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The Frugal Five: #59

 The Frugal Five: #59




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 the daily or weekly activities that help us live a frugal life.    


1- Front Yard Appeal

Your home's curb appeal starts with your front yard.  Keep your lawn mowed and clear of debris and clutter.   Our home has roses planted out front, and when flowering, they are beautiful.  However, when the flowering process is finished, they turn brown and do not look very good, so redhead the plant.   In addition, their leaves are prone to be attacked by bugs making them look bad.  To take care of this situation, I treat the leaves and deadhead the roses.   This will help the roses to rebloom this season.    At the end of the season, you cut the roses back to the ground.   


2- Children’s Art Work 

My son had a ceramics class this past year at school and made several pieces that he didn’t want.    These discarded pieces are cute and look great in the garden.   I added them to different spots along with previously purchased figures to add a little whimsy to our yard.    

  

3- Statues

Last year for my birthday, I picked out a Dancing Lady statue to add to my yard decor at a discount store.  When I put it out last year, I discovered that because it was so light that it blow around the yard.   This year I discovered a hole in the bottom of the statue to add sand or rock to.   It was missing the plug, but a little duct tape worked and no one can tell.     

4- Adding Lights


Adding accent lighting is important to highlight various design elements which elevate the beauty of your home’s exterior.    This year we were able to pick up two strings of lights at a Freight Harbor store which sold them at a very low price point.    Since we have been looking at these particular lights for a while, we knew what a good deal was and jumped at this opportunity.    In addition, we found a few solar spotlights to add to our yard, which light up the front of our home thus creating a safer entrance to our home. 

5- Eating Alfresco



Eating outside among nature elevates a meal.   We enjoy eating our dinners in our screened-in porch area.   We work on adding elements of joy to it each year which helps us to eat at home and enjoy our home more.   


June and July 2023- Living Large in the Cheap Seats is out.   I am excited that our Concerts in the Park series has started.   This area is rich in music.   


Check out all of the free or cheap things to do in the Cincinnati area or just for ideas of where to look for free/cheap things in your area. 

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.


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