Five Tiny Frugal Things
I went to H Mart for sweet rice vinegar and soy sauce and chose the biggest jugs they sell. Yes, I spent more today, but the price per ounce was lower which equates to long term savings. This choice is always a bit painful in the moment, but I just take a deep breath and consider myself privileged to be able to invest in the larger, more expensive size. I browsed the deli section and considered splurging on one of their delicious, (and actually not that pricey) premade options. Their kimbap looked especially amazing, but I reminded myself that “You have food at home!” and drove back for a lovely bowl of bean and bacon soup. I returned a huge bag of books to the library, even though I’d only read a couple of them. I like to have choices of what to read based on mood and vibes, so I’ll deliberately check out more books than I can get to. Not only did this declutter my living room, but I got the thrill of new books without spending a penny. I know it’s hardly an ah-hah moment to recommend the library over traditional retail therapy, but picking out and bringing home new books scratches the same dopamine itch as buying cute unnecessary doo-dads from Target. And we all know that Target is on our no-no-list! I walked past Winco’s small book section and saw they had something by the author Jenny Green. I’ve read her novels in the past, but she’d slipped off my radar, so I made a mental note to see if Libby had any of her audiobooks available. I found that they had Falling for immediate download, which proved to be the perfect distraction from an upsetting news cycle day. Libby lost some of their funding, so I’m only able to reserve ten books at a time instead of twenty. I’m now being judicious about what I put on hold, as filling my hold list with audiobooks that take six months would be sad in the here and now. Immediately available books for the win! • I deliberately ordered a large portion entrée last night, so I’d have enough leftovers to bring to my daughter. • I hung laundry on the clothesline on this hot and blustery day. • My friend Lise gave me a pot of sedum she dug out of her garden. • I went on the library website at the stroke of midnight on July 1st to see if they’d released any new discovery passes. Sadly they didn’t have anything for me, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying. • I scanned an abandoned parking lot Winco receipt into the Fetch app and got 1250 points! For reference, I normally get the standard 25 points as I’m not buying national corporate brands. Katy Wolk-Stanley “Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.” Click HERE to follow The Non-Consumer Advocate on Instagram. Click HERE to join The Non-Consumer Advocate Facebook group.