Skip to main content

Frugal Friday- December 14




The Sweet Life on a Budget


Making small changes that have big results.


On Friday’s I share 5 frugal ideas to help you maintain The Sweet Life on a budget.  These things will have money saving ideas and/or a way to enhance your lifestyle for very little money.



Image result for kroger free fridaysI downloaded my Free Friday coupon from Kroger, looked for couponing opportunities and picked up some free toothpaste, cheap Eucerin lotion  and learned to hold a few coupons for next week. 
                                     
                      


We had some success and epic failures with our event planning this past weekend.  I packed a large number of snacks for my son’s swim event and lunches for Saturday, but didn’t pack anything for Sunday.  In addition, my son misplaced his Sunday snacks for Sunday and we needed to stop at Walmart for more snacks. However, even when we were paying our “stupid tax” , you know the price of not planning well, we looked for the best value for our money focusing on high nutritious products at a good value.  I also discovered that the Sunday paper was $1.00 in the area where the swim meet was, so I picked up my papers for their coupons. It was a small savings given the additional expense of the snacks, but every little bit helps.

Wins- Packed Snacks

Losses- Paid to eat out


      
Image result for aldi
Although it was hard, I set a lower grocery budget and kept to it.  I was able to do this by shopping my pantry first and only getting things that we need and/or were deeply discounted.  This week coming up, I am planning on shopping at Aldi's to stock up for the next month and our end of the month trip.  



Our church is having a special mass festival this Tuesday that we are going to attend.  We will be celebrating a festival for Our Lady Of Guadalupe. We will also be experiencing authentic Mexican food and enjoying the music of a Mariachi Band.



                                             


My husband has a potluck holiday party this week and needs to bring a side to share.  He has shared with me that it is a large group and the item will need to be very large.  In addition, many of the people in attendance are health conscious and prefer healthier options.  If we were to purchase a side dish it would be very expensive, so I have been wanting to try a recipe on Pinterest that would meet the above criteria, so I made it for him to take.  
         

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Menu Planning #132

Our meals need to be nutritious, clean, flexible, quick and cost effective. Between our work schedules and after school activities, we need to carefully plan our meals so that we do not end up ordering out.   The news is very scary at this time because of all the news of meat plants shutting down, grocery stories limiting the amount of meat a family can purchase and all of the talk about a depression on the horizon.    We have decided to keep our grocery budget the same, but to economize any way we can.     This week we tried to pick up some shrimp that was on sale, but the store was out of shrimp and not expecting to get any more in.    We were grateful to find wild caught salmon for the same price, so we picked that up instead for our Mother’s Day Dinner.    What did we spend?  Week 1: $96.44 Kroger: $96.44 Rebates: $3.55 IBOTTA: $1.35 Kroger Cash: $0.45 Checkout 51: $1.75 ...

Menu Plan #322

  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:     Rethink lunchmeat.     The deli will provide you with thin-sliced meat or presliced deli meat, but you will pay a premium per pound.     ($6.49 to $15.00 per pound) However, if you buy a ½ boneless ham (unsliced or presliced), the price point will drop to between ...

Frugal Five: #133

  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- Giving Back to the Community  Supporting your community can take countless shapes. Some people choose to write a check, and that generosity absolutely matters. But many outreach efforts require more than funding—they need time, hands, and hearts willing to show up. I’m grateful that I’m able to participate in several programs that make a real difference for the people around me. One of the most meaningful ways I give b...