Black Friday

On November 28, 2025 By thefunkyfrugalistaIn Home StuffLeave a comment

I woke Jackson up around 8 so that we could go to the mall after I dropped Donny off at work. He works less than 2 miles away and the mall is a little under 3 miles. I was surprised that it wasn’t super packed. I think that every time Entertainmart has a sale we are a bit disappointed. It was buy 2 get 3 free on red ticketed items. The thing is, you have to look everywhere to find a red ticketed item and it gets frustrating. We looked around there for a while and then headed into the mall.

JCPenney always has some pretty decent deals. I found some bath towels that I really liked. I cannot stand fluffy towels. They also cannot be soft. It just grosses me out. I found the perfect ones on sale for $2.99. I only got 4 because that’s all I needed to replace.

I also found Donny some shirts and pajama bottoms for Christmas. Next Jackson wanted to go to Hot Topic. It was buy one get one half off. He found a belt and a shirt. I got Hannah some Christmas gifts there also. MiniSo was actually having their Black Friday sale tomorrow so we’ll go back because there are some items the kids want to get their friends. That’s all the shopping we actually did because a designer that Jackson loves was having a sale that started at 10 am. Some people might think it’s weird to let him pick out what he is getting for Christmas, but designer clothes aren’t cheap and I wanted to make sure it would be something he would definitely wear. Even though he knows what it is the clothes will still go under the tree.

After Jackson and I got home we ran to the thrift store because I needed to get a plate for my candles. I did find one and I also found some burlap for $2.00.

I had wanted something to put on the back of one of my bookshelves. I always use a dark walnut stain and because I have a lot of dark items it’s hard to actually see them. I measured the area, cut the fabric and used spray adhesive to get it to stick.

I think it turned out pretty good.

I also put together my candle plate.

I’ll end up switching out the candles as they burn down but it adds such a happy glow to the kitchen area.

The weather has also gotten much colder so that means bringing in all of my delicate plants from the patio. It’s supposed to be near and below freezing until the 10th. Winter in our home means it’s going to get a little plant crowded. I brought in one of my shelf tables from outside so that I had a place to put them.

We just always have to make it work.

Does anyone else cut up old sweat pants to make dusting rags? I swear they are the best rags. Jackson had a pair of sweats that didn’t fit him anymore so I cut them up.

I like to use the legs for ceiling fan dusting. Saved from the landfill and given new life.

Switcheroo

On April 21, 2025 By thefunkyfrugalistaIn Home StuffLeave a comment

We were planning on heading out the Avalon Faire, our local Ren Fest, but it rained on and off on Sunday. It seems like every Easter we get rain. Since Donny had the day off we decided to switch dining tables once again. I absolutely love the drop leaf antique table we have been using, but honestly, it’s just too big for the space. Everyone fit around it, but it wasn’t comfortable getting seated. The door is in a weird spot and was always hitting one of the chairs.

I had seen a parlor table on FB marketplace that I really liked, but when I measured it was going to be way too small. So we decided to bring in the rectangular table that we had used at one point during our years here. I still can’t believe that we have lived in Longview 7 years and in this house for 5 of those.

It was nice having Donny here to help me move everything around.

I plan on painting the bottom part as we’re out of the turquoise phase.

There is just so much more space. If we have more people for dinner we can always eat outside on the dining table there.

I have put the other table to good use. I was outside gardening most of the day today and it makes the perfect potting table.

And just because I am embracing my low maintenance style, this is how my hair looks when I just go to sleep with it damp. I do not miss my long hair one little bit. Now I can get ready in about 15 minutes. That’s definitely a win.

Did You Know?

On April 8, 2025 By thefunkyfrugalistaIn Home StuffLeave a comment

Our chickens didn’t lay many eggs during the colder months. That’s perfectly normal, but when it started warming up they started producing like crazy. We were getting overrun with eggs. We knew that it was time to start giving them away. I took them all out and did the egg test to see if they were all still fresh. We don’t wash them until we use them because it keeps the bloom on them and they stay fresh much longer.

We ended up having 107 eggs. We gave them to neighbors and co workers. We still ended up having too many so I decided to freeze them. Did you know that you can freeze raw eggs? The method I used was washing the eggs and then cracking them into silicon muffin pans.

img_20250404_1103570721524299124643306405

After they are in the cups you just sprinkle them with salt, this keeps the yolks thinner, cover them with cling wrap and freeze. When they are fully frozen, you just pop them out and store them in a freezer baggie. They can last up to a year.

I also made soy marinated eggs. They were so good.

I did a batch of pickled mustard eggs also but they need to pickle for about 10 days so I haven’t been able to try them yet.

I save all of my glass jars to reuse so if you happen to look in our fridge that’s what you’ll see most of. I use them for sauces, leftovers and pickling.

I also have a new favorite meal. I keep roasted sweet potatoes in the fridge at all times because they are a healthy snack and I eat them every day with fried eggs. If you haven’t tried it yet I highly recommend it.

It only takes about 25 minutes to roast a whole pan and they reheat well.

I Found A Way

On February 26, 2025 By thefunkyfrugalistaIn Home StuffLeave a comment

Everyone knows that you are supposed to drink water every day. I would always fill my tumbler up, take a few sips, and then somehow just lose the tumbler, forget about it, you get the idea. Lately I had beginning to feel dry. Kind of like my skin like a sponge left out in the sun. I googled how much water I should be drinking every day and it was a lot, 80 ounces to be exact. I knew for a fact that I wasn’t getting anywhere near that so I came up with a plan.

Every hour I would fill up my mason jar to the 1 cup mark and then I would just chug it. Think guy at a frat party chugging. I would mark it on the dry erase board on the fridge because I knew throughout the day I would lose track of how many cups I drank.

This is the third day I’ve done it and it’s been so easy. I will admit that I have probably gone through a roll of toilet paper per day but I hear that it gets better once your body adjusts. I can honestly say that I feel so much better. It’s amazing how fast it works. Hannah is even trying it out too. She has the blue tally marks. Even if you don’t like water, you can chug 8 ounces in under a minute and the benefits are so worth it.

I also found this amazing pumice stone. We have a VERY old gas stove. Even though I clean it there was always this flat burned on stain. I have tried scraping with a razor blade, baking soda, bar keepers friend, cleaning paste, really just about everything. I was in Drug Emporium and ran across this.

I thought it couldn’t hurt to try. So I got to rubbing.

You can see the spot where I started. It took a lot of elbow grease, but it came off like a charm.

I couldn’t believe how much better it looked and there were no harmful chemicals used so even better.

Dining Nook Dilemma

On January 11, 2025 By thefunkyfrugalistaIn Home StuffLeave a comment

Our poor little dining nook is hardly ever used. It has been through so many changes since we first moved into this house almost 5 years ago.

We first tried our normal dining room table. That was WAY too big.

screenshot_20250107-165144~28808635885319367608.

I had another smaller table that we used until we could find one that we really liked. This one was okay, but it was just too narrow.

screenshot_20250107-165151~21338652100970553262.

We had this round table in our breakfast nook at the house we were living in before this one.

screenshot_20250111-220821~22992451831302446452.

Unfortunately we got rid of it when we moved because we actually downsized about 50% of our belongings. I had gotten the table off Facebook Marketplace and like it, but didn’t love it.

The table we have now I actually got for free. I was helping our landlord get one of her houses ready for new renters. The old renters had left this one behind and she asked me if I wanted it. I did and I love it. It’s an antique drop leaf. I refinished the chairs that I picked up at the thrift store. They were only $2.50 per chair. The problem is that the door needed to be about a foot to the right when the house was built in the late 1950’s.

I can’t really change anything until the weather warms up because the outside plants in front of the window need to still be indoors.

This is another angle.

I would really like an island cart with seating. Something like this, but I would rather build it myself out of something I could repurpose.

screenshot_20250111-12485062245828916105495

I’m sure I’ll figure it out, it’s just bugging me right now. I want something that is just more user friendly which is hard in this particular space. It could be I’m just going through a funk and next thing I know I’ll like this room again. I guess time will tell.

The Nest

On December 11, 2024 By thefunkyfrugalistaIn Home StuffLeave a comment

A few years ago Donny and I had to be in Oklahoma City. It was just an overnight and I found the cutest Airbnb.

It was a four Plex and our space was the upper right unit.

Not only was it just so cute, but it had the MOST comfortable bed. We felt like we were in a nest. It was so hard to get up the next morning.

It doesn’t look like much, but oh how looks are deceiving.

After we left we couldn’t stop talking about this bed. I went so far as to message the host to find out what kind of mattress it was. Come to find out it was an iComfort Serta. That’s the exact mattress we have. Then he let me in on a little secret. He had a mattress topper on it. He couldn’t remember what brand it was. I looked around our town, but couldn’t find anything that matched what his topper felt like. I put it out of my mind until last week. I decided to look online to see what I could find on Cyber Monday. I found what I thought would be perfect. I found it on Amazon. It has 2 inches of memory foam and 2 inches of fluffy topper.

I couldn’t wait to open it.

It actually takes a full 48 hours before it’s fully fluffed up. Well, we needed to sleep on it so it only got about 14. Luckily the mail person delivered it at 6:30 in the morning. I didn’t tell Donny I ordered it. I wanted to see if he even noticed.

This was just after I put it on. I left the sheets off all day for maximum fluffing. Let me tell you, It was worth every penny. We finally have our own nest. Now if only the cat would stop waking me up by laying on my neck it would be perfect.

Busy Bees

On November 16, 2024 By thefunkyfrugalistaIn Home StuffLeave a comment

We were able to get so much done yesterday. Thankfully it was a gorgeous day outside. I was able to mow in a sweatshirt and joggers and not even break a sweat. When the weather is in the low 70’s it seems like everyone is in a better mood, even the chickens.

Donny worked on doing a deep clean on the chicken coop getting it ready for winter. It never gets very bad because they are only inside to lay eggs and roost at night. He added more hay than we normally do in the summer to keep them warm since the temperatures will be dropping later this week.

He had to run to the feed store to get more shavings and when he did he accidentally left his phone and wallet on the roof of the car when he was leaving. He saw them fly off when he was on the loop. He had to go back and as he pulled over an 18 wheeler ran over his phone. If you need a good phone case get the ONN brand from Walmart. There was only a tiny crack in the case at the corner. Everything else was fine. He did lose a couple of dollars when his wallet flew off, but managed to find his fishing license so that’s a win.

While he was running his errand I was busy in the shed going through clothes that we had put away. I ended up donating 8 bags. It’s such a good feeling to lighten the load.

I had washed out our Brita pitcher. I couldn’t relate to people saying how long it took for their water to filter. Mine always just filled up so fast. I always wondered just how it did it so fast. That’s when I took the filter out and realized I had never inserted it correctly. So basically, we’ve just been drinking tap water for months.

I also realized that I like the taste of tap water better than the filtered.

Since the cats DO NOT like the mower I decided to give them a little catnip treat. Queso hogged all of the first pile. When Milo got a pile he REALLY like it a lot.

He’s done so well with coming inside at night. Last night Donny was in Milo’s chair. He feels safe in that chair because he’s still afraid of the ceiling fan and a/c. He laid like this watching Donny until Donny realized that he was wanting to go to sleep on his chair.

Happy boy!

One that isn’t so happy is Monkey. She does not like Milo or Queso. All they want to do is be her friend, but this is the face they get when they are in the house.

Now I’m off to do a quick clean on the house so that I can go through my closet and do some purging. We bought some space bags to condense everything. I hope they work.

Small Spaces

On October 19, 2024 By thefunkyfrugalistaIn Home StuffLeave a comment

I have spaces in my home that just make me happy. It could be one of my kids artwork. It could be shelves that I made that hold things that are special to me.

With little storage in our kitchen I have shelves that hold staples that I use on a regular basis. The shelves were given to me by a friend. Thank you Cindy. The bakers rack below it was found on a curb on my street in Baton Rouge and was helped carried home by that same friend.

Donny and I built shelves that fit in the kitchen nook window.

At night, with the twinkle lights turned on it looks so cozy.

I love when the suns shines in to the window above the sink because it bounces little pops of color from my stained glass.

When we got rid of Jack’s dresser I repurposed the drawers into shelves. The ones in the dining nook holds cookbooks and other fun little treasures.

I love plants

We have very few pieces of furniture that we have bought new. This green shelving unit is one of them. It’s from Nadeau, started off turquoise because we bought it specifically for our kitchen in Baton Rouge. I painted it green and I like it even better.

When our home flooded in 2016, I saved some of the drawers from our bedroom and made these shelves. I love the thrifted lamp with the stained glass bulb.

I love having shelves because storage is at a premium in our home. These are the most recent ones in our bedroom.

No matter what type of home you live in only bring in things that make you happy. Your style is your style. You don’t have to follow trends, unless that is what you like. Grow and bloom where you’re planted.

I’d like to introduce you to Stevie Wonder. I named him that because apparently skunks are blind. He was outside eating at the cat bowl and on the way to his food ran right into my leg. Didn’t even phase him, he just kept on to his destination. I think he’s getting used to me.

Savoring

On August 25, 2024 By thefunkyfrugalistaIn Home StuffLeave a comment

While I was scrolling Instagram today, I saw this picture.

I have seen so many people already putting up Halloween and Fall decorations. When I go into the stores holiday decorations are already on the shelves. I get it because I was once a buyer for a store and I know that Fall merchandise begins arriving in July. That doesn’t make me feel good about it though.

I admit that it’s easy to fall into the trap of always looking ahead, longing for what is coming up. Summer is waning and Autumn is just around the corner but I feel like I am letting Summer down by rushing into the next season before one is truly over. I’ve decided that I am going to savor the rest of Summer. I’m going to lean into the hot days that are left because I know that when we are in the coldest days I will be longing for the hot sunny days I was wishing away a few months prior.

I will take my time ushering Fall in. I want to not be rushing through my days, but to savor each and every one. I want to take pleasure in all of the little things and not rely so heavily on waiting for the big things.

Speaking of little things, Donny and I were in Big Lots and found that all of their summer merchandise is 50% off. We found some solar lights to hang from the jasmine trellis. Will they stay there? Who knows, but for right now I really like the little bit of extra light they give to our side yard.

I am not a chip eater, but Jackson and I were in Walmart a few days ago and he bought some new Doritos. Not a Dorito fan, but I tried one of his and OMG they were the very best chips I’ve ever had. I only ate 2 of his, but could not stop thinking about them. Today Donny and I had to make a Walmart run because I wanted to make roast beef croissant sandwiches for dinner and you can bet I bought a bag of these magical chips.

I am not a big fan of curry or spicy for that matter, but these are so good. Not very curry or spicy. I actually may have bought two bags and hidden one.

Fake It

On May 27, 2024 By thefunkyfrugalistaIn Home StuffLeave a comment

We have hanging planters that for some reason, where they have to hang, every plant that I plant in them burns up. The afternoon sun is like a laser beam no matter what type of plant we use. Today Jackson and I had to run to Dollar Tree to pick up some lint rollers and I found a solution. Fake greenery. I am normally against any type of fake plants, but since this is the only place to hang the planters, I thought I’d give it a shot.

This one is high enough up to where it’s not that noticeable.

This one is a little iffy, so I’ll probably replace those greens, but for right now, it’s okay.

I also found some Maybelline lipstick in a brick shade for $1.25. I rarely wear lipstick, I’m more of a gloss person, but I really like the shade so maybe I’ll use it every once in a while.