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Frugal Five: #119

  With inflation on the rise and salaries not increasing, our ability to make ends meet is decreasing. Therefore, we must be more careful with our money. The Frugal Five is a series that celebrates the daily or weekly activities that help us live a frugal life.     I am exploring ways to reduce costs during busy weeks. One strategy is to watch the pennies because they add up. Here are some of my tips and tricks.    1- Putting the Gardens to Bed It is time to pull and compost the garden’s plants, add compost, and cover the strawberries with straw.    This fall, I will add the leaves from our trees to the garden bed to decompose over the winter.    These few loving tasks will enhance my soil and help produce a higher garden yield next year.      2- Our Rich Backyard - Deer Come Visiting When we lived in Columbus, Ohio, our home was regularly visited by deer on their way to the pond located next to our yar...
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Menu Plan #321

  Menu Plan #321 NOTE-  1- Click on the picture and get a link to a post sharing the recipe.  2- Although all prices were correct at the time of the blog postings, the current cost of these dishes may be higher due to inflation and/or location.      Published September 2025:  USDA Thrifty Food Plan According to this plan, our family has a weekly budget of $190.50. Since  October has 5 weeks, our monthly budget is $952.50.   We elevate our dining experiences by including fresh fruits, vegetables, and higher-quality meats.  Since our family has specific dietary needs, we limit our consumption of highly processed food.   Grocery Shopping Tip:     Shop digitally before heading to the stores.  Since all of my local stores are within a 1-mile radius of each other, it pays to check prices digitally before going grocery shopping and create a separate grocery list for each store.    This way, the lowes...

Frugal Five: 118

  With inflation on the rise and salaries not increasing, our ability to make ends meet is decreasing. Therefore, we must be more careful with our money. The Frugal Five is a series that celebrates the daily or weekly activities that help us live a frugal life.     I am exploring ways to reduce costs during busy weeks. One strategy is to watch the pennies because they add up. Here are some of my tips and tricks.    1- Garden Harvest Preservation  This year's harvest is finishing up with a few bits of produce.    I processed a large amount of tomatoes and peppers into tomato sauce and jalapeno poppers.   In addition, I am incorporating the garden’s carrots, onions, garlic, and dried spices into my meal plans.     2- Our Rich Backyard -  Our local artisans participate in a farmers' market each Saturday.    Currently, our market is outside our local library from 9:00-1:00.   After I finish w...

FREE BEES--> September 2025

  This year has provided our family with 114 free items !   This year, I am focusing on seeking fewer freebies but looking for higher-quality items to pick up.    However, I will pick up all the free bees my family will use within the year.  As a result, I may need to pay more for items previously picked up for free, but I am comfortable with this.    Since I have changed my focus, I will not be making a goal this year.    Instead, I will use my energy to research how to elevate the items I purchase or get for free in our current economy.         Traditional ways of picking up freebies include digital coupons, store coupons, reward programs, samples, and rebate apps, such as Ibotta.     I will seek additional ways to buy items at a significant discount or for free.        January (13 Items)  February  (14 items) March  (16 Items)  Apr...

Frugal Five: #117

  With inflation on the rise and salaries not increasing, our ability to make ends meet is decreasing. Therefore, we must be more careful with our money. The Frugal Five is a series that celebrates the daily or weekly activities that help us live a frugal life.     I am exploring ways to reduce costs during busy weeks. One strategy is to watch the pennies because they add up. Here are some of my tips and tricks.    1- Garden Harvest Preservation  July - August has been busy with harvesting and preserving our garden. I preserved salsa, canned tomatoes, pickled banana peppers, froze green beans, dried tomato skins, and dried many herbs.        2- Our Rich Backyard - Free Tickets to a Red’s Game My husband’s work provides a set of 4 tickets to the Reds’ game to key employees.   We were gifted a set of tickets and attended the game against the Braves.  I was able to share two tickets with a colleague....