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Five Frugal Things | The Mad Hatter sold!

1. Mr. FG’s costume finally sold

Remember how we did an Alice in Wonderland theme in 2019?

Alice in Wonderland costume

Well, normally I sell our costumes the following year.

But 2020 was…not a good year for costume-selling.

(2020 was not good for a lot of things, let’s be honest.)

Kristen and Mr. FG in Mad Hatter and Queen of Hearts costumes

Anyway, my Queen of Hearts costume sold earlier this summer, and this past week, the Mad Hatter costume sold too.

I’m now $70 richer, and I no longer have a huge hat hanging in my closet!

When I went to package it up, I felt very grateful that my past self had saved a huge Amazon plastic shipping bag because it was perfect for wrapping up this costume.

Costume in a white plastic shipping bag.

2. I sold one of the girls’ bikes

When I was in the shed recently, I realized that one of the bikes we still had was way too small for either Sonia or Zoe.

A black and blue hybrid bicycle.

I know bikes are a hot commodity right now, so I listed it on Facebook Marketplace, fielded eleventy-hundred, “Is this still available?” messages and lots of detailed questions about the bike, and eventually, someone came through and bought it for $175.

Yay! Less clutter, more cash.

And considering that Lisey, Sonia, and Zoe all used the bike, getting $175 for it feels pretty good.

3. I zested an orange before eating it

I really love to put orange zest in my one-serving microwave oatmeal, so before I ate an orange the other day, I removed all the zest and left it in a bowl to dry.

So now I have enough zest for several bowls of oatmeal in the future.

Interestingly, you can buy bottled orange zest. But if you are a person who eats citrus fruits, it’s awfully easy just to make your own zest.

I use my microplane grater to make quick work of it, but before I had one of those, I just used the fine side of my cheese grater.

(Ok, I just looked at the page for the microplane grater that I have, and oh my word, it comes in so many fun colors now. The eggplant purple one!!! I do not need more than one grater, I do not need more than one grater…)

4. I bought a used histology book

My main anatomy and physiology textbook is online, but it’s also recommended that we buy a histology book, which we will use in A&P1 and also in A&P2 (which means renting makes no sense!).

I found a used copy online for a really good price, and it came still in the shrink wrap, apparently unused.

I love it when I can find practically new stuff for a secondhand price.

5. I fixed a duffel bag

Mr. FG got this as a freebie way back when he used to work in warehousing, and we’ve used it for lots of trips.

The top got a little rip, though, and I knew if I didn’t fix it, it was going to just rip more.

duffel bag with a rip in the top.

So, I got out my sewing machine and did a little zig-zagging.

Zig-zag seam repair on a duffel.

It’s not beautiful, but it’ll work just fine for future travels!

A zig-zagged rip repair on a taupe duffel bag.

Your turn! What frugal things have you been up to lately?

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Linda

Friday 3rd of September 2021

1. I picked enough Italian Plums from my neighbor's tree to put up 7 pints of canned plums. 2. I found a Cuisinart food processor for $19.99 at St. Vincent de Paul. It has all the attachments and is in perfect working order. 3. I'm happily harvesting produce from my container garden. 4. I'm dehydrating parsley from my garden so I'll have a supply over winter. 5. Cherry tomatoes, cut in half, sprinkled with salt and dehydrated make an amazing snack food treat.

Yolanda

Wednesday 1st of September 2021

Kristen do you use anything special to clean your citrus before zesting?

Kristen

Wednesday 1st of September 2021

I usually just rely on gently scrubbing them under the faucet, but if you wanted to be extra careful, you could buy organic citrus if you plan to zest it.

Katy in Africa

Wednesday 1st of September 2021

How do you usually dry your citrus zest? Just leave it uncovered to air dry?

Kristen

Wednesday 1st of September 2021

Yup! It dries really quickly in my house, but if you live in a more humid area, it might take a bit longer.

Katy in Africa

Wednesday 1st of September 2021

Nice orange zest tip! 1. I bought 3 fitted double sheets and a twin blanket used all for the equivalent of $1.50 US each. 2. I organized the bathroom cupboard and discovered that I still had nail polish remover and a new tube of hair curl cream!! Yay! I also found a hair mask I was given over 2 years ago... So I finally used some of it. 3. I still haven't re-dyed my hair... there's more grays than I realized... 4. I accepted some free porridge mix. 5. An old pillow case with a bad stain got put in the rag basket.

Becca

Wednesday 1st of September 2021

My mom gifted us two giant boxes of peaches from the fruit truck and I froze a bunch, made some coffee cake, and turned a bunch into homemade fruit leather.

Hubby got free zucchini at work plus a bunch from our garden which I turned into cheesy zucchini chickpea cakes for kids lunches, lots of zucchini bread, zucchini chicken patties, and lots of sautéed zucchini.

Picked up two extra shifts at work for time and a half plus double bonus.

Used a coupon for a free Shutterfly book to make a photo book for my father in law.

Got some free tomatoes & peppers from my sister in law’s garden.

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