February Frugal Hacks part deux

 Hello friends! Today was a good day! It was warm enough to venture out in shirtsleeves...and after I finished work, I went thrifting!

Pliers, jump rings, earring studs and some little bits I stashed away 20 years ago...add a discarded gold chain...then add some seashell pendants from today's thrift haul.  It pays to know how to make jewelery, how to sew, how to knit or crochet etc. I keep a stash of jewelery making tools, beads, fabric, yarn..I have a mini warehouse of craft supplies. Some of it was free!

BAM!!!!

I am very pleased at how these turned out. I can hardly wait to wear my new seashell jewelery!

Here are some free and thrifted crafty items. Can you figure out what I made?

Spring's coming! 

happy thrifting ;)

February Frugal Hacks

 Brrrrr!  It's -34 Celcius in the still air and I am dawdling. I am loathe to leave my nice warm house. The temperature has been so cold, that certain services have been cancelled. School busses have been cancelled because some of them cannot start. School crossing guard service have been cancelled. It is too cold for them to work outside.

But I need to go to my flophouse to complete a repair, and do some cleaning and organizing. There is always lots to do!  I enjoy working at my building because the tangible improvements are gratifying. I manage the property, and perform critical functions such as monitoring the boilers etc. so I am essential.  

Today is a holiday (it's Family Day in Canada). This holiday is a good thing! It's meant to break up the monotony of artic winter temperatures and allow families stay at home (I just realized the irony of this).  I am using this holiday to do some work. But rest assured I spent the Valentine's weekend lolling about on the couch watching trash TV.  Yesterday I did venture outside, very briefly. I had to take the garbage out and to sort the recyclables...and after a few minutes my fingertips were so chilled that they started to burn. This is a precursor to frostbite. So I decided to stay in for the rest of the day. I used to enjoy long walks and working outside in the fresh air.  But I think I'll hibernate for another 4 weeks until the temperatures warm up. 

This morning I wrapped up warmly and started the car. In this deep-freeze, I need to warm my car for 30 minutes or risk it stalling at a traffic light.  So I thought I'd use this opportunity to share some frugal hacks, this is the flophouse landlord edition of "February Frugal Hacks".

Do you see this little double-clamp? I bought it at an "As Seen on TV" store years ago when I visited Mall of America in Minnesota. It is quite possibly the best thing they sell! I use it to eke out the last few drops in a bottle.  The bottles of shampoo came from cleaning out rooms after some tenants vacated. They left behind 5 half-empty bottles of shampoo which I decanted into 2 full bottles. Some people may turn their noses up at using someone else's discarded shampoo...not me though! I make sure to consolidate like shampoos together, and reap the rewards! I figure I saved $14 by saving 5 bottles from the trash.

Here is a small repair I made that went awry. A pipe had broken, and I tried fixing it myself by gluing it together with super-glue, and then affixing a collar made from marine epoxy. After everything cured properly, I turned the water on and it fell apart. My patch job couldn't withstand the water pressure. So I called a plumber in. Heck, I tried though! 

I enjoy making small repairs and improvements. When I call in a skilled trade I ask if I can ask them questions, or record them working, so that I can learn. My knowledge and skills are becoming more substantial...and I continue to apply them whenever I can!

Here is a picture of a sturdy cube truck. Used to store garbage. My building generates enough garbage to fill three of these. Instead of spending over $700 to purchase 3 trucks...I am going to try to make my own version.

Here are 2 hand trucks I purchased. They are used to move pallets of goods, so they are extremely sturdy. I managed to acquire the carts for a bargain. And I have convinced a friend to help me fabricate a box for each of the carts. I have plywood and hardware that I was able to purchase second hand...don't get me started on the price of plywood and other lumber products!! I would rather scour online marketplaces to find material rescued from other projects. 

On a side note...remind me to tell you the story of the marauding raccoon who feasts on unattended garbage bags left outside.

My goal is to create 2 rolling cube trucks for less than $300 each. 

After some friendly chatter, I was able to reduce the price from $150 to something more affordable. These hand trucks retail for a lot of money!! In the event my project fails, I can still sell them for more than I paid.

As the weather warms up I will show you the progress for these carts. 

For now, stay warm! 

happy thrifting ;) 

What to wear in -15 to -20 Celcius

 Hello friends! Well the balmy temperatures we have been experiencing have been displaced by a polar vortex. The mercury has now dipped to a high of -15 Celcius during the day, with a low of -20 Celcius at night.  Sigh.

Time to pack away the cotton sweaters and bring in the wool, angora and cashmere (note: I do my best to buy second-hand wool and cashmere because I don't like how some companies harvest their cashmere and angora).

When the weather starts getting cold, forget about wearing tight sweaters and skinny jeans. You need loose layers that trap heat.  My go-to outfit choice is a loose tunic sweater worn over a long sleeved thermal top. Loose jeans with thermal underwear underneath and warm boots with wool socks. Topped with an oversized warm coat, hat and scarf and good mitts.

Here is the a small part of my sweater collection.  I drift towards oversized sweaters made of wool or wool/acrylic or cashmere or angora. When I go shopping, I"ll check out the menswear and women's plus sizes for items that are a couple sizes larger than I normally wear. 

These are the only two sweaters that I purchased new. The pink tunic is from RW and the cream tunic is from Hudson's Bay store.

These sweaters were all thrifted.  I likely didn't pay more than $5 each. The pink turtleneck has had the tag cut out, but it is very good quality.

Fine merino wool men's sweater with geometric design.

Jones Studio oversized tunic made of acrylic.

ANA sweater tunic..it has glitter thread!

Elisabeth plus sized acrylic wool sweater 

My cherished, Canadian made Linda Lundstrom tunic

Two sweater dresses, I wear them over leggings or jeans

Nice Italian made loose grey sweater dress...it looks nice dressed up and dressed down! Sweater dresses are so versatile!

Cynthia Rowley Merino Wool dress. I can hardly wait to wear this! It's so pretty.

Well friends, I hope you are keeping safe and sane. Hope to hear from you soon.

stay warm!

happy thrifting ;)

Monster Haul part two

 Well hello hello friends!  Mother Nature has resumed her standard operating process, and thus the temperatures in Northwestern Ontario have dropped!!!

Speaking of drops...check out these price drops (see what I did there :)  )

Here are a few extra things I bought from the store closing...did I absolutely need them?  No..but everything was priced at less than $2, and so they came home with me.

On the last day of the clearance sale, I perused the shoes and clothing. The pickings were very slim.  About 95% of the merchandise had sold...but I managed to snaffle these 2 pairs of shoes for $1.49 each. 

Irridescent flats and leopard heels with chunky heel

These shoes would have originally retailed for $30. They were discounted to $14.99..and then they came home with me for 90% off the lowest tagged price. Woo hoo!

This dress is actually black (the mottled sunlight makes it look patterned). It's a tad oversized. But now that I am spending more time outside, I can throw it over my gardening or work-out clothing and walk to the grocery store. It was also $1.49

The weather is too cold to fathom wearing this dress and flats...but the leopard heels will do nicely with some wide-legged dress pants, or skirt with tights.

I am glad I have a steady paycheck so that I can make these massive hauls. When our local Target went out of business back in 2015, I stocked up on gifts, clearance hygiene items, craft supplies, underwear and other odds and ends.  I packed my storage shelves with these deals which I depleted several years ago.  It feels good to see my storage full again!!

I am still sorting through some of the purchases I made. I"ll keep posting as I finish sorting and laundering everything.

happy thrifting ;)

Monster haul "Extreme Cheapskate" version

 

Hello friends! This post is all about the monster haul of epic proportions. 

In fact, it's a post about a series of hauls....of epic proportions.

Interested in my massive savings? Well read on :)

Here is the backstory...picture it, a discounted department store that stocks unsold clearance items, end-of-lines and other miscellaneous things. It was my go-to place when searching for cheap reno supplies, hardware and other DIY bits and bobs. It was also a place to find furniture, food, cosmetics and clothing. What was this wondrous place called?  McFrugals

20,000 square feet of bargoons!

Sadly, McFrugals was going out of business. A new business leased the property and they wanted McFrugals out. So in November, when the "going out of business" signs started going up...I watched and waited...

At 40% off...I started making a list.

At 60% off...I bought a few interesting food items and tried them. 

At 80% off..I started buying with a vengeance!

15 pairs of work gloves @ 70 cents a pair!

7 cans of fly spray @ 90 cents a can!

cabinet hinges @ 50 cents a package!

self-closing cabinet hinges reduced from $2.49 to 50 cents!!

Mind you, this wasn't just 80% off. This was actually 90% off regular retail, as items were already discounted 50% when they hit the retail floor...an additional 80% reduction was applied, whew! A glorious mathematics exercise indeed!!

The following day

6 lampshades (something that seemed to get destroyed by tenants) for $1.50

6 boxed sets of cute Avon rings for $1.50

4 sink caddies for $1.00

5 greeting cards for 10 cents!!

These cute boxed sets retailed for $9.99. I am going to use them for keychains

That same day I went back after work, and scooped up the rest of the cabinet hinges. All 51 packages! By this time they were further reduced and they rang through at 10 cents a package!! I bought 'em all.

By this time I noticed there was a cosmetics/skin care section. I purchased some hair conditioner and skin care and tried it out....it was great!!

Hair conditioner...I usually spend at least $6 and this was 60 cents!

Argan oil face cream, intensive care moisturizer and cleanser/toner.

These products were what I refer to as "slightly expired"..as long as you don't buy anything that will separate right away, you can tuck a hoard away in a dark cool place and pillage the hoard over a period of several years.  This is how I stock up on face creams and such...I buy lots when the price is ridiculously low and the product is good. 

The following week I went back and stocked up on:

 7 boxes of energy efficient light bulbs @ 50 cents

more hardware (surprise)

At this point, I noticed that the shelves were starting to look seriously bare, as other DIY shoppers, contractors and landlords were also cashing in on the savings. After some careful calculations I bought the following:

shoelaces @ 60 cents each

ten eyelines @ 60 cents each

3 leather insoles for my workboots @ $1.80 each

3 corner shower curtain rod kits @ $3 each

assorted sash curtain rods 60 cents to $1

curtain rods $1.20 each

6 towel rods @ $1 each

I maintain my rental properties (I have two) and whenever a tenant moves out I find I have to make minor repairs or upgrades. I rent to international students, who I love, but a bit of boisterous play to vent after exams can result in unexpected damages. I have resigned myself to replacing these things and moving on.

Do I love being a landlord? You bet! I think my tenants are the greatest!

Do my friends and family think I am crazy? Hell ya!

Would I buy another property that requires work? YESSSSS

Three days before the store was supposed to close permanently, I happened to drive by for a look. And I saw that they had increased the clearance discount to 90%

90%

That's freaking 90%

Then I pounced.

42 rolls clear tape for mending books @ 8 cents each

23 industrial metal grips (similar to the sort on clipboards)  @ $1 each

12 large bubble mailing envelopes @ 80 cents each

I carefully rationalized my purchases because I don't want anything I cannot use. The metal grips will definitely come in handy for suspending protective sheets.

Then I went back for one last trip on their last day of business.  At this point the shelves were scoured almost bare, but I still managed to make some unexpected finds.

Picture frames.

I had been searching for clear acrylic covers in order to post notices etc. They were available on Amazon for $15 each, which was far out of my budget...and then it dawned on me...picture frames...which were 90 cents each. 

Cue happy dance.

I found the stationery aisle where there were still lots of labels. I used to pay $1 a package, so when I discovered these packages were reduced to 3 cents each I bought a hundred packages. I used them to label canned preserves and other things.

Did I mention that I will be labelling and organizing my mega haul for weeks to come???  First world problems.

On a whim, I bought some necklaces with pretty blue pendants, and some miniature car bits and pieces...I'm going to make some interesting jewelery with this.  There was another crafter there doing the same. The necklaces were 23 cents each, and the miniature wheels were 33 cents each.

I bypassed a lot of things in the stationery aisles. A lot of things are not paper-based anymore. And I am riding that wave in order to be more efficient and energy conscious. I don't mind buying paper products, it's all the other fluff that goes with it (printer cartridges, filing cabinets etc.)

I snapped up a 12 cent stapler, some gift wrap, and a few more greeting cards. But I bypassed everything else (like this wall of rulers).

I also snapped up 4 packages of scrapbooking supplies though. I enjoy putting loose photos into scrapbooks. And this stuff is expensive! I normally pay $15 per package, these were $1 a package.

Another happy find were these binder pouches. They are handy for holding small tools, and are great for keeping small bits together (light switch covers and their small screws). I used to buy boxes of clear ziploc baggies, but these pouches last longer and don't require replacing.  At 15 cents each, they were a jaw-dropping bargoon!

During my shopping forays, I took the time to chat with the sales clerks when they weren't busy. They were great, friendly people and I was sorry that they were loosing their jobs. Most of them seemed to be happy for the change, and they were looking forward to the "after party" when the store closed for the final time.

On the last day the store was filled with a few families who were stocking up on things for their family. Because this store was one of the few that were still open during the lockdown, the little 'uns took advantage of the open spaces to run around a bit...don't worry, everyone was masked and social distanced.  It was nice to be around people for a change, and I struck up many friendly chats with other bargain shoppers. We showed off our finds in our trolleys (from 6 feet away).  There were families that stocked up on boots for their kids ($1.40 a pair), and clothing and other essentials.

Here are some more random finds. Everything was 90% off the lowest ticketed price.

30 cent beans

Wine vinnegar, curry sauce, beans, Thai sauce and biscuits. All between 20-30 cents each.

I loathe spending money on greeting cards, but these were too cute and humorous to pass up at 10 cents each.

For my extra fancy keys.

Whew! I'm tired. Are you tired? 

Over the next few weeks I"ll be organizing my hardware and renovation purchases. I'll keep you posted on my efforts!

happy thrifting ;)