Frugal Friday August 7, 2026

 I have picked quarts and quarts of wild blueberries, many in the freezer, ready to top our oatmeal this winter. Last year, because of frost and drought, there were no blueberries at all, so I am most grateful.

Nearly every evening, I spend 15-30 minutes doing online surveys with the company Ipsos. I use the points to get monthly amazon gifts cards, which I redeem when I reach $25 worth-about once a month. If you are interested in doing surveys online, this is my referral link. I have been very happy with this company. 

I buy groceries with the survey money.  Generally speaking, the amazon grocery brand is the cheapest, and on par with Walmart prices. This month, I purchased 3 pounds of almonds for $18 and 24 k-cups for $5.  We don't have a Keurig at home, but I use them at work. 

Speaking of work, I was given a birthday voucher to use in the hospital cafeteria. Since I work nights and the cafeteria is closed, I used it to buy bagels and muffins on my way out of work one morning. 

I was helping plan a birthday party for a friend and searched for word games online. Specifically, I created a word search using her name and other words related to her. Ready & printed in about 5 minutes and completely free. The internet really has so many resources. 

Enjoying summer while I can.

As usual, I hung clothes on the line, made meals at home, and walked every day for exercise.

What did you do to save money this week?

My Frugal Birthday Week!

My birthday was on Wednesday this week. We decided to go hiking along the Bold Coast in Cutler. Not frugal, but for my gift, we did go out for lunch at a restaurant my son recommended. The Nook & Cranny, in Baileyville. It is actually rated one of the top 5 in Maine; highly recommend! At $32, it was quite reasonable, and the seafood crepe was delish. For gifts, I received cash, gift cards and a hand painted family tree from my artsy daughter. 💗

Isn't it lovely???

I did have a birthday freebie on my McDonald's app, which I used to pick up a chicken sandwich. Sadly, I no longer live in the land of loads of birthday freebies, but I still wouldn't trade locations!

On the way to our hike, we stopped at the Mardens in Calais, and I used the rest of my free gift card, so it felt like another little gift. I picked up some cereal, pasta, snack mix and crackers.

I cut my husband's hair, as I have for the last 34 years.

I picked more wild blueberries, green beans and zucchini.

We have a naturalized flower garden area on our property, which we have affectionately named "Aunt Hazel's Garden," since she started it over 50 years ago. (Free sign painted on an old cupboard door by my daughter, Abby). We have been trying to add shade loving wild flowers, which we find in the woods. Some of our neighbors have also shared some flowers with us, which we've planted in various locations. 

Morning Glory and Hollyhock from Belinda

My husband needed some stain for the outside of the sauna he is building on our property. On Amazon, it was $45 for 1 gallon or $180 for 5 gallons ($36/gal)  I searched for better online deals, and ended up finding a sale at Blaine's Farm & Fleet, and even paying for shipping (5.99), it ended up being $32/gal. It's always worth your time to search. 

How did you save money this week?

Frugal Friday Update

This week I picked about a quart of blueberries in the field down the road. (I asked permission first.) Considering these are $4/pint in the store, I saved about $8.00 These are wild, Maine low bush blueberries, which are much smaller than their cultivated cousins. I love them for muffins and pancakes. I spread them on a cookie sheet before I freeze them and put them in a Ziploc. They don't clump together this way.

I've also been picking our cultivated raspberries, which are technically free since a neighbor gave us the plants when he was getting rid of them. These are my favorite fruit...LOVE them with cream and a little sugar.  It's been dessert pretty much all week. 

I've also harvested green beans and greens for salad--spinach, chard, beets, arugula and cilantro. The garden has been slow this year, but we should be harvesting more soon. 

A neighbor gave us 3 pounds of pork ribs from a pig he slaughtered. I cooked them in the slow cooker for 8 hours with a dry rub recipe I found online, and they were SO GOOD. Fall off the bone tender. We got 3 meals out of them. Thanks, neighbor!!!

I used a free $25 gift card from Mardens (for those not in the know, Mardens is the Maine version of Big Lots) to pick up some groceries. The gift card came as a result of participating in a promotion they are running. There are 14 stores statewide, and if you visit 7, they give you a $25 gift card and a Marden's travel mug. If you visit all 14, you get $100 and a goodie bag,  I have until the end of 2026 to hit 5 more stores, but I don't know if that will happen or not. Driving to them just for the promo would not be worth the gas. Deals at Mardens aren't as good as they used to be, but I did pick up:

26 ounces of peanuts-$3.99

a loaf of whole wheat bread-$2.49

6 bagels: $2.49

In our town, we have a local "swap shop" that an individual manages. Basically, you can pick up and drop off usable items for free. I stopped by on the way to a friends camp and picked up a half box of coffee filters, a vintage cookie jar, 2 books, a full pack of diapers (for when the grands visit) and a Longaberger magazine basket with a plastic liner. I also dropped off a couple of books. I conservatively estimate these items to be worth at least $50. 

I also hung clothes on the line and walked at least 2 miles every day. 

What did you do to save money this week? 

How I've Saved Money Lately

I don't know that volunteering is really considered saving money, but the organization saves money by not having to pay employees! I have been volunteering as a camp nurse for over 20 years. Living Waters, in Weston, Maine,  is near and dear to my heart as I went there as a camper back in the 80s. This is my way of giving back, and in exchange, I don't have to prepare or clean up meals for a whole week, which is a great perk, in my opinion! If you have children, most camps let your kids attend free while you are working. If you are nurse, it's something to consider. Many, many camps need medical staff,  and some pay a modest stipend. 

I love eating what I can harvest myself. This is a picture of a recent lunch when my family was home: Smelts (caught by my son & husband) and Fiddlehead Casserole. Both the smelts and fiddleheads were harvested in late spring and frozen for later use.

While our family was visiting from out of state, we shared many meals together (47, to be exact) , making 99% of our meals at home. I saved money by stocking up months ahead of time and then utilizing the pantry and freezer. The photo below is my husband and grandson carrying water to put out the campfire after a hotdog roast, which ended with smores, of course.

Before family arrived, we did a renovation of our 2nd bath, replacing a single sink with a double and also replacing the toilet. we painted and added a new mirror and lights. Doing the work ourselves saved hundreds of dollars. (I'm grateful my husband is handyman!) We bought everything for the project on Amazon (except the toilet and paint) and took advantage of free shipping, no small thing in rural Maine. 

I get outside everyday and take time to enjoy creation. It is the best therapy and walking is excellent exercise.

We traveled locally during spring break, going just a few hours north to Northern Maine and New Brunswick, Canada. I used points for a free hotel night and did free activities like hiking and visiting local sites.  This is the mill that shares international sites in Madawaska, Maine and Edmunston, NB.

Pussy Willows are free decor. They were my mom's favorite harbingers of spring.

What have you been doing to save money in this economy?