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Frugal Five: June 12

  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.   1- Strategic Spending- Appliance Sale Cycle  Strategic spending is essential when you’re working to keep expenses below your income, and understanding sales cycles can make a big difference.  Memorial Day is traditionally one of the best times to replace major appliances because so many stores run competitive promotions.  Many retailers will even match each other’s perks, including free delivery, haul‑away, and instal...
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Menu Plan #340

  Menu Plan #340 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 March 2026:  USDA Thrifty Food Plan According to this plan, our family’s weekly budget is $192.80.  Since June  has 4 Sundays, our monthly budget is $771.20.   With my son’s Court of Honor coming up, we’re planning ahead so the refreshment costs don’t catch us off guard. Rather than scrambling at the last minute, I’m taking a slow‑and‑steady approach: strategic purchases over the next two months and rolling any leftover grocery money into a small sinking fund dedicated to the event. Grocery Shopping Tip:     Leveraging your Money:   This week at Costco, we found a pork loin priced at $1.99 per pound + a $6.00 discount at the register.   After the...
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Frugal Five: #135

  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.   1- Strategic Spending Strategic spending is essential when you’re working to keep expenses below your income.  This year I learned a surprising tip: when a hospital sends a digital request asking you to pre‑pay an upcoming bill, wait .  If you call and speak directly with a cashier, you may qualify for a discount.  With several procedures on our calendar, this simple step has saved us thousands of dollars.  I enc...
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Free Bees ---> April and May 2026

  This year has provided our family with 55 free items !   This year I am focusing on being more selective on what I pick up for free.      I am still seeking high quality items or preferred brands which my family will use.  As a result, I may need to pay a little for items previously picked up for free, but I am comfortable with this.    I will not be making a goal again this year, but am grateful for anything I am able to secure for my family.    Instead, my energy will be used to research how to elevate the items I purchase or get for free in our current economy.         Traditional ways of picking up free-bees are as follows: digital coupons, printables from the company when available, store coupons and reward programs, samples, and rebate apps such as IBOTTA.     I will seek additional ways to buy items at a significant discount or free.       ...
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Menu Plan #339

  Menu Plan #339 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 March 2026:  USDA Thrifty Food Plan According to this plan, our family’s weekly budget is $190.90.  Since May  has 5 Sundays, our monthly budget is $954.50.   My son is hosting a game night which we need to provide 7 teens with dinner, snacks and dessert.  In addition, Mother’s Day is this month and we usually pick up a treat meal to make at home, so we avoid going out to celebrate.  Finally, graduation and Memorial Day is this month.     I am trying to absorb these events into my grocery budget but this may break my budget.   I am tracking my weekly spending to see how close we are able to get to the thrifty budget of $954.50.    ...
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