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Friday, June 10, 2022

Second Frugal Friday of June 2022



Welcome to Friday! 

Quote of the Week

Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.
~ Mark Twain

My Frugal Week

Thank you for all the kind comments you made to me about my Mom. Each one was thoughtful and comforting to me and I wanted you all to know that they meant so much to me. Thank you. ❤️ 

It looks like Blogger has fixed the issues with commenting.  I’ve switched my comment section back over to embedded, so I can respond to each comment. I like it so much better that way. Keeping my fingers crossed that it continues to work. 

We went to several yard sales on Saturday and Bailey was able to get restocked on clothing inventory for her shops. She ended up with 124 pieces of clothing for her shops. 


For the house we found two Tervis hot beverage mugs. I actually wanted one of these for Christmas, so it was neat to find two on the same day. The one I wanted on Amazon goes for $16.99 and these were $2.00 each, so a good deal. We also found an old Planters peanut jar from 1981, which I will use for storage. Also, a new strainer/steamer and a casserole dish. 


I’ve decided to buy casserole dishes when I find them. Rather than use disposable foil pans when bringing food to a potluck, I’ll be using casserole dishes I find at yard sales. 

Whenever we go to Bailey’s uncle’s home for a get together I usually leave my dishes behind and get them back at the next get together. I found a blue rectangle one, which will be perfect for such an event, and was only $2.00 at a yard sale this weekend. 

Then on Sunday evening I happened to read a Facebook post by someone in our community giving away all their yard sale stuff for free. Bailey went over and picked out multiple clothing items and a glass bowl and 11 x 15 Anchor Hocking casserole dish for me. I was so tickled as I’ve never had one that big before. 

I hired someone to help me with some cleaning and moving this week. My Dad had boxes of books in one of the closets. He hasn’t lived here in over ten years, so it was time. He still has an office with his stuff downstairs where he ran his business for years, so the lady I hired carried all of them down there for me. It's wonderful to have reclaimed that space. 

One of the reasons I was in that closet was to sort through papers and pictures. I labeled one box for me, one for my brother, and one for my sister, and put each item in its rightful box. My Mom kept many things of ours and I know they will be thrilled to get a box of their own stuff that she lovingly kept all these years. And it’s been cathartic for me in the process.

The Story of a Millionaire & Catching Up with an Old Friend

On Wednesday evening I spoke with a childhood friend. We spent many days and nights at each others homes when we were growing up. Both our parents did the flea markets on the weekend, so we would always hang out there too and of course at school. 

Her Dad was a union man who worked for International Harvester in Chicago and sold at multiple flea markets every weekend, all year long. He spent his childhood in an orphanage with nuns and priests and started life with basically nothing.

He was the definition of frugal and would make deals with the produce men at the flea market on boxes of produce to feed his family. He made similar deals with the butcher and anyone else who he could trade or barter for food with including dumpster dived food. 

He made deals with businesses to pick up their discarded wooden pallets and took them home and cut them up for firewood  to save money on heating. He would bring sandwiches all stacked neatly in the bread bag to feed his family at the flea market. He had a camp stove in his booth at the flea market and would make popcorn as a snack for the kids. 

Although he wore a white shirt and tie for work he dressed plainly on the weekends. No fancy designer clothes for him, his wife or children

He passed away last year and rather than leave his estate to his children, he left it to his twelve grandchildren. Each one of them has a trust fund set up in their own name when they turn 21 years old with each one receiving around $140,000 each.

His safety deposit box at the bank had so many silver bars in it that they had a party and gave several to each grandchild. 

To say I was floored would be an understatement. He certainly did not seem or act like a millionaire, but he was a hard worker and so were his children. I knew he was frugal but didn’t know he was a millionaire. My friend didn’t know either and was as shocked as me when she learned the news.

It’s a testament to how a man who started his life with nothing used hard work and frugality to make a fortune.

Question of the Week

What are you or your family doing to combat the high gas prices? 

Meals This Week

Friday: Hamburgers, Tater Tots, Lettuce, Tomatoes, and Onions. 

Saturday:  Shrimp, Egg Rolls, Cabbage & Kale Greens.

Sunday: Patty Melts, French Fries, Cole Slaw. 

Monday: Chicken Sandwiches, Tater Tots, Teriyaki Stir Fry. 

Tuesday: Homemade Pizza for Movie Night. 🎥 

Wednesday: Tacos ~ I chopped and grated the toppings early in the day, so when dinner time rolled around all I had to do was brown and season the meat and heat up the tortillas. 

Thursday: Chicken Fajitas, Stir Fry Vegetables.

Thank you for dropping by my frugal blog, you are always welcome here. 

We would love to hear all about your week in the comment section.

Belinda
~ Living within our Means ~
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28 comments:

  1. Those memotos will be appreciated by your siblings. We did the same thing. Lots of pictures and even school stuff from when we were little. I don't think they got rid of anything!
    You just never know about people - I imagine there are many quiet and unexpected millionaires out there.

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    1. Oh, that is so neat that your siblings didn’t get rid of anything saved. Mom had lots of report card and classroom photos too. It was a walk down memory lane.

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  2. There are tons of everyday people who become millionaires. Usually the folks you see "looking rich" really aren't(unless they are in the league of Elon Musk, Bill Gates, etc.). They use all there wealth to appear wealthy.

    Not much I can do about the cost of gasoline other than drive less and combine errands when I do have to drive. That is about all that is under my control. 8-)

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    1. That is a good observation about those who really are rich compared to those who want to be rich. I’m with you on the gas savings as those are the things we do too.

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  3. Belinda, That is a great story of your childhood friends dad. Who would have guessed! He was a very smart man who had great ways to save money (and put money away I guess!). When my mom passed away 4 years ago my brother and I cleaned out her house and it was at first overwhelming, but became a treasure hunt of sorts once we got going. All kinds of things from our past that had been put away came out. We had a big laugh when we found my moms scarves that she loved to wear. A drawer packed full of beautiful scarves, so many colors and designs from everyday plain to elegant and dressy. It helped us both to reflect and move forward I guess. I still look through what I kept, and going through pictures when I get sentimental helps too. It brings a smile to my face. I'm so sorry for the loss of your mom. Cheryl

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    1. Thank you, Cheryl. I loved reading your story of you and your brother cleaning out your mom’s home. I kept a metal box I found in mom’s closet to store all the treasures I am keeping. I know my brother and sister are going to love theirs.

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  4. That's really interesting that your friend's dad chose to live so frugally, and had so much left when he passed. And, great for the family that he's able to pass much of his wealth on to his grandkids!

    You've inspired me, and I think we'll have tacos for dinner tonight. I'd planned on some leftover orange chicken & fried rice, but I see that Sam busted into the fridge when he got home from a late soccer practice last night, and cleared out the chicken. ;-) Hungry teens!

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    1. Yes, those hungry teens will clear out a fridge. 😂 Tacos sound great to me.

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  5. You scored this week at the yard sales. Loved everything you found. I love the story of your friends Father.
    Gas Prices- DH lives two blocks away from work. He can walk to it. After a hard day of construction he drives home. That is less than a gallon for the week.
    I don't drive so that is a big help.
    Errands- We are just going to one store a week. We live near by. Some times we go out a second time for the week so I can get out of the house. I have anxiety so one errand a week is not healthy at all for me when it comes to my mental health. I need to do other things. We find things that are close by like going to the library, thrift store or just picking up a sandwich. We will go to WalMart to look at plants, Menards or Hobby Lobby. We have an exciting life, lol.

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    1. PM
      Thank you, Safyne. We are so much alike. Bailey and I both have that anxiety thing and need to get out of the house at times. It is an exciting life, isn’t it?! One that works for me. 😊

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  6. Great finds on those Tervis mugs and the Planter’s glass jar. You can’t beat real casserole dishes for that price, either. Sorry to hear of your dear mom’s passing.🙏🏻
    Mary in OK

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  7. Glad you were able to catch up with a friend. How cool that you knew the "millionaire next door".
    What special memory boxes for you and your siblings. I'm glad that your Mom kept those momentos for you all.
    Great finds at the yard sale, and I'm glad that Bailey was able to find some things for her shops.
    We are going to a church yard sale tomorrow, and my daughter is excited since it is only $2 for all the clothes you can fit into a bag. You never know what you will find there...one year we went to our church's yard sale, and there was a kama sutra book on the book table. It was gone when I passed by again. I'm guessing somebody realized what it was and took it out of the sale, or maybe somebody bought it. :D

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    1. Thank you, Kathy. We love church yard sales as, like you said, you never know what you’ll find. Oftentimes people doing the pricing don’t know the value of items that get donated, so it’s possible to get some great items for just a few dollars. Yikes on the Kama sutra book! 😁

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  8. That is a testament to frugal living. I am so inspired by you and Bailey.

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  9. So lovely to receive a box of precious memories that you are putting together for your siblings.

    My Mom always said that old saying "Never judge a book by it's cover." Hard work and simple living fool most people into thinking that there is no money..... Good for the gentleman in managing to save and bequeath his grandchildren a great start in their lives.

    God bless.

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    1. Definitely, Jackie. He did what he needed to do to take care of his family and then some. I hope you have a great weekend.

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  10. What an awesome story, thanks for sharing . . .
    We still have to sort trough Mum and Dad's old photos - It's going to be bitter sweet, I suspect. xx

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    1. Thank you, Joy. Hopefully going through the old photos will bring lots of good memories too.

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  11. Oh yes, I know of several people who are financially wealthy, but you’d never know it by their lifestyles. They aren’t trying to impress anyone and I like that!

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  12. That is a great story! I miss yard sales. I sold lots from yard sales. It was fun and profitable.

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    1. They are so much fun! When we lived in Pikeville, my neighbors used to come and sit with me and we would talk all day long while mine was going on. Great fun!

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  13. We don't drive much. We try to remember there are people who cannot afford the price of gas and that the people in Ukraine have little left.

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    1. The war in Ukraine breaks my heart as they didn’t want war in their country. We’ve not been driving much at all either except on Saturday when we yard sale. We are combining errands when we do go out too to help save on gas money.

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    2. I meant to say that it makes me crazy for people to leave dishes at my house because then I have to wash and keep up with their dishes.

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    3. Oh yes, that makes sense to me too. Would it make a difference if they told you to keep the dish? I figure if I let them keep the ones I find at yard sales since they don’t cost much. But I am curious in your opinion.

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