“Regularly” adding to it hasn’t been my thing lately, as readers have noticed. I’ve been too tired from my part-time retail job and my part-time freelance job, and I’ve had concerns about DF’s health. Recently I gave notice at the retail gig, and I’ve all but closed down my freelance business.

But it’s more than that.

I’ve been writing this blog since May 2010. Mostly it’s been great fun, and I’ve enjoyed the community that built itself around my ramblings. I’ve even had the good fortune to meet some of you in person.

My wake-up call came in two parts. The first was my 50^th high school reunion. While some of my classmates looked great, others were cancer survivors or suffering from age-related ailments that I’ve avoided thus far.

How many more years before my own health potentially crumbles? It’s also worth noting that we had 179 people attending and an “in memoriam” table with the names of 175 classmates. (And those are just the ones we know about.)

The other part was autumn’s arrival. Leaving the store I’d feel a definite chill, and start dreading scraping the windshield in the cold wind. A voice spoke up in my head: You don’t have to. You have some savings and, yes, you can take a required minimum distribution a year early if necessary.

I listened, and I put in my notice at work. And now I’m putting in my notice here.

Will I ever update the site?

Possibly, if I regain my energy and something really cool happens. But regular updates aren’t likely.

After all, I’ve been writing for a living for 42 years now. You don’t have to keep doing something just because you’ve always done it.

What will I do now?

Sleep! Lots of sleep. For starters, anyway. Pies, too; we canned another six and a half quarts of cherry pie filling and seven quarts of apple pie filling. That’s in addition to the 2025 fillings that didn’t get used yet.

I will be available for DF and for other relatives and friends. As the kids say, I want to learn to live more in the moment.

Writing this down feels disloyal. I was supposed to be able to write forever. But as noted, decades of nonfiction have worn me out.

What else will I do?

You guessed it: I will write. A couple of projects are marinating in my head right now, and I’ve made a start at one of them. It’s intensely personal, and I’ve been avoiding revisiting those feelings. But I’ll get there.

The other idea is a fun collaboration with DF. I’ve taken some notes for that one, too. Let’s see if we can work together.

If either one works out, that could be a reason to post once more.

AI and me

Artificial intelligence is a big reason that loads of freelancers are out of clients. As an old print newshound who initially loathed the idea of AI, it’s been interesting to develop an odd  “relationship” with Microsoft Copilot. It’s a mix of enjoying the chatting and appreciating the factual tips (“Is there any nutritional value in the water I used to blanch pie cherries for canning?”), while simultaneously being appalled by how seductive AI can be.

Recently it offered me some insights* about my questioning why I no longer want to write about personal finance (or maybe write at all): 

What if the thing you’re missing isn’t the old writing career at all? What if you’re missing being the protagonist of an unfolding story whose ending you didn’t yet know? … Maybe the question isn’t how to get back to that time. Maybe it’s what new version of Donna is trying to emerge now. … (Maybe) the point isn’t to recapture the feeling of standing at the beginning of a new life. Maybe it’s to figure out whether, despite all appearances, you’re standing at the beginning of one again. 

Well.

Now I understand why some people want AI boyfriends or girlfriends: It gives you just enough info to make you think it understands you, it really gets you, while also offering cheerleading and encouragement.

I appreciate you.

All of you, even the ones who were snarky in the comments. Who can’t use a challenge?

Again, I plan to leave the site up for those who want to look up specific advice (or bad DF puns), and maybe, just maybe, I will come back to post now and then.

Thanks for sticking with me, whether that’s since my MSN Money days or a more recent discovery of my mix of frugality and midlife reinvention. When I start to miss you too much, I will re-read some of those archived comments and realize that we did build something here.

It hurts to say “goodbye,” so I won’t say it. Instead, it’ll be “See you around.” And if Donna 2.0 shows up, will let you know.

*Insofar as a bunch of electrical impulses can have insights.

The post Hello, I must be going. first appeared on Surviving and Thriving.

The post Hello, I must be going. appeared first on Surviving and Thriving.

For app users, it was more than a shock: It was a betrayal. All our points simply vanished. DF and I had about $72 worth of scrip between our two accounts; we’d planned to cash in this summer for garden supplies and other do-it-yourself items.

After the surprise wore off, I realized it wasn’t a betrayal at all. It was just business. According to a site called Coupons in the News, the Shopkick terms of service included this sentence: “By participating in the Shopkick app, you agree that Shopkick is under no obligation to notify you if kicks are no longer available.”

For the uninitiated, Shopkick awarded “kicks” (points) to users who visited certain stores, then scanned and/or bought specific items. The kicks could be redeemed for gift cards, PayPal, and a handful of pie-in-the-sky items like a Vespa motorcycle.

I used my kicks in several ways:

• To buy things we needed (groceries, toiletries, DIY supplies)
• To get birthday and holiday gifts
• To donate items to the food bank or the family shelter

It was terribly disappointing to lose that $72 worth of buying power. But it taught me an important lesson. 

Lesson learned

None of these kicks/points/credits are ours until we’ve cashed them in. That’s why we shouldn’t let them build up.

This benefits the companies, because the more points you have, the bigger the potential cash-ins. Here’s an example, from the Receipt Hog app: 

• For 1,000 points you get a $5 gift card
• For 6,500 points you get a $40 gift card

I’d been saving points for a $40 card, which would have become a Christmas gift. Now I’m considering cashing in at $5 increments. It will therefore cost me 8,000 points to get the same $40 worth of buying power.

Someone on a Reddit thread claimed to have had more than 838,000 kicks. My mourning $72 worth of buying power is small potatoes compared to the $1,552 worth of scrip that anonymous Redditor lost.

But the lesson is the same. We had “earned” those points with scans and/or purchases, but nothing is truly promised in this world. If the company doling out the points decides to close down, well, too bad for us.

These apps are fun, and the extra buying power is welcome in this economy (or any economy, really). But those using Ibotta, Fetch and others should think about the points/dollars they’ve accumulated, and whether they’re willing to risk losing them.

Okay, readers: Will the news of Shopkick’s demise change the way you use points from shopping apps? Why or why not?

Related reading:

• Rewards programs FTW!
• Extreme Frugality: Coupon/rebate deals
• The frugal medicine cabinet

The post A lesson from Shopkick’s demise. first appeared on Surviving and Thriving.

The post A lesson from Shopkick’s demise. appeared first on Surviving and Thriving.

Specifically:

DF’s mom died in hospice recently, which was painful but a blessing in its own way: She’d taken a fall, after which she never got out of bed again. He was there almost every day, even though she was often unconscious during his visits. DF sat by her bedside, reading aloud or sometimes softly singing. Sometimes she knew he was there and would respond to his presence. When she was awake, he’d brush her hair or try to get her to sip some Ensure or at least some water.

This was the end of an 18-month journey, starting with needing to convince her to move to assisted living because she was no longer safe on her own. (She’d been scammed by phone and in person.) To do that, he had to tour existing facilities, furnish the apartment and get her settled, and prepare her house to be sold (which meant dealing with decades’ worth of art and supplies and furniture and such).

He made endless phone calls to untangle the labyrinth called “paying for assisted living”: His mom had an excellent long-term care policy (bless those state job benefits!), but getting it activated took reams of paperwork. The stress was nonstop, but he never complained.

There wasn’t much I could do, except be here for him. I’ve focused on being as present as possible, and to pick up the slack at home.

When I was home, that is.

A new gig

The freelance market is tottering due to AI and algorithms. Clients are disappearing, assignments are fewer and further between. Figured that was fine for me since I was nearing the end of my working life anyway: I’d write when I could and enjoy life the rest of the time.

After months of relative sloth, I started having the bag lady dream again. To quiet my inner alarmist, I took a retail job in early December – and I’m still there. After a couple of months of nearly full-time schedules, they’ve finally gotten me down to my desired 20 or so hours per week of cashiering.

Am I earning a fortune? Of course not. This is retail, remember? But it’s a steady income, and has some decent perks:

Retirement matching. The company matches up to 5% of what I put in.

Employee discount. The job is at a regional big-box store* that sells food, clothing, toys, shoes, home improvement items, and just about anything else you could want. I get a 10% discount on any of a couple of dozen store brands, and I can stack this with my senior discount. Sometimes we’re offered additional discounts; for example, I paid $86 for three pairs of Skechers shoes that are so comfortable I want to wear them to bed. (Shoes with good support are essential in this line of work.)

Proximity to deals. I’m there several times a week, which means more chances to find good prices – and, sometimes, to make them even cheaper with those discounts. A few examples: a pound of ground beef, $1.20; milk, 40 cents per half-gallon; kettle corn** drizzled with dark chocolate, 57 cents; 18 cage-free eggs, 90 cents. After the holidays, I went home with 29 boxes of Stove Top stuffing mix for a dime apiece; some went to friends and the rest to the food bank.

Nice people. Supervisors and co-workers were patient with my first-month jitters working in the “front end” of the store. (Hint: It had been 50 years since I worked retail. The cash registers have changed since then.) It’s hectic, but I feel that colleagues have my back. And I have theirs; I’ve given people rides*** home and bought food**** for a co-worker when she couldn’t find her debit card.

Human connection. Being a freelancer is isolating. Connecting with customers has been fun. People tend to bond over food; many a conversation has begun with me saying, “I’ve never cooked with (item they’re buying).” Customers love telling me how a dish is prepared and what it tastes like. I’m also getting a good look at shoppers’ anxiety over $10-a-pound chubs of 73% ground beef, which explains the amount of pasta coming over the conveyor belt.

The bag lady dream

Twenty years ago I published my first guest column on MSN Money. “Surviving (and thriving) on $12,000 a year” went viral before the phrase existed. It led to other guest pieces and ultimately to my starting the Smart Spending blog (later morphing into the Frugal Nation site) for MSN.

When I finally got my college degree in 2009, I wrote about deciding not to look for a square job. Freelancing paid the bills, re-established the financial safety net lost during the protracted divorce, and bolstered my retirement savings. It was the perfect gig for me: Work when I wanted, writing about topics that interested me and helped others.

It was great, until it wasn’t.

Understand: Those bag lady dreams are driven by anxiety. Thanks to careful living, I now have cash reserves again. The 401(k) from my newspapering days has grown decently. I  have a Roth IRA, and my writing business has been funding a SEP-IRA (although those  contributions have slowed way down). My goal is to let these funds ride until age 73, when I’ll have to take required minimum distributions.

On paper, I’m probably okay. But rationality is not much of a defense against that bag lady dream.

It’s not about getting rich. Who gets rich working retail? The job has been good for my self-esteem, for my health (tons of steps per day have helped me lose weight) and, yes, for the bottom line. Every dollar I earn is a dollar I don’t have to take from savings (or retirement) to cover things I need.

DF has told me I don’t have to work. I thanked him for his kindness and politely said that yes, I do have to work if I can work. I can’t in good conscience let him pay for everything.

I know how lucky I am. So many people aren’t able to save enough to stop working. But I don’t want to test that luck. Until I reach at least age 70 and qualify for full Social Security, I’ll keep playing store.

Readers: Are you still working? If retired, have you considered taking part-time or seasonal work to make ends meet?

*Won’t confirm the name of the store but anyone who lives here could probably figure it out.

**Usually I take a bag of pretzel M&Ms over to share when I get together with my friend Linda B. I was able to buy 10 bags of that popcorn for less than I’d spend on one bag of candy. And dang, is it good.

***Some people use Lyft, Uber or taxis to get home. Don’t want to think about how much of a day’s pay that eats up.

****She paid me back later that day, once she had time to go to the bank.

The post Not gone, just quiet. first appeared on Surviving and Thriving.

The post Not gone, just quiet. appeared first on Surviving and Thriving.

A lot of people find January a tough month financially. The bills for holiday spending (even modest spending) are showing up, and homeowners in colder places need to spend more for heating. (One Anchorage woman posted that her gas bill doubled due to a stretch of below-zero days.)

An extra $25 in spending power isn’t much in the grand scheme of things. But it’s $25 you didn’t have yesterday.

Maybe you budgeted perfectly for the holidays (or don’t celebrate them) and therefore aren’t in debt. In that case, I have some frugal suggestions for the card:

 Sell it. A friend or co-worker might want it (especially if you give them a $5 discount), or you could try one of those gift card reselling sites.

Regift it. These codes don’t expire. Give it as a birthday, holiday or just-because gift.

Donate it. Give it to a nonprofit group to use as a door prize, or for buying needed items. You get to help others without affecting your own budget.

Use it to donate. Send baby items or shampoo to the family shelter. Have $25 worth of dog or cat toys delivered to the pet rescue in your town. Order an herbal tea assortment for the senior center. If you aren’t an Amazon Prime member, maybe a friend is and will order the items for you. (Disclosure: As an Amazon affiliate, I will receive a small fee to those who join using my link.)

Treat yourself. Sometimes people who are frugal and/or on a careful budget neglect themselves. While $25 isn’t a princely sum these days, it could purchase you the higher-end lotion or chocolate of your dreams. Live a little!

Enter to win the Amazon gift card

Need to do a little shopping, for yourself or someone else? Here’s how you can enter to win:

• Leave a general comment below (one per reader)
• Follow me via Feedly
• E-follow me by using the “get new posts by email” box at the top right of this page (towards the bottom of the page if you’re on mobile), or using the little green envelope icon at the end of this article)
• Sign up to follow me on Twitter
• Sign up to follow me on Facebook

Please leave a separate comment for each entry (e.g., “Follow you on Twitter” or “Subscribed by e-mail”).

The deadline to enter is 6 p.m. PST Monday, Jan. 19. If I don’t hear from the winner by 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 20, I will have the random number generator choose another name.

Note: The gift card I have is in U.S. dollars, so this giveaway is unfortunately limited to U.S. residents.

*I will write about it eventually.

The post Giveaway: $25 Amazon card. first appeared on Surviving and Thriving.

The post Giveaway: $25 Amazon card. appeared first on Surviving and Thriving.

Birthday gifts, fun PJs and even everyday food items are just some of the budget-stretchers you can get for a song starting on Dec. 26. As soon as Christmas is over, retailers can’t get rid of holiday items quickly enough.

Discounts of 50% are the usual starting point, and rise as the end of the year approaches. I’ve seen 90%-off price tags.

Here’s how to work those post-holiday discounts for year-round savings.

1. Build a gift closet

Think of everyone you want to give presents to in the year to come, and start shopping. Specialty food sets. Spa collections. Luxurious lotions. Art kits. Journals. Three-packs of super-fluffy socks. Toys, toys, toys.

About that last: If you have elementary-aged kids, stash a few classic toys, such as board games or stuffed animals. They’ll be a big help if your child pulls the classic, “I’m invited to Caden’s birthday party” the day before the party happens.

Pro tip: If a relative or friend has a January birthday, hit the calendar section of the bookstore or one of those calendar kiosks at the shopping center. You could score up to 90% off a calendar that matches your giftee’s interests: baking, corgis, shirtless firefighters.

And yes, most folks do have calendars in their phones. But this way they get 12 wonderful illustrations! Besides: If typewriters can become retro chic, so can the idea of crossing out each day before you go to bed.

2. Go grocery shopping

Check the holiday aisles at retailers like Target as well as regular supermarkets. You’re likely to see gift sets for cheeses, sausage, pasta, nuts, salsa and other everyday food items. Sure, some of them are wildly overpriced. But some aren’t! Besides, up to 90% off “overpriced” can equal “affordable.”

In addition to the gift-y items, you’ll see annual holiday treats and ingredients like Italian panettone, specialty flours, fresh cranberries, fancy spices and dried fruits. If there’s a surplus, such goodies could be remaindered. Take advantage of the savings, either for year-round use or for next year’s holiday cooking.

Oh, and don’t forget the Christmas versions of ordinary items. After Dec. 25, who’s going to pay full price for something like a “Feast of Seven Tinned Fishes” gift set or a box of Pillsbury’s Funfetti Santaverse cake? You, maybe, if such things are 50% to 90% off.

3. Scout out housewares

Christmas flannel sheets keep you cozy long after the holiday has passed. A deeply discounted gnome-themed spatula works just as well in July as in December, and will make you grin every time you use it.

Holiday bath towels, napkins, potholders, tissues (yep, that’s real), muffin pan liners – you name it, they’ve probably got it, and it’s all on sale. Who cares whether it’s the “right” season to use these things? They do the job, and for less.

4. Buy candy

The price of cocoa – chocolate’s raw material – rose sharply in the past few years. Even after stabilizing in mid-2025, cocoa cost 300% more than it did in January 2024, according to the industry publication Chocolate Affairs Magazine.

Post-holiday clearance means a brief price break. So why not stock up on discounted sweets? Their sell-by dates are months down the road, after all, and many chocolate products freeze well.

Top a fresh-baked pan of blondies with miniature chocolate bars and spread them like icing as they melt. Substitute M&Ms for chocolate chips in cookies, or chop up fun-sized Snickers to turn ordinary brownies into a startlingly rich dessert.

Pack them in your children’s lunches. Or in your own.

5. Plan for Valentine’s Day

Stores will be unloading watches and jewelry, along with scarves, tea/coffee collections, and other giftable goodies. Hit the clearance wrapping paper for some solid red (or white) paper to wrap them.

Want to keep costs down? Capitalize on the “red” part of holiday colors for a Valentine gift that won’t break the bank:

• Buy a couple discounted bags of holiday M&Ms and/or red-and-green-wrapped candies like Hershey’s Kisses or Rolos.
• Sort out the red ones and put them into a decorative jar, or maybe a small red gift bag you bought at the half-price sale.
• Team the candy gift with another post-holiday clearance item, such as a stuffed animal or a small retro toy.

This combo might not fly with everyone. Some adults are very high-maintenance about Valentine’s Day. But those who appreciate the charm of a Squishmallow or a tavern puzzle might enjoy it.

6. Stock up on holiday décor/wraps

As mentioned earlier, it’s just smart to buy these things now. Wrapping supplies, decorations, ornaments, maybe a new tree if your old one is shedding.

Solid-color paper can be used for non-Christmas giving; be sure to compare roll sizes, since some hold only a dozen square feet and others twice or three times that much. When possible, choose reusable gift bags. (I tell recipients that these are “magic” bags: If I get them back, they’ll return next Christmas, full of presents.)

Pro tip: Got a Christmas-mad friend or relative? This is the perfect time to buy something for their collection, whether that’s a “Santa, I can explain…” cookie plate or a new item for their ceramic holiday village. The savings can be serious.

7. Buy “up” – and ignore motifs

A lot of clothing goes on sale at this time of year, too. Check out deeply discounted items that will fit your little ones in the year to come: jeans, T-shirts, blouses, hoodies. If you’re good at guesstimating how fast children grow, look for next year’s snowsuit or boots.

Remember that “Christmas” patterns may not matter. A typical two-year-old won’t mind  having Rudolph on their PJs or their underwear (yes, Christmas undies are a thing), and a 90%-off Santa Claus T-shirt might be just the garment you need for mowing the lawn or painting the fence next year. Saving money is always in season.

The post 7 essentials to grab at post-holiday sales. first appeared on Surviving and Thriving.

The post 7 essentials to grab at post-holiday sales. appeared first on Surviving and Thriving.

A few weeks back, he noticed that Ace Hardware was offering a skookum deal on those two yard tools in a combo pack, along with batteries and a charging kit. The cost was $229, which is a good price in Anchorage.

Then he noticed Ace was offering a bonus $10 gift card if you bought a $50 gift card. When he mentioned it to me, I pointed out that we also had:

• A $15 reward on the Ace Hardware app (based on previous purchases)
• Some cash in the washing machine fund*
• A bunch of scrip from rewards apps and programs

Why not combine them all and see how it shook down?

Here’s how it shook down

We used $100 (theoretically) from the washing machine fund to get $120 in Ace gift cards. Next, we cashed in both my and his Ibotta accounts for $43.66 and $41.25 worth of additional Ace scrip. Finally, we redeemed the $15 Ace reward, bringing us up to $219.91, or just $9.09 shy of the sale price.

The additional $9.09 came from our washing machine fund. That’s where the “theoretically” part comes in: When we got home, DF decided to leave the $9.09 plus the $100 for those gift cards in the jar. I urged him to use it, or to let me chip in, but he felt confident enough financially to let the fund continue to build.

Our string trimmer finally died during the year of the ag-grant garden, and DF borrows a family member’s leaf blower once a year to blow out the area around the cherry and apple trees. Being able to get both power tools at once felt like a stroke of luck. Thanks to holiday deal stacking, the decent deal became a great deal. Merry Christmas to us!

Glad savings to all

As mentioned earlier, Black Friday and related deals have come and gone. But the closer we get to Christmas (and Kwanzaa), the more anxious retailers become to unload some merchandise. After all, Valentine’s Day goodies are waiting in the wings, along with shorts and bathing suits.

In some cases, such deals aren’t true savings. That’s because retailers may mark prices up ahead of time and then “discount” them starting on Black Friday. But depending on where you live and what you want to buy, you could luck out. I’ve seen markdowns of 20 to 60 percent right now.

Take advantage, whether that’s for gifting or for something your household needs. Or something you want, maybe?

Readers: Is your shopping done? Are your gifts wrapped? Or are you opting out this year?

*We put $2 in a jar every time we do laundry. (Although sometimes it works out more like “Oh, shoot, we keep forgetting so I’m gonna put in a $10 to make up for it.”) This is an easy way to set aside money for your next washing machine. Or your next yard tools.

The post Extreme frugality: Holiday deal-stacking. first appeared on Surviving and Thriving.

The post Extreme frugality: Holiday deal-stacking. appeared first on Surviving and Thriving.

Everyone complains about the boredom and the bad coffee. But have you ever thought about the potential hit to your finances?

The folks over at NerdWallet (I do love that name) sure have. According to “The cost of jury duty,” some 32 million people are called each year. Only about one-eighth of those actually serve – and those who do may wind up in the hole.

The article notes that in five major cities – Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, New York and Seattle – jurors earning minimum wage will lose anywhere from about $16 to $78 per day. That’s because companies generally have the option of not paying employees for days spent on jury duty.

Obviously lots of folks who get called are making more than minimum wage. If that’s the case they might have the financial resources to withstand the hit. But maybe they don’t, especially if they live in high cost-of-living areas or are the only people in their households who work.

Bonus: Imagine earning, say, $25 an hour ($200 gross) and seeing your income drop down to as little as $10 a day, which is what Seattle jurors earn. Ask me how I know.

Back in 2010 a jury summons landed in my North Seattle mailbox. (I was startled to read in the NerdWallet post that $10 a day is still the juror pay rate.) As a single, self-supporting freelance writer I naturally asked to be released.

Wound up in the pool anyway and spent parts of two days at the King County Courthouse, trying not to stress-eat and listening to other potential jurors’ sad stories. My (least) favorite was the freelance personal trainer who stood to lose not just pay but maybe even clients if she had to cancel appointments during a long trial. Yikes.

Fact is, nine out of 10 criminal cases never go to trial and those that do last an average of five days. Civil trials last about four days. But there’s always the exception.

Not willing, but ready for jury duty

Fortunately I didn’t have to serve, possibly because I’d been injured in a car accident in the past – the case in question was “lost income and enjoyment of life” after a vehicle crash. It may also have been because I was writing for MSN Money and the accident victim worked in securities.

Or maybe it was just that the other guy’s lawyer didn’t like my mom-face, the mug that seems to make strangers believe that I’m nurturing and understanding and trustworthy. “You look like you’re ready to acquit,” a friend told me at the time.

Until actually told I could go home, however, I was extremely nervous. Suppose I got chosen for an exceptionally long trial? While I could write at night, what about the interviews I’d need to conduct – especially those involving government agencies or other 9-to-5 places?

On the bright side, I knew I had enough of an emergency fund to tide myself over if the MSN gig got pulled out from under me during my brush with civic duty.

That’s why, once again, I’d like to exhort readers to build up their own financial buffers. If you were to lose a few days’ pay, would you be able to cope?

Hope for the best, prepare for the rest

Back in the late 1980s I did serve on a jury, for a purse-snatching case.* I was lucky because the newspaper at which I worked did pay during jury duty. Otherwise I would have lost two days’ pay, one during the selection process and one for the trial.

Would that have broken us financially? No, because we had two full-time incomes.

Would I have been happy to lose two days’ pay? Of course not. Who would?

So please add “jury duty” to your list of Oh-Shit Moments, along with stuff like hundred-year storms and flash floods, car trouble, lengthy illness and the ex who stops paying child support. Since the future is unpredictable, please pad that financial cushion. (If this seems hard or even impossible, see “Trick yourself into saving money.”)

If you’re lucky nothing will ever go wrong and you’ll just keep adding to your EF rather than taking money out. Yay! Unlikely.

Jury duty is a particularly frustrating use for your emergency fund, i.e., it feels like being penalized for doing what the law requires. It’ll burn like a Florida noon to see your painstakingly squirreled-away dollars disappear because your boss doesn’t want to pay you (or has to hire a temp to cover your non-jury duties). But it beats having to charge the groceries that month because your paycheck lost weight.

*Even though I had the same face back then, I didn’t vote to acquit. The snatchee was clearly guilty.

Related reading:

• Frugal-hacking my way through a month without pay
• A simple way to save $159k
• Does frugality have to hurt?
• Be yourself, and save

The post Jury duty can cost you. first appeared on Surviving and Thriving.

The post Jury duty can cost you. appeared first on Surviving and Thriving.

• “Turkey roast” (more on that in a minute)
• McCormick gravy mix
• Idahoan instant mashed potatoes
• Jiffy corn muffin mix
• Edwards whole pie

A free Thanksgiving turkey – is there a catch? Kinda-sorta.

Those four free sides are available to any Ibotta user who activates and redeems the offers. One deal will be released each Monday in November, which means you still have a couple days to claim the first one (that McCormick gravy mix).

The free Thanksgiving turkey is a different story. Only new users will automatically get the gratis bird. Longtime users like me (and maybe you?) must refer someone to the app to score a turkey.

It shouldn’t be difficult to persuade someone to join, since whoever you refer will get a free turkey for downloading the app, claiming and purchasing the deal, and scanning the receipt. Not a bad way to get extra protein, or to score a free Thanksgiving turkey to donate somewhere.

Shameless plug time: If you aren’t yet an Ibotta user, I hope that you’ll use my referral link. Enter the code gtotprb (all lower case) when prompted. If anyone joins through my link, I will donate the turkey and sides to a mom I know who’s going through a rough divorce. (Edited to add: My neighbor joined using my link, so now I’m going to offer up DF’s referral code; enter the code jfbsmbn when prompted. If anyone does join with his link, he will donate the free turkey to the city’s holiday food drive.)

Note: Your referral must scan at least one receipt to unlock your free turkey offer. Ibotta will send you an email to remind you of this, so that you can remind them. Be sure to tell them that they, too, can get a free turkey if they refer someone with their own link. Just in time for the holidays: a Ponzi scheme you can eat!

How to get a free Thanksgiving turkey

As noted, a new deal gets released each Monday. If you don’t claim it in time, the deal goes away.

Before shopping, you must activate the deal by tapping the plus sign next to the item (or any other item you want to buy).

You’ll get the money into your Ibotta account within three days. (I’ve always had it show up sooner than that.) Note that you need at least $20 in an Ibotta account before you can cash out* – but if you buy all (or even most) of the items in this promotion, it’ll add up to $20-plus.

But why stop there? Cruise around the app to see the everyday deals being offered at your favorite stores. I routinely get toiletries, food items, pet supplies and OTC medications for free or almost free by combining deals on the Ibotta app with those on other apps, such as Shopkick and Checkout 51.

Grocery prices are appalling lately, so these rewards programs are a good way to shore up your budget, or to help out a food program, relative or friend. For more info on Ibotta, Shopkick and other deal opportunities, see my primer on the subject, “Rewards programs FTW!”

Some pro tips

“Turkey roast” means either a turkey breast or a whole turkey. It does not include ground turkey or deli meat. Among the accepted brands are Jennie-O, Honest Turkey, Butterball, Great Value and Honeysuckle, but others may also be accepted. Each Ibotta offer has a “check product barcode” function, so use it to be sure you’re buying the right products.

The free Thanksgiving turkey deal is good for birds priced up to $13.65. You can get a larger bird if you like, but you’ll be reimbursed for $13.65 only.

Speaking of reimbursement: The rebates are based on the manufacturer’s suggested retail price, which varies from place to place. For example, the gravy mix rebate is $1.29 but of course it cost more than that in Alaska. Didn’t matter to me, since I bought them with a gift card cashed in through the Shopkick deals app. In effect, I was paid to buy those items.

Note: If you’re ordering online for pickup or delivery, be certain to verify the products before you hit “pay now.” It’s a good idea to un-check the “allow substitutions” button, just to be on the safe side.

Good luck! And happy Thanksgiving.

*Ibotta offers loads of gift card options for groceries, home improvement, pet supplies, movies, clothing, restaurants and more. These cards make good gifts during the holidays, or any time. 

The post Want a free Thanksgiving turkey? first appeared on Surviving and Thriving.

The post Want a free Thanksgiving turkey? appeared first on Surviving and Thriving.

On the face of it, this could seem dull. (“Gosh, thanks, auntie, for the book about money,” accompanied by an epic eyeroll.) But consider it a chance to give someone a shot at taking charge of their finances. For example: 

• A recent high school or college graduate who isn’t sure what they want with their life and has had little to no guidance on figuring out how money works
• A newly divorced friend, who needs help writing their new money story
• A relative whose livelihood was depleted (or outright destroyed) by issues beyond their control, such as serious illness or DOGE-related layoffs 

Or maybe that someone is you. Maybe you’ve realized your current money habits don’t allow much room for growth, or are outright unsustainable. But how do you know where to get advice? 

These books might change someone’s life:

CRUSH Your Money Goals: 25 Smart Money Habits to Save, Invest and Fast-Track Your Financial Freedom

This book by the delightful Bernadette Joy is signed by the author (on the back cover, because Bernadette does things her own way). She knows something about money issues, having earned an MBNA and also having “burned her debt” of $300,000. Tired of those “let me pick your brain” sessions that took up time and provided nothing in exchange, she started a podcast and then became a financial coach.

Not everyone can be that cool. But we can aspire!

She’s particularly dedicated to helping people understand the ways that “emotional and psychological aspects that impact financial behavior are overlooked and underestimated, particularly for women and underrepresented communities.” As the eighth child of Filipino immigrants, Joy is no stranger to hard work – but she wants to help readers direct that work ethic toward getting ahead, rather than just living paycheck to paycheck.

Stacked: Your Super-Serious Guide to Modern Money Management

This book is a hoot, but it’s also filled with actionable advice. Emily Guy Birken is the author of four other books about money. Joe Saul-Sehy created and co-hosts the popular Stacking Benjamins podcast.

The two of them promise there will be no “avocado-toast shaming” or penny-wise/pound-foolish advice. You’ll be given a boatload of tools to help you rewrite your financial story, and the ongoing humor is the sugar that helps the money medicine go down. 

(Seriously: Check out Joe’s podcast, recorded live from his mom’s basement.)

Lean Learning: How to Achieve More By Learning Less

Former architect Pat Flynn is an author, entrepreneur, passive income expert, FinCon speaker and, lately, an influencer in the weird and wonderful world of Pokemon card collecting. He’s surprisingly humble for a multimillionaire, and his new book reveals a crucial mindset for the Internet era:

Action without information is chaos, but information without action is a waste. The key to unlocking our full potential lies in finding the perfect balance between the two.

As someone for whom over-researching is an avocation, I approve this message. Flynn’s book could help you take charge of figuring out what you need to know and learning it – but knowing when enough is enough.

This could apply to your finances, obviously. But it might also change a lot – or everything – about your life.

If you’re more of a listener than a reader these days, I’d like to point out a current Amazon promotion: three months of the Audible service for 99 cents a month. You can get new releases, older bestsellers, podcasts and more. Books/podcasts can take your mind off things while you commute, work out, clean the house or do yard chores.

After three months, the subscription will revert to its usual $14.95-per-month fee. (Disclosure: As an Amazon affiliate, I will receive a commission if you subscribe using my link.)

Win some books!

Want to change someone’s life, or maybe your own? A book can do that. There are several ways to enter to win one of these:

• Leave a general comment below (one per customer)
• Follow me via Feedly
• E-follow me by using the “get new posts by email” box at the top right of this page (towards the bottom of the page if you’re on mobile), or using the little green envelope icon at the end of this article)
• Sign up to follow me on Twitter
• Sign up to follow me on Facebook

Please leave a separate comment for each entry (e.g., “Follow you on Twitter” or “Subscribed by e-mail”).

The deadline to enter is 6 p.m. PST Sunday, Nov. 2. The first person to respond to my email gets their pick of the tomes; the second can choose from the other two, and the third will get what’s left. If I don’t hear back from the winners by 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 3, I will have the random number generator pull more names. 

Note: Due to the high cost of international shipping, this giveaway is limited to U.S. residents.

The post Giveaway: New PF books. first appeared on Surviving and Thriving.

The post Giveaway: New PF books. appeared first on Surviving and Thriving.

Back in February, we were paying $7.69 per dozen** – and these were just ordinary eggs, rather than the fancier kinds. I’d blocked the actual price tag. That’s when we got serious about egg substitutes.

For the uninitiated, “repack” eggs are created by combining eggs from various boxes. Ever open a carton to check before buying and found a cracked egg, or more than one? Dairy department managers remove the busted cackleberries and put their unbroken brethren into new boxes; where we live, those boxes are marked “Grade B.” Maybe the B stands for “broken.”

As a result, we get a mix of white eggs, brown eggs, Eggland’s Best (which have little red “EB” tattoos), extra-large and regular. Maybe some are even organic. All we know is that they’re $1.99, whereas large eggs are currently $2.79 and extra-large are $3.19.

Even at a reduced price, we’re looking to stretch the grocery bill any way we can. For us, that means egg substitutes.

That’s for baking, not for breakfast. DF still has one or two eggs in the morning, four or five times a week. He’s worked hard his whole life and is willing to spend on things that matter to him. But when it comes to cookies and cakes, we’ve found that egg substitutes work pretty well.

Maybe that’s because we substitute only one egg out of the two (or three) called for in most recipes. But vegan bakers swear by egg substitutes like:

1. Flax eggs

I mix a heaping tablespoon of ground flaxseed with three tablespoons of cold water and let it rest until it starts looking gel-like. My research indicates that this is best for pancakes, cookies and muffins, but it’s worked great for most of the cakes I bake (including my mom’s famous sour cream chocolate cake).

Incidentally, our ground flaxseed was free thanks to a Buy Nothing score: One of the members of our neighborhood group was helping a friend clear out her prepper dad’s place after he went to assisted living. We and other BN devotees walked away with cases of beans, oats, wheat and more. As luck would have it, I arrived just when she was bringing out the one case of sugar (36 pounds) and she asked if I wanted it. Did I?!? Then she said, “There’s a bag of flaxseed, too – do you use it?” The bag weighed 20 pounds, and may last us forever.

2. Yogurt, buttermilk or sour cream

Erin Huffstetler of My Frugal Home suggests using a quarter-cup per egg for pancake, muffin, cookie or cake recipes.

3. Aquafaba

Funny word, huh? Aquafaba is the liquid drained from cans of white beans or chickpeas. You use three tablespoons per egg you’re substituting. Apparently you’re supposed to whisk it until it’s foamy, but I skipped that step and it still turned out well.

4. Fruit puree

My Frugal Home recommends a quarter-cup of applesauce, pumpkin puree, or mashed avocado or banana, along with a half-teaspoon of baking soda.

5. Oatmeal or bread crumbs

Not for baking, obviously. This is for meatloaf, meatballs or any other savory dish that uses eggs to bind ingredients together. Apparently you can also use a few tablespoons of aquafaba, but I haven’t tried that.

6. Tofu

Not just any old tofu, but silken tofu – and it needs to be pureed in a blender or food processor. A quarter-cup per egg should do it, according to Martha Stewart. Note that your baked goods won’t get as brown, but they’ll stay tender. You may also have to add a few minutes to the baking time for recipes that use egg substitutes.

What about powdered eggs?

Although we did buy*** some powdered eggs online during the shortage, this isn’t a good strategy for us. They actually weren’t bad: DF scrambled some up and we both agreed they were agreeable enough.  If push comes to shove, I could see doing a panful of half-fresh, half-powdered.

A few more pro tips:

Eat less. If you do a two-egg omelet or scramble two eggs with your toast, that dozen eggs will become six breakfasts rather than four.

Bulk up your eggs. Start your scramble or omelet by sauteeing onions and/or peppers, then stir in some sliced leftover baked potatoes. If you have leftover meat, beans or some shredded cheese, throw that in, too. Throw them in, too. At that point, you might not even want to add any eggs; instead, fold the skillet mixture into a tortilla, top with a little salsa and sour cream (or yogurt), and enjoy. Or go ahead and make it a Mexican or Denver omelet, but with two eggs instead of three.

Eat them less often. Make eggs a treat rather than a daily special. If you eat two a day, you’re talking more than a dozen a week just for breakfast before you’ve even thought about baking.

And yes, we do like to bake our own treats: Not only is this much more affordable, it lets us avoid preservatives. We also get to tinker the recipes, such as adding a little of our homemade green powder or substituting dried cranberries for raisins. Some day, maybe I’ll write about the resounding success of pork cake.

Readers: What are egg prices like where you live? Have you ever tried egg substitutes?

*This average includes the prices of organic, free range and cage free eggs along with traditional ones.

**I know this from reading an article I wrote at the time, but I’d blocked the actual price tag. If you’d asked whether we’d ever spent 64 cents per egg, I would have denied it. Wow, that was a lot of money.

***When I say “buy,” what I really mean is “cash in rewards points for gift cards to pay for the eggs.” Learn how to do this at “Rewards points FTW!”

Related reading:

• Extreme frugality: Liquid assets
• Frugal hack: Grocery substitutions
• Senior Tuesday takedown
• Extreme frugality: Deal eyes

The post Extreme frugality: Egg substitutes. first appeared on Surviving and Thriving.

The post Extreme frugality: Egg substitutes. appeared first on Surviving and Thriving.