Skip to main content

Frugal Five: #32

The Frugal Five: #32


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.    


Last week was a little hard to get anything accomplished, so I needed

to give myself grace.   Although I did try to be as frugal as possible, I

also needed to keep my life together.    


1- Cooked at Home ALL Week

Wow!   I did it!   I am super busy with working full time and my son’s 

activities and I still made dinner for the family each night.   I took a little

extra time this week to meal plan, meal prepped on Sunday and utilized

a little grace on Thursdays with sandwich night.  In addition, I planned

out next week’s meals for another easy week.     


2- Homemade Coffee Creamer 



A few weeks ago, I picked up 2 different flavors of coffee syrup,

but struggled with how to use it.   At first I just put it in my coffee, but the

flavor was too strong and I didn’t have a positive experience.    However,

this week, I decided to mix it with milk to create a coffee creamer.     After

a little experimentation, I came up with about 2 tablespoons per

creamer pitcher.            


3- Took Advantage of Grocery Sales

& stayed w/i $200

Meijer’s weekly sale included a buy 7 for $7.00.   This deal included so

many things we normally purchase and pay a lot more than $1.00.    I

decided to set aside $20.00 out of my budget and picked up that many

items for my pantry.       I love finding things at rock bottom prices.   


4- Homemade stock for Chicken

Noodle Soup


Small cans of chicken stock cost $1.00 each and larger containers cost

about $2.00.   Since I had roasted chicken on the menu last week, I took

the bones, a variety of vegetable ends (saved in the freezer), added water,

spices and cooked it in the crock pot all day to create bone broth. This

created 6 cups of broth from leftovers.    


5- Use Gas Hacks 

   


I combined using GasBuddy w/ my Kroger Points to save $0.60 per gallon.  

This resulted in a savings of $6.60 this week.    It is not a lot, but every little

bit helps, especially for essential purchases.   


Do you want to see what we did last week?   

Just click on the picture for the link. 


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



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Menu Planning: #245

  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 preparation of these dishes may be higher due to inflation and/or location.      March USDA Thrifty Food Plan ccording to this plan our family would have a budget of $186.20 per week.  Given our health concerns, we struggle to maintain this budget, but I am going to try to make this happen.    Cost Saving Tip of the Week: Check your sale flyers for loss leaders.   Each week grocery stores advertise specific products at a great price to get you in the store.   Recently, I have noticed a very specific time frame for getting these deals.   Good luck and happy hunting.   Here is what we did this week to make our week easier:   Refrigerator Clean Out Pre-cut all vegetables for the week Pulled older items to the front for easier consumption C...

Menu Planning: #250

  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 preparation of these dishes may be higher due to inflation and/or location.      March USDA Thrifty Food Plan According to this plan our family would have a budget of $186.20 per week.  Given our health concerns, we struggle to maintain this budget, but I am going to try to make this happen.    Cost Saving Tip of the Week: When I purchase fruit for the week, it helps to calculate the cost per serving vs. the cost in general.   For example, this week a whole watermelon was on sale for $3.99 each.    When it is cut up, the watermelon will yield at least 20 servings which will place the cost per serving at $0.20.    Here is what we did this week to make our week easier: Breakfast Options:  Hard Boiled Eggs Yogurt Homemade Breakfast ba...

Menu Plan #307

  Menu Plan #307 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 preparation of these dishes may be higher due to inflation and location.      February 2025  USDA Thrifty Food Plan According to this plan, our family would have a budget of $189.30 per week. Since March has 4 weeks, our monthly budget is $757.20.   We elevate our dining experiences by including fresh fruits, vegetables, and higher-quality meats.  Since we have health concerns and are active individuals, we limit our processed food choices.    Grocery Shopping Tip:     Utilize your grocery store’s loyalty program. This month, my 2 primary grocery stores have provided me with store coupons for bread, Silk milk, jelly candy, frozen vegetables, and Bali coconut water.  Here is what we did this week to make our week easier: ...