Skip to main content

The Frugal Five: #75

 The Frugal Five: #75


With inflation on the rise and salaries not increasing, our ability to make ends meet keeps going down.    Therefore, we 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- Celebrate Lunch 

Workplaces are getting more and more stressful each week.   I find myself eating quickly and then spending the rest of my time working instead of refocusing.     However, I was never ahead and felt so drained by the end of the week, that my weekends are spent recovering.    So, I decided to take back my lunch break.   I am packing healthy, beautifully packaged lunches and rewarding myself with some jazz music while I eat.     This helps to relax me and allows me to think a little more clearly.    I consider this frugal because I am packing my lunch, the jazz is free and above all my mental health is taken care of.    


2- Earning Gift Cards

I make it a habit to get onto the My Points website on a daily/weekly basis and complete the daily poll and surveys, upload grocery receipts, and use their search engine when looking things up on the web.   This has earned me $100.00 in gift cards in 2023 on My Points.   In addition, I upload my receipts to IBOTTA weekly to earn the rebates they offer each week.     This year I have earned $389.01 in gift cards for 2023 so far.    


If you are interested in taking advantage of these programs, I am leaving my referral information below.  For full disclosure, we will both get rewarded for using the referral codes below. 


IBOTTA: https://ibotta.onelink.me/iUfE/8cc13c64?friend_code=yasucyr

My Points: https://www.mypoints.com?rb=25406148




3- Enjoy Cheap and Free TV Shows and Movies

We cut the cable cord years ago and never looked back.    There are so many ways to stream TV shows and movies for free.       We enjoy Tubi, Roku, and so much more.        In addition, our local library has DVD options to borrow.    Finally, for a small fee, you can pick up an antenna and watch TV in real-time. 

     

4- Nice Christmas Presents at a Discount


Over the year, I watch for sales and try to maximize my savings with coupons and rebates for nice items to give as Christmas presents.   In addition, I compare prices and am able to get the same item at the best price.   Periodically, I receive free product coupons from Bath and Body Works.    I will pick up either hand soaps or hand cream to add to my gift closet.     I can usually find, a variety of make-up from drug stores, for free which I place in a gift basket or bag.   In addition, I take photos of beautiful sculptures or animals when we are traveling.    When I receive coupon codes for free photos from Walgreens or CVS, I pick up as many photos as I can.   Then I pair them with a frame from Michaels or Goodwill. 


5- Coffee Score


This week Starbucks coffee was on sale at Kroger, so I picked up the maximum number of pounds I could buy.    By brewing my own Starbucks at home, I save a great deal of money.     A regular coffee at Starbucks costs between $2.75 (using a reusable cup)  and $2.85.   In addition to basic coffee, I can make deluxe drinks too which saves me even more.   Deluxe drinks cost about $6.00 per drink→ WOW!  


What Free-bees have you been able to pick up this year?    My September free-bee haul knocked it out of the park!    Hopefully, October will pick up soon, because it is looking a lot like my August haul.      


Here is my list: 

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.


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2025 Updated Breakfast Under $1.00

On the USDA Website, their thrifty grocery budgets range from  $25.70 to $72.80 per week ($3.67 - $10.40 per day) per person.   The two factors that determine the amount allocated are age and sex.  With such a small amount of money allocated daily for food and my attempt to eat healthily, I need to plan each week carefully.     With the Bird Flu hitting America hard recently, the egg is no longer a humble star but is turning into a luxury.     A dozen eggs cost $5.49 or $0.46 each.  At this price, I am looking at other options for breakfast.   Breakfast is a great place to add value to your meal planning.    It can be the cheapest or most expensive meal.  The choice is up to you.    NOTE: Prices are for the Northeast area for March 1,  2025 Let’s look at breakfasts that come in at or under $1.00.     Beagle and Cream Cheese ($0.69 per serving) Kroger Prices Bagels (6ct)- $2...
Post a Comment
Read more

Meal Planning: #287

  Menu Plan #287 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.      August  USDA Low Food Plan According to this plan, our family would have a budget of $185.60 per week.  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.          Here is what we did this week to make our week easier:   Breakfast Options:  Yogurt Muffins Egg Sandwiches Lunch Options: Grilled Chicken  Salads Chicken Salad Monday Hamburgers Roasted Potatoes Corn  Tuesday Street Tacos Salad Wednesday Enchilada Salad Chips w/ Salsa Thursday Leftovers Friday Chicken Parmesan Pasta Sal...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Frugal Five: #88

  The Frugal Five: #88 With inflation on the rise and salaries not increasing, our ability to make ends meet keeps going down.    Therefore, we 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.     This week I am exploring how to keep costs down during busy weeks.    Keeping dinner on the table instead of eating out is one of my strategies to get the job done.    Here are some of my tips and trips.    1- Free-Bee Pick Up  Over the last month, we have been blessed with several Free-Bees.  First, a friend gave us a dozen eggs from his chickens.  In addition, we picked up several photos with discount codes from Walgreens and CVS.   Next, we used our local grocery store coupons for several free food items such as seltzer water, ice cream, etc.   Then, we picked up toothpaste and eyeliners from ...
Post a Comment
Read more