Just a note: there is nothing April Fools-ish about this post. My brain is too absorbed with nursing school to come up with anything clever. Ha.
1. I grabbed a table from the trash
I was not on the hunt for anything, but on my way out of the neighborhood, I noticed a little white table set out for the trash pickup.
I said, “OH NO. Not on my watch.” and I put it into the back of my van. Hehe.
I will probably not get around to refinishing this until school is over, but at least it’s not in the trash.
2. I got a rain check for blackberries
Safeway had a great sale on them last week, so of course they were sold out. Everyone recognized the bargain price!
wild blackberries from last summer
So, I got a rain check and I will redeem it next time I’m out of berries.
3. I got a marked-down box of granola bars
I usually take Rx bars to work when I need a portable snack, but Zoe likes the Quaker ones sometimes. So, I picked up a marked-down box, which ended up being only $1.18.
4. I got a free drink at Starbucks using points
I did a mammoth study session with two other students on Sunday afternoon/evening (7.5 hours!), and we started out at Starbucks, where I redeemed my points for a free drink.
I’d earned my points by spending gift cards, which I’d gotten for free through my credit card rewards, so this was layers of free. 😉
5. I gave away my Kodiak pancake mix
You know how I bought that huge box of Kodiak mix and discovered I don’t actually like the pancakes it makes?
The most frugal thing would have been to take it back to Sam’s Club for a refund. But I know exactly where the mix will go if I do that: into the trash.
And my food-waste-averse heart couldn’t handle that.
The Sam’s Club-sized pack has three individually packaged bags of mix and obviously I’d only opened one! I kept the one opened bag and I will dutifully use that up, but I listed the other two on my Buy Nothing group.
Food always goes super fast on my group so I knew someone would be interested!
This is one of the best uses for a Buy Nothing group, I think. How else would I possibly find someone interested in my pancake mix??
Joyce
Monday 7th of April 2025
I fixed my earring by glueing in a stone with E-6000 craft glue. I have a favorite pair of not-expensive earrings that has a single rhinestone in each earring. I've lost and found one of the stones 3 times in my house (what are the odds of finding a small stone?!). I've glued it back in twice, once with regular white glue and then my glue gun. Both times were fails. But this time I got a tube of E-6000 and it seems to have worked – fingers crossed. I hate when one earring gets lost or is unuseable. – I rescued some leftovers. I put a container of crockpot “refried” beans I'd made to go with chicken enchiladas in the freezer for another meal later. I find it hard to judge how many we will eat and we often have a lot left. So I'll use them later. If they don't get eaten in a day, I try to freeze. I also put 5 pieces of leftover pizza we ordered in a zip lock bag and put them in the freezer. – I donated some old, but useable curtain rods and a few in nicknacks to a local thrift shop that serves a homeless shelter. – I made a pot of hamburger beef vegetable soup using frozen leftover vegetables and a few cans of veggies that were about to reach their expiration date. I also used frozen leftover rotisserie chicken to make chicken enchiladas. --I refilled my pepper grinder. My sister showed me how to pry off the grinder lid on a small jar of McCormick brand whole peppercorns. (it's not easy at first.) I bought a big container of whole peppercorns from Sam's and I’ve been refilling the small jar.
Caroline Rose
Friday 4th of April 2025
I was looking for unflavored protein powder to add to my coffee but only found flavored. It was a brand I like, so I thought I'd give it a try. It was sweetened with monk fruit and was...absolutely awful. I powered through one cup. At first I told myself I'd be like you and keep going so as not to be wasteful. But nope! I'm going to drop it off at the gym with a "free" stickie note.
Seeing you move on from the pancakes makes me feel validated. ;)
Kristen
Friday 4th of April 2025
Aww, yay, I love your way of passing it on. Perfect!
AW
Thursday 3rd of April 2025
You're absolutely right. My Buy Nothing group gives away food and it's taken instantly! I never even had a chance.
My Frugal 5's 1) Used up the food my husband brought last week for this week's meal. Also tried using up what we had in the pantry and fridge. 2) Put up an ISO on my Buy Nothing for fitted crib sheets for my girls since they've worn holes on their's and had a lady reply back that she had some. 3) Will exchange our slightly used books at home for new to us ones at school during their book exchange event. 4) Got a handful of breakfast items at church after their teen event and got to bring home about 1/3 of my dish back home that I brought to my bible study. 5) Brought out seasonal books like those about spring and Easter for our girls to read.
Lindsay B
Wednesday 2nd of April 2025
1. I had a few hours to myself, and all the local coffee shops were closed as it was a Sunday afternoon. I had a coupon for a drive-through coffee freebie so I redeemed that, sat in my car, and read a book for a while. Then I puttered around in Goodwill but didn’t end up buying anything.
2. I remembered to use my HSA card at the store. It’s easier to use it when making a purchase than to remember to reimburse myself later.
3. I continue to work on earning our health savings rewards money by working through modules about healthy changes online, for both DH and I.
4. I made some returns for items that I didn’t end up needing. I also ran my errands in the most logical path to save time and gas.
5. I made a veggie and lentil curry that used up lots of fridge odds and ends, for example a few baby carrots and some celery bits, plus odds and ends from the freezer. I continue to add a few handfuls of previously chopped and frozen swiss chard to soups. A few handfuls can disappear into the soup, but more than that can change the flavor.
Becca
Tuesday 1st of April 2025
Ok, I have a quick minute. Let’s see if I can get to five…
1. Did my damn taxes. I hate all the stress and staring at screens and how many damn times I have to get a code texted to me, not to mention all the extra drama that goes along with any kind of money situation. Anyway, done, and now I don’t have to think about them for another year. (I hope.)
2. I noticed that tomorrow is paraprofessional appreciation day. I routinely shower my paras with chocolates, but usually only the day after grocery day, so I raided my Easter candy stash instead. Now I have nice chocolates for my paras tomorrow, and my spoiled children will have less chocolate-fueled shenanigans on Easter. Wins all around.
3. My cat sits on my pillow all night and gave me yet another eye infection. I’m treating it with hot compresses and reminding myself that her purring helps my mental health for almost free.
4. I’m not buying any clothing for the latest “spirit week” at school. Um, I don’t wear jerseys, but here’s a random shirt with a number on it, and it should be good enough, savvy?
5. Aside from taxes, I spent the weekend working on clearing weeds and vines out of my garden. Life happened, and it has been a while since I properly dealt with it. I overheard one of my neighbors telling a friend that she likes my trees, but…then she saw me and clearly was embarrassed at being overheard criticizing. She just had a baby and is only about 3 months into motherhood, so I just smiled and said “Congratulations!” Life will happen to her too, so I don’t think I need to take her feedback to heart. Also, my lazy style of gardening is essentially free, and fighting established vines is a major upper body workout.