and potentially will save us hundreds of dollars.
5) Other than one gallon of milk, I haven't had to buy any groceries yet this year. Trying to do a really low spend January and eat up what we have. So far, so good!
6) I am picking up two shifts this week at a new per diem job, which will help with expenses this month. Not wanting to work full time yet, but a little extra here and there really helps.
Hubby got a coupon for a free frozen pizza. They are so nice to have in the freezer for when the day gets away from me.
Got my kid’s molars sealed. Much less expensive and time consuming than a cavity getting filled later.
Starting an eat the freezer challenge! I have so many odds and ends of things that need to get used up.
Made orange mini muffins with some oranges that were kinda sour and the juice from a can of mandarin oranges.
Used our local library for free books and movies.
It's my kitchen towels I'm miffed about. Bought a set because they had the hanging loop in the middle of one side, not the corner which works better for the space we hang them in. The loops frayed on the first wash and I had to repair them by hand, (no room for a machine here.) Also, they have colors on them so to get stains out I soaked them in OxiClean, but the colors ran. Phooey!
1. Using those dang towels anyway until they wear out.
2. Paired various leftovers with the chicken we roasted Sunday to use them up.
3. Darned more socks and repaired holes in a t-shirt.
4. Remembered to check closet before ordering something I didn't actually need more of.
5. Used up the ends of various taper candles that are too short for the regular candle holders. Took an empty aluminum tea light base after it burned down and glued the taper into it with melted wax. Stuck it in a tealight holder and had a few more hours of candlelight from it.
The frugal & non frugal version the dog version-
My dog eats the most random things, he ate part of a plastic bottle and a leg off a toy. Frugal that he threw them up, non frugal would have required tummy surgery. Honestly we keep everything out of his reach. I was hoping he would out grown this but so far it's a no.
Non frugal, I threw all his toys out, more frugal I dug them out because I felt bad tossing them. I will wash them and see if our local dog shelters could use them.
I will search for super tough toys, not so frugal as I will need to buy them. Will be frugal if he does not eat them.
Other than my dog drama I creatively used up some freezer items. Super frugal when I went shopping Sunday Meijer had no meat. Needless to say I did not buy any. Freezer section was empty shelves, so frugal again I did not buy anything frozen. I told the hubs, don't worry we won't starve.
@Mar,
Our dog is also a chewer and I find that the "nerf" brand is pretty durable.
One of my goals is to reduce food waste in 2022.
1. When I made chicken and rice soup, I used some aging baby carrots, leftover rice, and a leftover fried chicken thigh.
2. I made chocolate pudding for a dessert to use up 4 cups of milk that was about to expire.
3. I ate leftover Turkey curry for lunch. It was definitely not something I would make again. What I did learn from the recipe was how to cook carrots and zucchini together in a skillet without either one being mushy. That will definitely be a veggie side dish now.
4. Used the leftover thanksgiving ham bone to make ham potato soup tonight.
5. My son made a s’mores pie from the leftover New Years s’mores fixings.
1. Made a homemade chocolate cake for my son's birthday. I used decorations I got off Buy Nothing to decorate the dinning room. One of his birthday presents I got off Buy Nothing last year. We did order a pizza though, per my son's request.
2. We get billed for our property taxes three times per year, which I just paid in full avoiding a late charge.
3. My husband used lavendar, I dried from our garden, to make amazing bar soap. It smells so good!
4. Our neighborhood now has a puzzle library (like a Little Library but for puzzles), so we borrowed a puzzle for my daughter.
5. I took home some organic peanut packets someone left us in the break room.
1. I planted lettuce seeds in a couple of large planters and seed trays. I also planted some in with the tomato plants and those are just starting to sprout.
2. I gave my oldest a haircut.
3. I cut up some peppers and onions about to go bad and made fajitas with mushrooms, lettuce and tomatoes.
4. My youngest has covid, so I cooked brownies and made him a care package with soup, crackers and fruit and dropped it off on his doorstep. I think half the people we know have it right now, but all have vaccines and most are boosted, so fortunately none are too bad. It's crazy down here in South Florida.
5. Same son in #4 received a free small desk with drawers that a friend didn't want. He just moved and it will fit nicely in the small kitchen to store appliances.
1. I cooked all of our meals at home, even if I didn't want to.
2. I had my heart set on a treat from a coffee shop that I had a giftcard for... except I couldn't find the giftcard in my car. So I didn't go.
3. I used the Libby app to listen to an audiobook.
4. I called about a mistake on my insurance and will get a refund.
5. My littlest wears clothes that big siblings wore. I wear my shoes that are about 25 years old.
Shopped at Aldi.
Sold four thrift store finds on eBay.
Decided to try to eat from the freezer for two meals. Poblano corn chowder one night, and a beef roast I bought on sale and froze before Christmas another night.
Resisted the takeout urge that was very strong tonight! Made a quick sauté of spicy smoked sausage and peppers, with dirty rice and French bread.
My daughter cut my hair and waxed my eyebrows, as she always does. This is frugal because it’s one of our trades we do. I pick up my grandson Tucker from school and babysit for two hours until she picks him up. She “pays” me in her expert services. (she’s licensed but not practicing at the moment). It’s a big win for me because I get to see Tuck every day.
I don't think I have any glasses to attempt to sell, but I do have a Vera Bradley glass case that I will attempt. (I sell anything on Ebay that I think will bring a buck or two)
1. Found a local hardware store who was selling at home covid kits. I bought two of them just in case to later NEED them. I am thankful that our pediatrician will write a school note with a picture of a home kit. Low and behold both kids are down and out! Saves me so much money over paying $80 per kid for a rapid test at a walk in clinic.
2. We are working on eating what we have at home until our trip to Disney at the end of the month. Hubby has been pulling meat out left and right. Sometimes we have to determine what it is before he cooks it!!! (We aren't picky eaters)
3. Had issues with a Disney gift card and FINALLY talked to the right person who helped me with it. Whew...glad that $100 is now good to use!
4. A lovely co-worker is continuing to give me clothes to either use myself or Ebay. It's like Christmas when she brings the bins in!
5. Another co-worker brought in some extra corn tortillas from her house. She only needed a few for a recipe and thought of me! I love free food.
The Food Edition:
1. I had leftover egg/dairy/cinnamon mixture from making French toast. Usually, I just throw it out. This time, I measured it out and followed the ratio of flour, baking soda & baking powder to make it into pancakes the next morning.
2. I had a half of serving of apple crisp left, so I chopped it up and added it to the pancake batter. It was really tasty.
3. Picked up a free item (12 pack of seltzer) from monthly Star Market membership bonus (worth $4.99). Realized partner has his own membership and therefore eligible for one as well, so sent him back the next day. We were restrained both times and bought nothing else.
4. Partner was making ribollita and using kale, but not the stems. I had him save the stems and I worked them into the broccoli cheddar soup that I made to eat at work this week (budget bytes recipes).
5. Agreed to attend a job interview (practical) at work. Since I work at a culinary college, the practical is being served a dinner in our high end French restaurant. So yes, to a free delicious meal.
I cut all my sponges and Swedish dish cloths in half. They get so dirty so quickly!
I fixed some towels today! Yes, even our newer ones seem to fall apart quickly. Annoying.
The ones I fixed today were shredded around the edges because they are 7-10+ years old. I have a serger and learned how to use it for a rolled hem. It cuts off the edges and a rolled hem is easy to do on one layer of fabric. Thank you to YouTube creators that reminded me how to thread the serger and taught me what tension settings to use. The towels live on to see another day!