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Frugal 5: #21

The Frugal Five: #21

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 live a frugal life.    


1- Returned Curtains  

We have a large sliding door which lets a lot of light in, but it also makes the living room

extremely hot.    Therefore, I am in the market for off-white curtains.    I have attempted to

buy curtains online, but have been very disappointed with each curtain selection.  I have

returned each set of curtains which didn’t work out, so I haven’t lost any money.   I am going

to change my approach and start looking in the stores.   


2- Weekly Free-Bees 

We ended the month with a few more free bees.   I picked up several Covergirl makeups

that I need for the new school year.   Free face powder and high-end eyeliner are rare

freebies, so I am delighted with this pickup.   In addition, I walked out with 2 free tubes of

Crest Toothpaste.   This month CVS was the big winner for Free-Bee deals.   


3- Vacation on a Budget 

This year we are only able to get away for a few days, but we are making the most of it.   

We will be combining some of our favorite activities with a variety of free activities

to keep costs down.   Before the trip, I made a list of various cheap or free activities,

packed a family favorite game and we set out for the beach.     By choosing cheap or

free entertainment that we love along with budget-friendly meals, we are able to eat at

some outstanding restaurants.  


Cheap/Free Entertainment: 



Budget-Friendly Meals

  • Our hotel has a modified hot breakfast, so we enjoyed waffles topped with bananas

         and yogurt this week.   This makes for 1 free meal per day. 

  • For another meal, we picked up prepared items or cold cuts from the grocery store.  

         This meal ran between $20 and $30 per day.   I know it seems like a lot but
         compared with the $100 restaurant bill, it is a nice saving.   

  • In addition, we take snacks to keep our hunger at bay.    


4- Garden Goodness 

Our garden produce is ready to start harvesting.    We picked a small bowl of cherry

tomatoes, but there are several more getting reading to harvest.    Since these tomatoes

are from last year's Big Bertha plant, I am going to save some of the seeds for next year.    

I know that this year’s harvest will not be as strong because we moved during the

planting season and didn’t have a lot of seedlings to plant.    Just remember– every

little bit helps, so don’t get discouraged. 


5-Road Trip Meals

We had to take a road trip back to PA for a funeral and with gas prices through the roof,

we were looking for ways to minimize our expenses.   Packing a Road Trip Picnic was a

logical solution.    I picked up some drinks and picnic basics at the grocery store this week

and we were all set.  As a bonus, since we were using this trip as a stop-over for our

vacation trip, we had some extra drinks and snacks for the road the next day.    We just

stopped at the grocery store for a few perishables and we were set for day 2 of travel.  

Two days of eating out taken care of. 


Please leave a comment below with your ways of saving money this week.

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