Thrift My Sass

As Arthur sang in his immortal ditty, "having fun isn't hard when you've got a library card." Your local library likely offers many more services in addition to lending books. Here are some ideas for you to ask about at your library: Children's Programs Your library may have a children's reading room or even a whole wing devoted to it. In addition to helping kids find books that they will enjoy, the library staff and docents may host additional events. Some libraries offer seasonal crafts for kids, story time for preschoolers, and homework help. My local library has both a children's wing and a teen center, and both of these offer educational and recreational programs for their age groups. Adult Education Events Local authors and subject matter experts may offer discussions or informational sessions hosted by the library. Your library likely has an events calendar that you can peruse for these events, which are most likely completely free! Museu...

This is a great way to use up your Christmas leftovers. You can substitute most of the ingredients - I recommend keeping the cheese and using cream of something soup, but the rest is up to you! Ingredients: 2 cans cream of something (I recommend cream of chicken) + 1 can of water 2 cups of shredded cheese (you can grate your own full 8oz bar of cheese, too!) Peas (leftover, canned, or frozen) Corn (leftover, canned, or frozen) 1/2 onion, chopped 8 oz (dry) egg noodles Chopped turkey leftovers, as much as you like! Black pepper to taste Parsley flakes as garnish Directions: If you are using frozen vegetables, defrost them by placing in a strainer and running them under hot tap water Cook egg noodles to al dente texture, drain. Mix drained noodles with other ingredients and place in a greased casserole dish Top with parsley flakes Bake at 375F until browned on top, about 45 minutes Additional Ideas I'd love to see how this turns out with ric...

When I first started working full-time, I often found myself scrambling to put together a lunch in the morning before leaving for work. This meant that I would give up on bringing something from home a couple of times each week and resort to buying something at lunchtime. Needing to buy lunch is particularly a problem for me because I work in a downtown area in an expensive city with few carry-out lunch options. It is difficult to find a meal in that area for less than $10, let alone something with reasonable portion sizes. This led to my credit card and my waistline feeling a little too plump by the end of each month. Meal prepping on weekends helped me to cut down eating out for lunch, but I still occasionally found myself without a lunch and with no plan. I started to keep snack and meal items at my desk, and that finally helped me to kick the restaurant lunch habit. I often troll the reduced section of my local grocery store to find shelf-stable items to stock my desk at work. Ma...

There are a bunch of ways to get things you want or need online, absolutely free! Here are some online communities that allow you to give away or ask for items of your choice with no cash or barter required. Buy Nothing Project The Buy Nothing Project is based on the concept of a gift economy, where people can exchange items freely without anything expected in return. The idea is that each individual group will serve a local community, such as a neighborhood in a city, part of a large town, or an entire small town. This allows members to get to know their actual neighbors through the medium of Facebook. Buy Nothing Groups are formed by volunteer residents of the community, and the group is formed around that person geographically. You are only allowed to belong to a Buy Nothing Group that includes your home. Since there was no group in my town when I moved here, I contacted the Buy Nothing Project and started my own group! The regional volunteers helped me to set the geographic ...

According to the Leichtman Research Group , the average cable bill was $107 in 2018. Anecdotally, I have heard coworkers and family members cite bills much higher than that, up to about $300 for homes with multiples televisions with their own cable boxes and DVR service. That is a substantial bill for just a single form of entertainment! There are several frugal alternatives, including streaming services, but I have most enjoyed using a digital antenna since buying my house in 2017. This isn't your grandma's antenna - all television broadcasting in the United States (as well as numerous other countries) is all digital, so there is no risk of a fuzzy signal. The signal also comes in at full HD (1080p) resolution so the quality of the picture is excellent. A digital antenna is one of the cheapest alternatives to traditional cable TV service. They are available from a number of retailers, including Amazon and big box stores. This up-front investment is the only cost associ...

When my husband and I first moved into our house, we found that expenses were flying at us faster than a speeding moving truck. Our house is small by modern standards; it was built in 1959 and has three bedrooms and two bathrooms, coming in at just over 1200 sq ft. Not exactly a mansion, but still a substantial amount of space to fill for two people who had been living in their childhood bedroom or a 500 sq ft apartment. It was very tempting to go out and buy all new matching furniture (probably on credit) and décor to complement it, but we mostly economized when furnishing our new digs. I'm happy to share what worked for us so that others might benefit! Check for Freebies The free items that we got for our house made an enormous difference in the amount of money we were spending to furnish the house. For instance, we were able to get a beautiful wood china cabinet for free on the side of the road. Some people balk at curbside finds, but we checked the cabinet over and ...

This is a traditional recipe from the city of Ioannina in western Greece. The Romaniote Jewish community there prepared a number of unique dishes, mostly focused on vegetarian foods containing dairy products in keeping with Kosher rules. This cheesy pie is a meal unto itself alongside some salad or other vegetables. Ingredients: 3 eggs An 8oz package of Farmer Cheese (substitute drained cottage cheese or ricotta) 1/2 package of cream cheese 3/4 tsp salt 1/2 cup milk 2 handfuls of matzo meal (I have been known to substitute breadcrumbs) 1 handful of grated cheese (optional) Mix ingredients together and pour into a pie plate. Dot the top with little pats of butter. Bake for 45 minutes at 375°. The top of your froza should be golden brown. This thrifty recipe came together for a total of $3.76 by my calculations and it contains six servings ($0.63 per serving). I live in an area with a fairly high cost of living so you may be able to do better than I did on food pri...

This is part four of my six-part series on how to save money while planning a wedding. The range of garments available to a prospective bride or groom is amazing; the sky's the limit, from a thrifted outfit to custom made suits and gowns. It may seem daunting to set expectations for your wedding ensemble, which will live in forever in photographs, for better or for worse. Having been through this myself and playing a supporting role to others searching for outfits for their wedding day, I have some tips on how to save money and minimize stress. Be Prepared Shopping for this all-important outfit will be much easier if you have an idea of what you want. Take a look at print magazines and online to get an idea of what silhouettes are available. It will be helpful for you to know what styles you like before you head to the store. If you have not bought a suit or a formal gown before (or since Prom), you might consider going to a bridal store or suit warehouse with a wide ran...

This is part three of my six-part series on how to save money while planning a wedding. Decorations help to set the mood and theme of your wedding, but that doesn't mean they need to cost an arm or a leg. Here are some tips to find great deals and stay thrifty while planning your wedding. The Internet of Ideas If you choose a wedding theme, or even just a wedding color scheme, I guarantee the internet will be full of suggestions. When I first started looking online during my wedding planning process, I noticed that were a number of gently used (it's just one day after all!) decoration available on Facebook Marketplace. I recommend that you do check your local listings since there are great deals to be had! I gave away all of my wedding decorations for free after the wedding on my Facebook Buy Nothing Group, so that is another place to check for wedding items. If you are crafty, or if your theme is shabby chic, rustic, or another theme that lends itself well to ha...

This is part two of my six-part series on saving money while planning a wedding. One of the most enduring symbols of a wedding is the bridal bouquet. It is a focal point during the ceremony, when the bride traditionally bears it down the aisle, and again during the reception when it is tossed to a clamoring crowd of single ladies hoping to catch the fragrant prize. The flowers worn or carried by the groom and wedding attendants often match or complement the bouquet; the same goes for other decorative flowers and plants used as centerpieces. The price tag for all of these blooms can add up significantly; according to The Knot, couples spent an average of nearly $2,400 on flowers alone in 2017. I think you can keep a lot of that money in your pocket and still have beautiful wedding flowers! This is NOT a sponsored post, but I will be name-dropping some brands below. Here are some options for more affordable wedding blossoms: Big Box Stores I must admit, I am biased toward ...

This is part one of my six-part series on how to save money while planning a wedding. The venue for a wedding reception is the single largest line item on most couples' budgets, accounting for 45% of the total bill in 2018. This can be a misleading figure because some venues simply include their usage fees in the onsite catering total. Regardless, $120 per plate (plus 18% mandatory gratuity) locales abound and that will not do for a couple looking to economize. If you think outside the traditional wedding mega-halls, you can save some serious dough. Some ideas for unusual and frugal wedding reception locations: Houses of worship Your church, temple, mosque, or other house of worship may have a hall or other attached community center. When you speak to your officiant regarding the ceremony services, you can ask about these potential reception venues. The cost for members to rent such a room or hall would be pennies compared to the cost of traditional wedding ven...

Almost every engaged couple I know is trying to plan their big day without maxing out their credit cards, no shame in their game. Despite this, the average American wedding cost $44,105 in 2018, according to Brides.com. It's easy for any of us to scoff at such a huge number. But if you go to a venue that typically hosts weddings and choose a standard package, you'll likely be staring down the barrel of a bill the size of a new Audi A5 or a house down-payment! The peanut gallery, comprised of well-meaning (mostly) friends and relatives often chime in, talking about how they spent $20 on their wedding decades ago while simultaneously telling you what you absolutely MUST have as part of your wedding. In order to save your sanity, you will need to learn to “smile and nod” and do whatever is best for you and your future spouse. In order to save money, you will need to flip the script on “traditional” wedding planning. Let's break down where to look for lower costs while pl...