The Frugal Five: #61

 The Frugal Five: #61

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- Haircut Savings

Since haircuts are $30 per cut plus tip, each time my husband asks me to cut his hair, I am happy to.    This is a huge savings!   He gets his hair cut every other week, so on average, we save $60 per month on just his haircuts.   

2- Abundance of Squash

We have an abundance of squash from our garden this year, so I am looking for different ways to use it up.    I found a variety of recipes for the yellow squash bread recipe, squash casserole, steamed squash or grilled squash.     In addition to squash, I checked my tomato plants and found them heavy with fruit.     Although they are not ready to pick, I am planning how I am going to preserve them. 

  3- Free Wood 

My husband brought home several rounds from a tree to be split into firewood.     It was amazing that he was able to pick it up for free  and with a little labor, we will have wood for the fireplace this winter.   We are grateful for the ability to put aside a resource for the future. 

 

4- Free Professional Development

July is my month of learning key skills for my profession.    I finished the last hours of my Orton Gillingham course and my school district paid for me to take a self-paced Phonics First Course.   Once I am certified for Phonics First, I will also be able to tutor using this canned program on various platforms.   I already tutor an Orton Gillingham student, but those specialized students are rare.   

5- Leftovers for Lunch 

This week we reduced the amount of lunchmeat we purchased because we selected to eat leftovers for lunch.    Due to our health conditions, it is crucial for us to limit the amount of processed food that we put into our bodies.   We are currently investigating our ability to increase the amount of food we cook at night and take it the next day as lunch.   Sometimes we eat it as a true leftover and sometimes it is used as a component of our lunch.   For example, we cut up leftover meat and add it on top of a salad or create a soup with the leftover vegetables.   

What Free-bees have you been able to pick up this year?    My June has been a little weak, but the rest of the year was strong.     July is rebounding, so I am confident of making my goals this year.    Here is my list: 

July and August 2023- Living Large in the Cheap Seats is out.   Our area is rich in artistic events.   It has free concerts, movies, and museum events to take in.  There are events for all ages and interests.     

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.