The Sweet Life On A Budget

  The Frugal Five With inflation on the rise and our salaries not being able to keep up, it seems like we have taken a pay cut and must be more careful with our money.   The Frugal Five is a series where we celebrate our daily or weekly activities that help us to live a frugal life.     1- FREE Photos from CVS and Walgreens I was able to pick up 3 free 5x7 photos from CVS by using their promo code.   In addition, Walgreens provided a promo code for a free 8X10 photo.  It was easy to order online and then pick up at the store at my convenience.     Because I batch my errands, it didn’t cost me any additional funds to pick up the photos from each store.     2- Meijer’s 10 for $10 get the 11th Free         Meijer’s 10 for $10 get the 11th free Sale is back!  I was able to pick up 11 items for $1.00 each.   In addition to getting the 11th item free, I was able to use the $5.00 coupon which made 5 more items free.    I was able to pick up items that I would have purchased anyway from my gro

  Slowing down and taking the time to enjoy our surroundings is essential to Living the Sweet Life On A Budget.  Whether it is enjoying nature or the beauty of city architecture, taking time to stop and appreciate beauty wherever you find it is essential.   Our Rich Backyard Life looks at the beauty surrounding us, whether it is animals, flowers, buildings, locations, or anything else that we can appreciate in our daily travels.  Ever since I was a little girl, I loved fountains!   The beauty of the water flowing through time and space.   The tranquility of the sound of the water hitting itself.    I could watch the flow fountains for hours on end.   I still found this experience to be relaxing and calming.      Here are some examples of fountains in winter.  I can’t wait until spring when the other local fountains are turned back on.  What beauty were you able to find in your backyard?  Leave a comment or picture below?

  Meal planning is essential to eating healthy, keeping the grocery bill down, and maintaining your sanity throughout a workweek.   In addition to meal planning, I try to prepare meals as much as possible over the weekend.   This helps to lower my stress during the week.    However, if we have a busy weekend, I try to plan simple or crockpot meals.    Meal Preparation Plan Breakfast Bread Yogurt Lunch Bento Boxes NOTE-  1- Click on the picture and get a link to a post sharing the recipe.  2- Although at the time of the blog postings all prices were correct, the current cost of preparation of these dishes may be higher due to inflation and/or location.      Breakfast Options:  Breakfast Bread Yogurt Bagels Monday Leftovers Tuesday Shrimp Fried Rice Wednesday Pasta w/ Homemade Gravy  Salad Garlic Bread Thursday Breakfast for Dinner Apple Pfannekuchen Friday Cheese Steaks Chips Vegetables w/ Dip Saturday Hamburgers Fries Vegetables w/ Dip Cucumber Salad Sunday Chili Corn Bread M-Tacos T-

  The Frugal Five With inflation on the rise and our salaries not being able to keep up, it seems like we have taken a pay cut and must be more careful with our money.   The Frugal Five is a series where we celebrate our daily or weekly activities that help us to live a frugal life.     1- Reusing Grocery Bags Each week I get several grocery bags from the store when I check out.    These bags could go into the landfill without using them for anything else, but why would I do that?    I use my grocery bags as liners for my trash cans, to wrap paint brushes, use them at Aldi grocery and for so much more.       2- Grocery Budget: 1 Chicken makes 3 Meals      Meat prices keep going higher and higher, so I tried to make three meals out of one chicken this week.  At Kroger I was able to pick up a 5.25 pound frying chicken for $7.82/$1.49 per pound.     On Sunday, I made a full roasted chicken with extra sides (3 servings).      Then, I used the carcass to make chicken bone broth which was

  Meal planning is essential to eating healthy, keeping the grocery bill down, and maintaining your sanity throughout a workweek.   In addition to meal planning, I try to prepare meals as much as possible over the weekend.   This helps to lower my stress during the week.    However, if we have a busy weekend, I try to plan simple or crockpot meals.    Meal Preparation Plan Egg Sandwiches Yogurt NOTE-  1- Click on the picture and get a link to a post sharing the recipe.  2- Although at the time of the blog postings all prices were correct, the current cost of preparation of these dishes may be higher due to inflation and/or location.      Breakfast Options:  Breakfast Bread Yogurt Egg Sandwiches  Hard Boiled Eggs Monday Chicken Soup Sandwiches Tuesday Fried Rice Wednesday Chicken Parmesan Pasta with Homemade Gravy Salad Thursday Leftovers  Friday Pizza Saturday Enchiladas Salad Rice Sunday Greek Chicken Salad Hummus Pita M-Leftovers T- Fried Rice W- Stuffed Shells  Th-  Leftovers Fri- C

  I was first introduced to Living Large In the Cheap Seats from a college friend, Chris J., who introduced me to lawn tickets for popular bands.   We were able to see great concerts at a significantly discounted rate.   Later when reading Brokenomics by Dina Gachman, I revised this concept and decided to share it with you.  I have been doing this for years and have been able to enjoy wonderful experiences.   FREE Entrance to National Parks   NPS Photo .     National Parks are one of America’s treasures and are enjoyed by many.     Although some parks are free to the public, others charge entrance fees.    However, five times a year our National Park Service offers Free Entrance to over 400 National Parks.  I like to take advantage of these days to see the parks which normally have entrance fees.  It offers me and my family a chance to widen our experiences.    However, if you love going to National Parks and traveling throughout the United States, it may be in your best interest to in

  The Frugal Five With inflation on the rise and our salaries not being able to keep up, it seems like we have taken a pay cut and must be more careful with our money.   The Frugal Five is a series where we celebrate our daily or weekly activities that help us to live a frugal life.     1- Save on Gas I noticed my gas tank was very low and needed gas.   I checked the Gasbuddy app to see the price points for my local gas stations.   Since all of the stations were the same price, I selected the station that accepted my Kroger gas points.     WOW!  I was able to save $0.50 per gallon.    This came to a savings of $9.00.      2- Grocery Budget: Build a Pantry  Each week I try to keep $10.00 aside to build my pantry.    By checking the sales each week and investing in our pantry.  Through this habit, I am able to build my pantry when items are at their lowest price.    For example, last week, I took advantage of a Meijer deal that provided me with 12 large boxes of tissues for just $8.84 or

  Meal planning is essential to eating healthy, keeping the grocery bill down, and maintaining your sanity throughout a workweek.   In addition to meal planning, I try to prepare meals as much as possible over the weekend.   This helps to lower my stress during the week.    However, if we have a busy weekend, I try to plan simple or crockpot meals.    Meal Preparation Plan Peanut Butter Eggs Egg Sandwiches Yogurt Curitdes Chicken Stock NOTE-  1- Click on the picture and get a link to a post sharing the recipe.  2- Although at the time of the blog postings all prices were correct, the current cost of preparation of these dishes may be higher due to inflation and/or location.      Breakfast Options:  Bagels Yogurt Hard Boiled Eggs Monday Enchiladas Salad Chips with Salsa Tuesday  Sausage Roasted Potatoes Salad Wednesday Leftovers Thursday Quesadillas Salad Chips w/ Salsa Friday Sandwiches  Saturday Calzones Salad Sunday Baked Chicken Rice Broccoli Salad M-Chicken Soup T- Fried Rice W- Ch