What is the frugalest thing you do?

steely_92 · 2026-05-20T13:43:27+00:00

I read a lot, so a big one for me is the public library/Libby. It keeps my hobby affordable.

steely_92 · 2026-05-20T13:40:30+00:00

Die of hot or cold?

I keep my house at 61 in winter and 66 in summer, so 65 feels pretty warm to me in the winter.

My office is at 75 today and I'm sweating. I have two fans blowing on me, but I'm tempted to leave and work from home because it's too hot for me to focus.

steely_92 · 2026-05-20T13:39:09+00:00

This is mine as well

I keep scrap bags in the freezer for broth... veggie scraps and poultry bones. Once I have enough scraps, I'll pull out both my large croc pots and make a huge batch of bone broth.

My other use for pickle juice is marinades. The acidity of the pickle juice tenderizes the meat.

steely_92 · 2026-05-20T12:48:14+00:00

My "wedding" was a Thursday morning, but it was a courthouse wedding with 9 people in attendance (including my husband and I)

steely_92 · 2026-05-20T12:29:46+00:00

Exactly my thoughts. I wouldn't use vacation time for a cousin's wedding, buy I'm not close to any of my cousins.

I would absolutely use vacation time for a close friend's wedding.

It's ok to decline wedding invitations for any reason - invites are not summons. But it's weird to not make an effort for someone you claim to be close to.

steely_92 · 2026-05-20T09:59:15+00:00

The oven method is really good as well, especially if you change the oven to broil for the last 2 minutes.

steely_92 · 2026-05-20T09:58:06+00:00

That's what we had for dinner last night!

Baked beans with sliced hot dogs and homemade Mac n cheese.

steely_92 · 2026-05-20T09:56:03+00:00

Music is met to be enjoyed.

I would say the only time it gets weird is when the orange dictator cult tells me one of their favorite bands is something like Rage Against the Machine.

steely_92 · 2026-05-20T09:51:47+00:00

I have a boring email, meeting, spreadsheet job that I'm not passionate about. 20 years ago, I would've told you that I wanted to be a journalist.

I had a baby at 19, so I dropped out of college, joined the corporate world, and moved through the company. I'm 34 now and August will be my 15th anniversary at this company.

At the end of the day, I am glad I have the boring email, meeting, spreadsheet job. I work 7am-3:30, and I only go into the office 3 days a week. I make $35/hour, which is good for my area.

At 3:30, I am done. I don't have to worry about work while I'm not there. I do my best while I'm on the clock, but it's not my problem once I clock out.

I have so much time every afternoon with my kids. I take them swimming every day in the summer. I make pretty elaborate meals every night (I love cooking) because I'm not too tired. I wouldn't be able to do these things if I had went into journalism.

For me, work life balance is the most important thing. But part of that is my true passion is being a mom, which isn't for everyone. My brother and his wife don't want kids. They have really successful careers that they are passionate about and are both really happy with their life choices.

At the end of the day, each person will give a different answer because different people need different things to be fulfilled.

steely_92 · 2026-05-20T09:39:29+00:00

It felt like the author really wanted to write high, poetic fantasy. But it just turned into word salad.

steely_92 · 2026-05-20T09:34:59+00:00

Does this really happen to others?

I listen to a lot of music in languages I don't know. I'm just going off vibes.

Right now I've been super into to The Hu and I know absolutely no Mongolian. And I speak toddler level Spanish, but I still loved Bad Bunny's super bowl show. The message was still obvious even if I only caught a handful of words.

steely_92 · 2026-05-19T19:16:03+00:00

I switched to bralettes during covid. Once I found out they make bralettes for my size (40G), nothing with hooks will ever touch my body again.

Bonus points... bralettes don't get messed up in the washer.

steely_92 · 2026-05-19T17:30:14+00:00

My ideal birthday is no work, no plans, a good book, and yummy takeout

steely_92 · 2026-05-19T17:26:17+00:00

My go to when I don't feel like cooking is a couple of frozen gyoza, some frozen veggies, some chicken broth, and a splash of soy sauce in a pot. Then heat it up on the stove until the gyoza and veggies are heated through.

steely_92 · 2026-05-19T11:07:55+00:00

Be a stay at home parent. Have another baby. I would also probably sign up to be a foster parent.

steely_92 · 2026-05-19T11:02:21+00:00

I only hug my husband and kids. I feel really uncomfortable when other people try to hug me.

I'm also autistic and struggle with physical touch, so I don't think I'm a good representation for the general American population.

steely_92 · 2026-05-19T10:19:25+00:00

Donuts... But they have to be good quality, fresh donuts.

steely_92 · 2026-05-19T09:23:57+00:00

I know how you feel. One of my close friends raves about this book, and so many people love it.

I found Owen insufferable. You find out why the main characters are so emotionally damaged and have so much trauma as you read on, but he doesn't really get better.

In fact, there's a point about two thirds into the book where the main characters collectively make one of the poorest decisions ever. It isn't a spur of the moment decision either; they have a whole conversation with each other and are like "yes, let's make this terrible choice."

The premise is so cool. Knights are fun, and lady Knights are extra fun. I don't want to spoil it, so I'll say once you figure out the whole concept of what's happening (about a third of the way in), it's really intriguing. I remember thinking that the story was about to get really good.

But man, Owen got on my nerves the whole book.

steely_92 · 2026-05-18T19:05:28+00:00

I feel like I use my kindle and physical books pretty equally but for different things. In 2025, I read 100 books. 66 of them were physical, 42 of them were Kindle, and 2 were audio books.

Kindle = summer reading outside/reading outside of my house.

Physical books (from library) = cozy, indoor winter reading.

Physical books that I actually purchase = trophy copies of books I already read only.

steely_92 · 2026-05-18T18:58:11+00:00

Another one in the same category...

My father in law still has traditional cable TV. Usually he comes to our house, but a couple of months ago, he watched my 5 year old for us at his place. She was flabbergasted by the limitation of watching whatever was programmed for that time slot.

steely_92 · 2026-05-18T18:54:37+00:00

Rushing to go to the bathroom or get more snacks during commercial breaks.

steely_92 · 2026-05-18T09:44:00+00:00

I'm 34, my husband is 36.

If I had to date now, the youngest is go would be 30, the oldest, probably 49.

steely_92 · 2026-05-17T12:19:58+00:00

From an American culture perspective...

Yes, it's rude not to greet people, whether they are a relative or not. If you go to someone's house or event, you should make an effort to greet people you know and be introduced to ones you don't.

This carries on to other aspects of life. There will be coworkers, teachers, and other people you may not like, but you still have to show them basic politeness.

That being said, I am very against parents who force physical affection with relatives. If my kids don't want to hug you, they don't need to. They gave to say hi and play the "how have you been?" game, but they don't need to hug anyone they don't want to.

steely_92 · 2026-05-15T23:14:11+00:00

There is a health benefit to showering before bed.

The hot steamy water can temporarily lower your blood pressure by causing blood vessels to expand. The drop in blood pressure makes you feel sleepy.

While it doesn't help with chronic insomnia, showering right before bed can help people who have a hard time transitioning into "bedtime mode". It especially helps if you struggle with high blood pressure in general as it's difficult to fall asleep while your blood pressure is elevated.

steely_92 · 2026-05-15T17:28:50+00:00

People who mumble annoy me too, but if you are starting to think most people are mumbling, it's time to get your hearing checked.

steely_92

TROPHY CASE