I am a voracious reader. Those who know me well know that reading is my thing. I can escape the doldrums, learn, relax, pass time, wait, study, and more just by reading.
I read almost anything – many years ago, while I was still single and broke, I even asked for a Chilton Auto Repair Manual for my 1973 Ford Pinto for Christmas. Yes, I know I just severely dated myself. That car had a bumper sticker that said, “This Is NOT An Abandoned Car!” It matched my Army uniform, even. It was Olive Drab. I wore the wheels off that car, cleaned and fixed it up, added a honkin’ stereo and booming speakers installed by – you guessed it, ME – and then sold it for more than I paid for it. *Grin*
One thing that excites my Thrifty Soul is the thought of free books. Cheap books, too. Traditional or digital, to me, books are books, and I am interested. Sure, you can key “free books” into your search engine and see how many millions of results you get, but I’m here for you. I’ll help you sort and sift through the myriad listings and save you some time.
First, of course, you should go to https://amzn.to/2SDqLiE and see what pops up. When I do this with this link, I see over 50,000 resulting free books! Their logarithms will find books that match your interests if you’ve bought some from the site previously. If you don’t have a Kindle tablet, have no fear. Amazon kindly offers a download of their Kindle app free for you, so you can read on your computer. Fun! And these books are yours – you don’t have to return them like a library book. So many choices, so little time…
Children’s books are especially important for their development. Reading to your kids is not only good for your own family bonding, but it helps with their educational progress, as proven by a multitude of empirical studies that aren’t my purpose to go into here. One of the very special sources of free children’s books available to those who have limited resources is Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Head to https://imaginationlibrary.com/check-availability/ to see if your area is included, and follow the prompts. This service is available in the USA, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and the Republic of Ireland. What an angel…
If you aren’t a member of GoodReads already, perhaps you should be. This is a great source of book reviews, synopses, and author information, as well as giveaways. Check out this page for freebies: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway?sort=featured and be surprised at the breadth and quantity of what you find!
If you are willing to make a trade, you can exchange a promise of a review for free books at a number of sites, such as NetGalley, LibraryThing, and again, GoodReads. Keep your word, or your free books will dry up! For kids’ books, try Natural Enquirer and Barnes and Noble. Do a search for free books sent to you by mail and see what pops up. You will be surprised at the ways you can get free physical books, not just ebooks, but of course there are many thousands of ebooks to be had.
There’s no reason not to be reading, and not just classics from The Gutenberg Project!
If you are of The Greatest Generation, those born prior to the Baby Boom that followed the return of the GIs from World War II and Korea, you’ll remember the real definition of gleaners. They weren’t the philanthropic organization that they are now, although the Gleaners do take in some surplus foods.
Gleaners were those folks that would go through farm fields after the harvest and pick up the fallen produce that remained, “gleaning” the rest of the food that would otherwise have gone to waste. Farm machinery couldn’t (and still can’t) pick as much as humans can with their many fingers and opposable thumbs. It might just be more efficient and economical to let the crop lie where it fell rather than stop to pick it up. Farmers would hire or even just allow gleaners to go through the orchards and fields to pick what they could. For some, gleaning meant not going hungry through the winter during lean times, especially during the Great Depression. Those picking up the dropped or economically unfeasible harvest could preserve the foods as methods became known or store them in a root cellar for overwintering. There are even references to gleaning in the Bible; it’s truly an ancient process performed the world over.
So why do I mention gleaning?
If you live in a farming area, you could possibly save some money by arranging with a farmer to glean their fields. Some might charge you a small amount dependent on the weight or how many bushels or whatever, you might have to pay a flat fee, or you might get lucky and be able to collect remainders for free. It kind of depends on the traditions and economy in your area. You can put an ad in the paper offering your services or even knock on doors, although that might get you more than you bargained for – always consider your safety. You can ask at your religious services if anyone needs or would allow a gleaning. Word of mouth might link you with a farm you can pick through. Then, you might have access to good quality foods, perhaps some Ugly Produce as I mentioned in a previous post, but possibly even things you’ve never tried. You can reduce your food bill, help a farmer keep pests and vermin out of the fields, and once you “put up” some of the items you’ve collected, you will also have a stock of food on hand for those times of need.
Thrifty Tip of the Day: Try keying in the the words “free sample” or “sample” in the search bar of an online store you like and see what comes up. One of my favorite eco-conscious “stores” online provides a few items free in sample sizes. I only found them because I needed a tiny bit to meet the minimum order, so I was looking around, sorted some category results by low-high price, and to my surprise, there were a number of samples available to add to my cart for $0.00. I selected a few and sure enough, they were included in the box when it arrived. Not tiny samples, either, in this case. I won’t mention where, in case they don’t appreciate my publicizing their freebies!
Most of us have seen them. Those online deals with a timer counting down. They’re teasing us with a 60% reduction that’s only good for another 15 minutes – gotta checkout now! 92% claimed! Click it! Watch out. Disclosure: any links may earn me a referral bonus.
Is it really a “deal?”
More for you to consider. Is it really a “deal?” Or was it priced higher to begin with? My suggestion is to copy and paste the base nomenclature – the part of the product title that describes the item in it’s most basic form – and use that to search for comparable items. Check the prices on those before you drop that hammer. I think you’ll be surprised at how often even that “lightning deal” price is not the lowest one available. Sometimes they are great prices, but often they are just not. You’ll save plenty by checking. Don’t let that timer get you in a rush.
Another marketing trick: often, those deals come right back and reappear. I can’t promise you that if you don’t buy it by the time the timer expires, you can wait a few minutes and see that same item pop up again in the list, but it happens more than you would expect.
Thrifty Tip of the Day: Want 3 months of free Amazon Music? Try it here: https://amzn.to/3uaPbhk. Just be sure you cancel before they start billing you each month if you don’t wish to continue. Free is always good, surprise bill is not!
Having been an Army Food Service officer, I know what’s in food. And yes, I have a bit of a love affair with it! Sometimes, that is unfortunate, as my scale will attest.
That said, in recent years, there’s been a move to find better uses for food that would otherwise go to waste. Consider these USDA estimates: in 2010, food loss and waste at the retail and consumer levels was 31 percent of the food supply, equaling 133 billion pounds and almost $162 billion (Source: https://www.usda.gov/foodwaste/faqs).
So how can you make even a tiny difference? Do you even care?
There are a number of ways besides using up more of your leftovers. I’ll cover some of them in the next few posts. But first, let me introduce you to Ugly Produce. Disclosure: some links included are referral links and could earn me a sharing bonus. You can consider ugly produce to be that which is certainly edible, tasty, and healthy, but for whatever reason, isn’t saleable under current grocery models. Such as, apples with a tiny bruise, too-small sweet potatoes, celery with leaves beginning to dry out, and so on, or even perfect but surplus tomatoes are normally tossed instead of offered for sale, as customers simply won’t or can’t buy them.
I’m a subscriber to a service from Imperfect Foods, which launched in 2015 with the desire to put to good use produce that is perfectly healthy, but that would otherwise be thrown out, such as under- or over-sized, misshapen, scarred, mildly bruised, off-color, package-changed, or short-coded(close to its sell-by date). Or any other reason that doesn’t affect its goodness, including simple surplus. This group takes in food that would otherwise go to waste (as well as some first quality food and non-food items for customer convenience) and packages it according to weekly or bi-weekly orders placed by Saturday afternoons (at least in my location) to deliver the following week as requested to their clientele. Delivery – which costs $8.99 – for me is normally on Tuesdays, but if there is a delay, I’m notified by text, email, and on my online account page. You can allow them to choose, or you can shop from what is available, or choose a combination of both – complete customization. Prices are generally pretty competitive, and there is a minimum order of $45.00. Be aware that your cart will be prestocked.
The site provides you a running tally on the pounds of food you’ve saved from a lesser outcome, gallons of water saved, and pounds of carbon dioxide saved by your orders. Fun stats to watch!
Interestingly, they also have agreements with copackers for “upcycling.” One of my favorite items(made by FancyPants Bakery): Imperfect Foods Upcycled Vanilla Oatmilk Cookies. Not the cheapest little cookie on the market, but made with wholesome ingredients like oat milk pulp, a healthy by-product from the oat milk industry, and exhausted vanilla beans, leftovers from the production of vanilla extract and the like. They’re non-GMO, nut-free, and allergy friendly. There are other flavors, but this is by far my most preferred. Yep – I know they aren’t really produce nor diet-conscious, but they are good!
Depending on where you live, you might even be able to send your boxes, cushion liners, insulating bags, and/or reusable cold gel wraps to a contracted recycler. The boxes include a cushion made of mostly paper and vegetable starch. Gel packs can be returned in some cities, or of course you can refreeze them for your own use. If marked “Drain Safe,” you can simply poke a hole in the bag and pour it down the drain and recycle the outer packaging. If not drain safe, poke the hole and empty into your trash before sending it off. Print the postage-paid label from the site.
I have had some packing issues, such as squashed tomatoes and (many) broken carrots, that would have been prevented with better attention to packing detail, but for the most part, items arrive fresh and in good shape, with the cold pack usually still quite cold except in the worst of summer heat. I’ve not had difficulties severe enough to cause me to stop my participation. I’ve learned what I can order and expect to arrive safely. However, I don’t recommend ordering heat-sensitive items when the weather is overly hot, as the gel packs don’t last. The company is very willing to make good on anything not arriving in good condition, but it’s a minor hassle and you’ll need to rearrange your plans for meals if something isn’t worthy of use. You can have a look at Imperfect Foods and save $20 here: http://imprfct.us/v/robin_7985
The other large player in this genre is Misfits Market, which is reasonably-priced at a current $22 and up plus shipping and applicable taxes, but they don’t allow you to see what’s available until you check out and are committed. They deliver to 38 states and D.C. for a flat rate of $5.50 as of this date. You can minimally customize some of your box from their limited availability. While they don’t offer the extensive selection of Imperfect Foods, their offerings are different and interesting. Overall, they are otherwise similar to Imperfect Foods, other than their selecting your options mostly for you. Sometimes, it’s interesting to end up with something you haven’t tried before and have to use. I’ve learned to enjoy fennel, kale, and chard this way; they are tasty! Check them out and save $15 on your first order here: https://www.misfitsmarket.com/?promo=COOKWME-UF6HWTELXTM
Limited in scope but worth mentioning is Hungry Harvest, which delivers in Maryland, Washington, DC, Virginia, Greater Philadelphia, Southern New Jersey, Northern Delaware, South Florida, The Triangle Area in North Carolina & the Detroit Metro Area. Since I don’t live in one of those places, I have no experience to describe.
Please be aware that I am not including organizations with extremely limited delivery areas. You should Google “produce delivery services in” and add your zip code or your city and state and see what comes up. There are many others in the United States and elsewhere. All of them may or may not use Ugly Produce, but will ship to your home, preventing your having to search through pawed over produce and possibly offer other grocery items, saving you time, gas, and effort. Maybe even money!
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Thrifty Tip of the Day: Use Ugly Produce options to try something new. I hated kale, which I’d only been served raw, until I cooked it with chopped bacon and onions. Now, I buy it often, and it’s an inexpensive side and healthy! Well, maybe less so with the bacon…
In recent years, there’s been a move to find better uses for food that would otherwise go to waste. This is my delivery from Imperfect Foods on March 26th.
Some places of worship still have coupon exchanges, and perhaps you need to start one if yours doesn’t. Any place shoppers gather could use one if there is someone willing to maintain it by removing expired coupons and add new ones.
At our Kroger, there are coupon pages available at the customer service desk just for seniors. Yes, there are a few advantages for those of us who creak when we walk. Not many, but a few. Too bad these discounts don’t quite make up for the increase in our medical bills! Check where you shop and see if they have such a program.
Lastly, don’t forget to check packaging while you’re using up product. Occasionally manufacturers will include coupons in or on their product packaging for future purchases or to encourage you to try another of their brands. While you’re looking at the package, see if there is a phone number for the manufacturer, or for questions or comments. Call and ask, I like your product; do you have any coupons you can send me? Most companies appreciate your loyalty and will be happy to send them to you. In fact, some reserve their best coupons for just such customers. Yes, I actually do this, and often. It works and these coupons are usually good ones.
If I can get my butt in gear and write it, refunding is another method of gathering up savings that deserves its own treatment. At one time when I was a young bride, I reserved two drawers in my kitchen for my “trash,” as a girlfriend and I called our UPCs and other proofs of purchase and receipts. They didn’t last long; now I am hard-pressed to find room for my gadgets.
There are many places to find grocery coupons, and even some that aren’t physical coupons! It’s enough to say that with a little legwork (well, fingerwork) and organization, you can save a lot of money on your next trip to the grocery store.
Thrifty Tip of the Day:
Next post will be starting a series of seasonal topics. Here’s a hint on one of them, an eBook that you should definitely have a look at if you are engaged or if you know someone who is: http://www.amazon.com/For-Richer-Poorer-Wedding-ebook/dp/B00C69HF0G/ref=pd_rhf_cr_p_img_1_MG8J . This easy-reading book is available for just 99 cents on Amazon’s Whispernet, so you can download their free Kindle software if you haven’t already. Then you can read it immediately on your PC or Mac if you don’t already have a Kindle.
Here’s the publisher’s official description:
In this practical and entertaining guide to a tasteful yet fun wedding for the budget-savvy couple, SKR Publishing presents a common sense approach to starting out richer, rather than poorer for the couple wishing to kick off their financial relationship on sound footing. The first in a series of clever budgeting books, ‘For richer or poorer: your wedding on a budget’ is a charming and engaging look at the process of wedding planning from the aspect of a thrifty purse.
At once offbeat and still honoring long-established customs, this guide offers tips and tricks to ensure your event remains grand and chic, yet sticks to your budget leaving no one the wiser.
Some of the ideas presented here are so innovative and fresh, you’ll wonder why no one has thought of them before. Congratulations on your upcoming wedding, your sage sensibility, and the forethought to purchase this book!
As for me, I have already reviewed in on Amazon, and since I’m thrifty in more ways than one, I’ll just copy my review here:
There are a lot of creative ideas in this book that you haven’t heard before, and there are some that have been freshened up. Not to provide any spoilers, but there is an idea for a date night that you just have to try! It’s a lot of fun, with a lot of new thoughts. I hope they hurry up with the rest of this series!
thriftysoul 