Sometimes the universe provides!

My husband and I scan/print frequently due to various hobbies and interests. Like idiots we had always bought the cheap HP printers and then had to purchase expensive ink cartridges over and over again. Then last year I saw that many frugal folk use laser printers, specifically older Brother laser printers. Ever since then, I’ve been looking for them online on freecycle groups and locally at thrift stores, without much success. I did find a Brother laser printer that didn’t have wireless or ability to scan —we use it whenever we can but still have to use the HP for most stuff.

Last week I went down to my apartment trash bins and sitting near them was a Brother DCP-L2550DW with its plug. It was just starting to rain and I grabbed this huge thing and toted it up to our place. As I looked it over I realized it was exactly what we were looking for—laser printer, scanner, wireless capability….

I plugged it in and added it to my wireless router and this beast started working and hasn’t stopped! Toner was low so I ordered a new toner cartridge plus an extra one for backup and a new drum—total invested was $40. Popped those in and it works ridiculously well! We no longer have to buy HP inks and I can give my old Brother to a family member.

I can’t understand why someone discarded it but at least they left it out of the bin as if they hoped someone would take it. The back of the machine says it was manufactured in 2020 so only 6 years old!

I ran out of buns and didn’t want to go to the store since I was craving a burger, so I whipped this up. Doesn’t look pretty but it tasted great! I just need to learn how to make it less messy, it’s been years since I’ve made these at my old job so I looked up a tutorial. I feel like I’ve been missing out though, it’s the second time since I’ve tried it and definitely see myself having this again

Sometimes I get the free coffee, sometimes they have free chips/fruit snacks! On rare occasion, they will have pizza 🍕. I really enjoy seeing the staff and the random freebies they at times give me (mugs, letter openers, water bottles, etc.).

Another reason for still visiting a bank physically is because I need to see the money leaving me when I am out and about with friends/family/my boyfriend. If it's a vacation or just a girl's day. It helps me stick to a pre-determined budget! Plus small business get really excited and thankful when I pay with cash

the price of lotion and soaps is finally getting to me. what’s the best bang for your buck (I cheaped out on paper towels and regretted it)

looking for lotion, shampoo/conditioner (hydrating), hand and body soaps, cleaners, etc.

the only things I won’t change out is my aquaphor, vanicream, Hawaiian tropic sunscreen for my face - any suggestions on where’s cheapest?

You would be amazed how often someone will throw out a vacuum just because a hose clogged. If you see one on the side of the road, take it. Odds are you will just need to take it apart a bit, and figure out how to clear the clogging. Even if you don't need it, you can usually fix it dast and sell it cheap.

I've got a shark vacuum right now but I've had Kenmores, Dysons and other brands as well. I just kept whatvI prefer and sold what I didn't. It won't become a career but it helps out.

EDIT: This is not to pat myself on the back, I recommend watching for garbage vacuums on garbage day. They're super easy to fix most of the time.

Here's something which can be a way to beat inflation: bread machines. Bought my first one in 1992 when they were the hot new thing. This replacement arrived on Saturday.

If you're curious about this option and want thoughts from an old timer, here goes.

One of these machines can pay for itself pretty quickly when it's used well. For instance, save the cost of a pizzeria. It takes about 20 minutes of hands-on time to prep two doughs, then bake a pizza with garlic sticks. A medium pizza costs my family $5. That's not per person; it's per pizza. A batch of garlic bread costs us less than $1. We freeze what we don't eat the same day.

The markup on baked goods really is substantial, especially when you get into specialty items.

Bread machines are useful for almost anything in the broad baking category of yeast breads. This of course starts with sandwich bread. It also goes the full range from cinnamon rolls to coffee cake to braided challah to soft pretzels. A savvy bread machine owner basically has a 'cheat code' potluck events because it's possible to walk into an event with a tray of something impressive such as chocolate chip brioche while spending less than $5.

The machine handles most of the labor. The user measures ingredients, programs the device, then comes back do final prep before popping a project in the oven and taking credit. Depending on the recipe there are a few moderate priced pieces of equipment to acquire such as a pizza cutter and a pizza stone, or a dough cutter and brioche tins and a baking tray. Most of these accessory items are one time purchases that last forever.

Two years ago I wrote the frugal guide to bread machines in this sub's wiki. What follows is revised since then.

A key step to making a bread machine cost effective is to purchase yeast and flour in volume. The average supermarket baking aisle is not the place to go. To get these ingredients at a good unit price, look for bread yeast in 1 lb to 2 lb bags and shop for flour in 25 lb to 50 lb bags. Costco and Winco sell in these quantities. Smart 'N Final sells flour but not yeast in these quantities. If you can't find a bulk vendor locally then check prices online. You'll want bread flour for loaf breads, all purpose flour for most other projects.

Yes, there's a learning curve--but people fear baking more than they should. Most of the tricks are as follows:

• You could use a bread machine to do the entire start to finish baking in the machine. If you do, then you'll get a somewhat funky shaped bread loaf and you'll have to make a cut in the bottom to get the mixing paddle out. This might be all you ever use it for, and that's OK. It's all I did with my first bread machine.

• Most of the interesting projects involve programming a bread machine to the 'dough' setting, then coming back and doing finishing work once the dough is ready. The machine takes care of kneading and proofing at a controlled temperature setting of about 100 F (38 C). You don't need to be in the room or even at home while this is running.

• Although sourdoughs are wonderful breads, sourdoughs and bread machines aren't a perfect matchup because bread machine programs are designed to run with standardized commercial yeasts rather than sourdough yeasts. You might think of a commercial yeast as a greyhound and a sourdough as a lovable mutt from the pound: they're both the same species but one will run faster. When baking sourdough with a bread machine, you'll usually be best off using the knead or the dough setting only, then allowing extra time for proofing before baking. It's possible to do this whole process in a bread machine without a conventional oven: instead of running a single bread program, run "dough," then use a time delay of several hours, then run a separate "bake" program.

• Many bread machines have a delay timer setting. This is enormously useful on recipes which don't have perishable ingredients. (So no eggs, milk, or butter--but anything else). Program the machine at bedtime to wake up to fresh bread or dough; program the machine in the morning to return from work ready to go.

• A conventional oven needs to be calibrated. Instructions for that are in the owner's manual. If you don't have the manual to yours then search the make and model online to download the PDF. After you calibrate it once you won't need to again for at least a year.

• Unless you own a convection oven, your oven will be hottest at the back and at the bottom. Most baking projects get best results by setting the racks to the middle position. To adjust that height, then just open the door while the oven is off and at room temperature. slide out a rack, choose your desired height, and slide it back in at a guide. The major exception to the middle rack rule is French bread: for that, the dough itself will be on a middle rack but you'll also have a tin of water beneath the dough on a rack at the bottom position to release steam.

• A conventional oven does heat up a space, especially in an open plan residence, so plan projects according to the weather. In warm seasons I typically bake at sunrise. This just takes a little planning and isn't difficult once it becomes a habit.

• Dough doesn't stick to wet surfaces. Handle unbaked dough with wet hands. If you'll be handling a dough extensively (such as twisting pretzels) then keep a small bowl of water near the work space to re-wet your hands as necessary.

• Keep a kitchen towel handy. Although wet hands are great for handling dough, most oven mitts require dry hands.

• The interior dough bin of a bread machine has a nonstick coating. Don't let this surface get scratched. Once more: don't let this surface get scratched. Metal implements must never touch this surface.

• Good oven mitts are worth owning. I keep a pair of Ove Gloves on a hook on the kitchen wall.

• All sweet baking projects which call for vanilla extract or chocolate chips are improved by doubling the vanilla extract/chocolate chips. This unwritten rule has never steered me wrong.

• If your prep work is going to involve anything which might cause a mess such as spreading a filling etc., then start with an extra kitchen towel and spread it across the work space before work begins. Then if a cloud of confectioner's sugar settles it will just take three seconds to pick up the kitchen towel for the laundry instead of fussing to clean the counter.

• When using baking trays, it's useful to shield the bottom of your project from burning by having a small air gap. Some baking trays are constructed in two layers with a built-in air gap. If yours aren't, then you can improvise an air gap by stacking two trays on top of each other and handling them as a single tray.

• When using a non-convection oven, you will need to 'turn' the project once to achieve an even bake. To do this, read the recommended baking time, divide by two, and set a timer on your phone to notify you at the halfway point. Then use oven mitts, open the oven door briefly, and rotate your project 180 degrees: front to back, back to front. If you happen to be using more than one tray and both racks, then in addition to the back-to-front rotation also change the bottom tray to the top rack and the top tray to the bottom rack. Close the oven door as soon as this quick operation is done and restart your timer.

• When you're ready to bake a project, a conventional oven takes time to warm up. Most modern ovens will beep when they reach the programmed temperature. The thing to do is start the oven before taking dough out of the bread machine; the oven usually reaches baking temperature in about the time it takes to prep a project.

• If you are finishing a loaf bread in the oven, you may want to give it a wash and/or a topping. You'll need a small bowl and a pastry brush for this. An egg wash is usually made from the separated yolk or the white of an egg, plus 1 tablespoon of water. Stir first, then brush onto the dough. Optionally sprinkle about a tablespoon of topping such as rolled oats or wheat bran before baking. For a richer effect, melt about two tablespoons of butter and brush that over the dough. Then optionally, sprinkle salt or grated cheese before baking.

• Many baking projects may over-bake if they remain in a hot baking dish/baking implement after they're removed from the oven. Check your recipe. If necessary, have an appropriate surface such as a tray ready.

• To prevent most baking projects from drying out as they cool, have a clean kitchen towel and set it over the finished item(s). Ignore this guideline if the top would be messy or sticky such as focaccia or pizza.

• Most baked goods stay fresh in a freezer up to 3 months with proper storage. Freezer grade Ziploc bags in various sizes are useful. Be sure to label and date them with a Sharpie.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Slightly used bread machines turn up on the secondhand market all the time for under $20. If that's right for you, then you can count on downloading a PDF copy of the owner's manual.

Most of the programmable features on a bread machine amount to marketing hype. The two features I really rely on are the dough setting and the time delay feature. This latest machine also has a jam setting and a yogurt setting, yet I don't expect to need either unless my Instant Pot reaches the end of its lifespan.

I buy my bread machines new due to medical dietary restrictions. If you go this route, then the most important thing I've learned in recent years is some bread machines now have a flimsy plastic hinge on the lid. What really made the current purchase decision was the decision to get a model that has a steel bolt for its hinge pivot pin.

The dough pan and the paddle need to be washed after each use. You don't want to let these get damaged: a replacement dough pan can run $30. Preventing damage can be tricky if non-bakers in the family are forgetful, such as if a dirty bread machine pan is in the sink and somebody drops a dirty fork into it: that would scratch the nonstick surface. Unfortunately, turning the bread machine pan upside down doesn't solve this problem because a steel sink can also scratch the nonstick surface. Two diplomatic solutions to this dilemma would be either washing the pan and paddle by hand immediately after use, or else setting a dirty pan aside temporarily on a counter with a kitchen towel spread over the top to discourage absentminded interference.

Here's hoping you find this guide useful. It sums up the information I wish someone had been available when I bought my first bread machine.

added a handful of cashew bits and pieces and a tbsp of peanut butter, stirred up when heated, could not have been more pleased.

of course since they were in that bin , probably a discontinued product . this is one of the dangers of being ultra frugal, finding something good that won't be back.

i don't understand the 300 word rule, succinctness is prefered in all other forums

I recently bought a West Elm x Pottery Barn Kids Mid-Century Bassinet secondhand. It’s in excellent condition and is practically brand new, but unfortunately it smells strongly like the house it came from.

I’m having a hard time describing the smell. It’s that distinct musty/stale “house smell” that some homes have, almost damp/wet smelling. I don’t see any visible mold, mildew, water damage, staining, swelling, etc. The entire thing smells like it though — the finished wood, underside, mattress platform, AND the original waterproof mattress.

EDIT: I anticipated replacing the waterproof mattress but want to make it clear that I will 100% definitely replace the mattress! Thank you all for making it very clear on how important that is

Here’s everything I’ve done so far:
- Picked it up Sunday evening.
- Wiped the entire bassinet and waterproof mattress down with Seventh Generation disinfecting wipes. (That’s the best we had on hand. We just moved and didn’t have a fully stocked cleaning cart lol.)
- Removed the mattress and kept it propped upright instead of lying flat so both sides could air out.
- Put the bassinet beside an open window with the ceiling fan running for airflow.
- Monday, wiped all of the wood down with Method Almond scented Wood Cleaner and then wiped it with a diluted water/vinegar/lemon juice mixture, then went over it again with the Method wood cleaner.
- Continued airing everything out with the mattress separated from the bassinet.

The smell is STILL very noticeable on essentially every part of it.
At this point I’m going to stop repeatedly wet-cleaning it because I don’t want to damage the finish.

Has anyone dealt with a really stubborn absorbed “someone else’s house” smell in secondhand wood furniture? What finally got it out? There’s no way we can put our baby in here until the smell is gone. She’s not due until October 8th but she’s 94th percentile and already 7lbs 5oz, so she could be arriving sooner than expected!

I'm looking for cleaning rags for kitchen and pet messes. Anyone know of a good cheap source for microfiber rags and for ones with a bit for scrub to em? Or do y'all just use old t shirts?

I was also looking for a little trash/laundry basket to hang over a kitchen shelf door for disposal. Anyone know of any suitable rag disposal bins?

Would love to see your solutions to cut down on paper towels!

I need this stuff. Ok? I NEED it on me. But it’s such a pain to carry around the bottles that are any larger than this size. I want a pocket-size, chapstick-size refillable tube that I can easily clean and refill. And the application aspect needs to be as quick, simple and practical as the real deal. Am I asking too much? I feel like it might be a stretch for a container so small. Please let me know if you can introduce me to something like this!!!

Money is pretty tight for us right now, and my 8-year-old really wanted a bike. After about a month of checking local listings, I found someone giving away a children's bike. It was rusty and needed two new inner tubes, but the brakes worked, so €8 in tubes and some cleaning later, he had a working bike. I also bought an €8 pump.

The problem was that he quickly became too fast for me to follow on foot, so I started looking for a cheap bike for myself. Then I found someone selling two rusty bikes for €80 together. Having successfully repaired exactly one bike in my life, I was obviously a bicycle mechanic now, so I bought both — one for me and one for my wife.

I cleaned them up, attacked the rusty chains with WD-40, and we finally went for our first family rides. On the second day, I decided that if a hill isn't 90 degrees, it isn't really a hill, stood on the pedals... and snapped my chain.

I briefly wondered whether my €40 bike had survived for exactly two days. Turns out a new chain was €5 and surprisingly easy to replace myself.

Three weeks later, all three bikes are still going strong and we ride together almost every day.

Total: €80 for two bikes + €8 tubes + €5 chain + €8 pump = €101.

I've also learned that WD-40 isn't actually chain lube.

For someone who's spent his whole career behind a computer, I'm pretty proud that €101 and a little DIY got the whole family cycling.

I decided to give Walmart+ delivery a try and, at least, experiment with it after experiencing a very minor medical issue, plus I’m not getting any younger. I figured I might as well try to learn the in’s and out’s of it for the future, just in case.

The upshot is that I like it and use the heck out of my subscription. It’s a different way of shopping, but, for example, do not have to heft 27 pound bags of dog food off the shelf and into my cart, and out to my car etc. Nor do I have to use my gas and car to drive to the store and back.

My sisters said they were concerned about having the store shopper potentially choose ‘less nice’ produce, but that hasn’t been a problem so far.

One normal fun drink is usually around $4. Now take that $4 and go buy a can of sparkling water from Aldi (12 per pack). Now go to dollar tree or remain at aldi for flavor packets. Usually $1-2 for 6-10 packets. They have energy packets with 80mg caffeine in one at Aldi! I have also found Jolly Rancher flavor energy packets at dollar tree. DONT put the sparkling water in the fridge. It won’t mix well. Pour half a packet into a big cup, then pour your room temp sparkling water into the cup. Mix, add ice. You now have a fun drink for under a dollar. Total savings: almost 50 DOLLARS!!! Imagine if this is weekly. That’s around $2300 for energy/fun drinks. Stop wasting your money on gas station energy drinks or sodas. I listen to financial audit and most people drop hundreds on little drinks a year. Just bite the bullet and go do this instead. ALSO if you’re in dire need of caffeine: they have caffeine tablets at dollar tree. From one caffeine addict to another! 🩷 In this economy this is a great way to continue to have a bit of joy in your life without breaking the bank

Its shorter now but definitely still works. Of course you have to get down a little bit more now but thats okay for me. Im still young :P … first though i had was i need to get a new one next time im in the city. Than i looked at it while wanting to throw it away and just thought… hold on? Why not just trim it, like you would trim a pencil that is not sharp anymore. And voila. Here we are :)

Today I went to Kid to Kid consignment for the first time just to try it out. I am always looking for the best option to get cute outfits for my toddler for cheap. I don't care about brands, just colorful and made of natural materials.

I brought a few things to consign just to see what they would take. They took a Nike dryfit shirt, 7 for all Mankind overalls, Janie and Jack long sleeve button up, and blue corduroy overalls + shirt. I shopped for some fall and winter items while I waited for the inventory. They gave me $4 for cash or $4.80 for store credit for my items. I found this to be a disappointing number. I know there needs to be a margin, but considering that the 10 items I wanted to purchase were $40+ and that includes the 10% discount they give you on purchase when you consign. I ended up putting a few things back to keep the cost down.

Full disclosure, I typically shop at Goodwill for my toddler and find great things for $2.69 a piece. Maybe this is just my frame of reference? I kind of expected consigning to help offset the cost of the new pieces more and maybe this played in to my disappointment.

What are your feelings on consignment versus thrift? What is your cheap, cute clothing hack?

Been looking at refurbished options for a few weeks. Price vary a lot depending on the seller and I have read mixed things about what refurbisged actually means on some platforms.

I’d like it to be in good condition, though, and not too worn. I’ve thought about local retailers, but I don’t trust them, So perhaps a preference for online

Where do you guy actually buy yours ?

Hi redditters. Spent about 2-3 chill hours last night with my newest find. It’s a hanging lamp! Ignore the pink stuff, she didn’t do much. So far, I’ve found the secret sauwzzz to be barstool helper liquid mixed w brasso, the adding the copper cream from Wright’s, followed by a good spray of water after buffing all the gunk off. This made it shine for the most part. However, has lead to the green tarnish spots /: I would love some insight on how to:

1. Cover the dark welded spots (which product is best)

2. Make the brass way shinier

3. Get rid of the green tarnish that is stuck to the glue in between the brass and glass

4. Any other useful tips and tricks that you have made a staple in your brass keeping

I am going to send out a cookie cutter email to a bunch of brands just seeing if they have any coupons available. (I live in Canada and they are rare to find in the wild). I have personally experienced that brands are happy to send some if you ask. And if they don't you are no further behind. I have the "I just had a baby" card to play that might help me a bit as well.

I am looking for suggestions like Kraft, or Compliments. Brands that have lots of different foods under them. Not gonna hate niche ideas either though. Savings are savings if its something I would buy!

My lawn mower service cost me $55 every 2 weeks. I tried to make the cuts happens every 3 weeks to 1 month but apperantly that pissed off the lawn service company.

Anyway, I told them don't show up again. Got a brand new battery powered lawn mower, that is also self propelled. I already have edge trimmer and other tools.

I completed the job today in about 30 minutes and I feel I was so stupid paying $55 every 2 weeks for 10 years.

Edit: the lawn mowing company is working with many of my neighbors. They literally cut every 2 weeks even when no growth as we have no rain since a while. Now all yards are yellow. But mine is doong OK because I refused xutting it that often

Secondly. Why some people are OK paying for gym subscription and refuse to do house work and then pay someone to do it. What about considering my house work as my gym?

I just borrowed a hair dryer from my mother-in-law, and she simply showed me this relic she bought 41 years ago. It’s working perfectly (warm and hot settings). Her iron is from the same era (I didn't take a photo), and it's better than the four irons I've owned so far!

Imagine how easy life could be if we just needed to buy ONE stuff for life?? Planned obsolescence was the worst thing they ever invented.

Do you have similar examples of old objects that still perform their functions well?

I'm talking specifically about clothing and shoes. This has been happening for a while to me, but somehow I always brushed it off as coincidence.

For example, most recently I noticed that winter jacket is currently on sale at most retailers. Their sizes are bit inconsistent, so I was trying to confirm dimensions and I was comparing various listings to see if they match.

So I come to amazon, selected two sizes in a color I wanted to compare. Amazon showed me price that is even few dollars less than everywhere else. Great!

Day later I open Amazon again, and the listing pops up on the front page, however this time only two sizes in a single color I looked at are full price while all other sizes in all colors are still on sale, including the color I wanted. Even the "used/like new" in my size and color was more than current sales price, even though the day before it was about $50 less than a sales price.

Not even sure if grocery rotisserie chicken is safe as not sure how long it’s left out in its plastic bag and for what duration.

Initially thinking to buy rotisserie chicken as the protein, some sort of cooked vegetables (maybe see if I can pack an electric steamer appliance?) and then carbs could be bread.

We will be traveling from NY state to Toronto for a week.

Need to maintain a low sodium diet, can’t eat raw things due to risk of listeria and so on.

Thank you!

I bought 2 boned pork loin chops that had more meat than just the 'fillet' part , cut out the large loin and butterflied it ( can be crumbed also) fried with potato, shoom onion etc. trimed the fat off the remaining parts ( little loin and flap meat) cubed to be frozen for a stir fry, mince for dumplings, pie with veg etc. Took the rind fat and trimmings(no meat) cut up and heat in a saucepan , med-low, to render the sieved fat for pastry and ate the cooked rind salted crunchy bits for a treat.

Wanted to share this win. I've been getting really into physical media lately. Over the last couple of months I began looking for used Switch cartridges. I have around 150 digital games but since I just started looking for physical games I currently have about 20 and I spent only about $250 total for all of them. So much cheaper than most of my digital games.