The Frugal Five: #64

 The Frugal Five: #63

With inflation on the rise and salaries being unable 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- Free-Bee Pickup 

This week has a small haul, just 3 things, but what a bargain.   I was able to pick up 3 bottles of Listerine (1 liter) for a final price of FREE→ yes FREE!   Wow!  This is my husband’s favorite type of mouthwash, so I was grateful to be able to pick them up.  So far, this is my favorite deal for the month of August!   

2- Garden Harvest 

The garden is starting to produce a significant amount of produce.   This week I was able to get squash and tomatoes.   I have been craving fried green tomatoes and this is the week that I am making it.     In addition, I will be making homemade salsa and preparing for canning the tomato harvest that is coming.   In addition, I processed the squash for the freezer, so we can have roasted yellow squash this winter.       

  3- Emergency Dinners 

Best-laid plans sometimes get sidetracked which results in eating out for our family.   This is very expensive and with the economic forecast, we are working on eliminating this habit.   It is a hard process.    Previously, I picked up a few Keilbasa (due date far, far away) and I didn’t place them on my meal plan on purpose.    This week, we ran into a situation where it would be easy to eat out, but instead, we made a basic Keilbasa dinner.   It was yummy and filled us up.   Best of all, we didn’t go out to eat. 

 

4- Treats for the Office/Classroom

Everyone contributes to providing treats to share with others at our places of work.    Hershey’s candy is a favorite at both of our works which normally costs $5.00-$6.00 per bag.   I found a few bags on sale for $4.00 per bag and I had some coupons and CVS Extra Care Bucks that I could use to pay for them.   I was able to get 4 bags with no out-of-pocket expense.   (Note- this will NOT be seen on my Free-Bee list because I used   ECB earned from other purchases and didn’t receive any back from this purchase.) 

5- Aldi’s for the Win

Traditionally Aldi has lower prices on generic or store brands than other grocery stores, but you still need to be careful and do your homework.    This week I choose to shop at both Aldi and Kroger to maximize my dollars.   Aldi has cheaper prices on produce, eggs, creamer, and basic can goods.  However, this week Kroger had a great sale on milk, almond milk, lunchmeat, and a few produce items (cherries, peppers, and cucumbers).    I decided to pick up enough of the sale items for 2 weeks and plan my meals accordingly.   Since I didn’t pick up a lot of dinner proteins, I was able to stay within budget.   

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- 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. Check back next week for the August-September 2023: Living Large in the Cheap Seats Post. 

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.