The Sweet Life On A Budget

  February Sale Cycles- Update Prices seem to continue to climb as each day/month/year goes by.     It is getting more difficult to eat well while maintaining a balanced budget.    This post series' purpose is to provide the general trends so you can be more intentional with your grocery budget.  There are cycles in the weather, economy, politics, and general fabrics of life. Still, the cycle that I have focused on recently is the sale cycles which seem to be predictable and constant.  Therefore, caution is best served here because overspending can easily occur in the name of saving money.  Since knowledge is power, here are a few tricks and skills to help you make an informed decision on your cycles.  This month we will focus on the February Sales Cycles and give a few general tricks to make the most of your budget.  February tends to focus on the Super Bowl, Valentine's Day, Canned Food Month, National Hot Breakfast Month, Chinese New Year, and after-holiday sales.  Things to

  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.      December USDA Low Food Plan According to this plan, our family would have a budget of $183.70 per week.  Given our health concerns, we struggle to maintain this budget, but I will try to make this happen.      Here is what we did this week to make our week easier:   Blueberry Muffins (Box mix) Hardboil Eggs French Onion Soup Meal Planning Breakfast Options:  Yogurt Cereal Blueberry Muffins Lunch Options French Onion Soup Salad Monday Three Bean Chili w/ Meat Corn Bread Salad Tuesday Tacos Salad Chips w/ Salsa Wednesday Sandwiches Salad Thursday Boneless Chicken Wings Salad Raw Vegetables  Friday Left Overs Saturday Stir Fry Rice Salad Sunday Thia Coconut Chicken Rice Broccoli M- Chicken Casserole  T- Tacos W- Baked Shrimp Th- Gyros Fri- Pizza

  The Frugal Five: #77 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- Reduced Prices are Good, but FREE is best!  Walgreens has been on fire this month for picking up free items.    I have been able to get laundry rinse and refresh, oral care (toothpaste, mouthwash, floss, and toothbrush), makeup, crafting beads, charm, hand lotion, chapstick, photos, pepper, and beef broth.    Although Walgreens has been wonderful, other stores have also contributed to my stockpile.   I received store reward coupons from Bed and Body Works, Michaels, CVS, and Meijers.    

  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.      December USDA Low Food Plan According to this plan, our family would have a budget of $183.70 per week.  Given our health concerns, it is hard to maintain this budget because of the specialty food we need to purchase, but I will try to make this happen.      Here is what we did this week to make our week easier:   Banana Chip Muffins Meal Planning Weekly Meal Prep Pack Lunches Cook Dried Beans  Breakfast Options:  Yogurt Cereal Banana Chip Muffins Lunch Options Chili Sandwich Monday Potato Soup Sandwiches Salad Tuesday Crock Pot Chicken Tacos Salad Wednesday Pasta Homemade Gravy Sausage Salad Bread Thursday Left Overs Friday Cowboy Soup Salad Bread Saturday Bratwurst Saurkraut Mac and Cheese Raw Vegetables w/  DIp Sunday Salmon Rice Mixed