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Menu Plan: #331

  Menu Plan #331 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 November 2025:  USDA Thrifty Food Plan According to this plan, our family’s weekly budget is $188.20.  Since January has 4 weeks, our monthly budget is $752.80.   However, we have specific dietary needs, so I have increased our budget to $200.00 per week or $800.00 for a month.     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:     Meat Swaps:     This week chili is on the menu and ground beef cost between $6.29 (73/27) - $10.49 (90/10) and ground turkey...
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Frugal Five: #127

  With inflation rising and salaries staying the same, our ability to make ends meet is becoming increasingly difficult. 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.     This year, my focus is on Simple Abundance , so finding ways to live well while staying on budget will be challenging.    Come along and enjoy my journey of elevating joy, enjoying what you have, and finding luxury in my local area.   20 1- Menu Planning  Through strategy and careful planning, you can feed your family well balanced healthy meals on a budget.   Each week, I pick up core ingredients at their lowest prices and save them for future meals.     For example, this week Italian Sausage is on sale for $3.99/lb.  Since its regular price is $5.29, I am saving $1.30 per pound.    I purchased several pounds because our freezer was...

January Sale Cycles- 2026

January Sale Cycles- 2026 There are cycles in the weather, economy, politics, and general fabrics of life, but the cycle that I have focused on recently is the sale cycles which seem to be predictable and constant.  Therefore, caution is best served here because overspending can easily occur in the name of saving money.  Since knowledge is power, here are a few tricks and skills to help you make an informed decision on your cycles.  This month, we will focus on the January sales cycles and give you a few general tricks to help you maximize your budget.  January tends to be focused on getting healthy, New Year’s Resolutions, colds, and after-holiday sales.  Here are some of the things I look for in January:  Health and Beauty Cold Medicine Pain Relievers Vitamins Cough Drops Tissues  New product lines (Hair Color, Beauty Products, Cosmedics)  Getting Healthy  Soup Jello  Healthy foods (Healthy Choice, South Beach)  Lara Bars Oats/Qua...

Menu Plan: #330

  Menu Plan #330 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’s weekly budget is $190.80.  Since January has 4 weeks, our monthly budget is $763.20.   However, we have specific dietary needs, so I have increased our budget to $200.00 per week or $800.00 for a month.     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:     Always check the reduced products at the grocery store.   This past week I found 11 oz of Starbucks Speciality Coffee for $2.47....