The Frugal Five: #76

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- Crock Pot Cooking

The crock pot is a great solution for getting dinner on the table each night. In the morning, I spend a few minutes putting all the ingredients into the crock pot, set the cook cycle and dinner is ready when I get home.

2- Sunday Prepping

On Sunday, I prepare as much as I can for the week. I do this by planning all of our meals and completing all of my baking, and pre-cutting of vegetables and fruit. In addition, I pre-pack several days of lunches and prepare breakfast options for the week.

3- Pre-Making Breakfast

We keep breakfast simple in our house, so I make one baked item and we have the options of cereal and yogurt. Some things that I make for breakfast include banana bread, muffins, scones, or egg mcmuffins.

4- Sandwich Night

Each week we have sandwich night. I typically pick the busiest night of the week. Sandwich night is an easy, quick, and low-stress meal where each family member makes their sandwiches. We pair this with pre-cut vegetables, dip, and salad.

5- Left Over Night

Leftovers are a gold mine in savings. We use them for lunches, dinner night or just snacking. By cooking once and eating twice we reduce the amount of money we spend. Sometimes, we remake the protein into another dish and sometimes, we just reheat the leftovers for lunch the next day.

What Free-bees have you been able to pick up this year? My entire year is attached below.

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.

Comments

Menu Planning: #245

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. March USDA Thrifty Food Plan ccording to this plan our family would have a budget of $186.20 per week. Given our health concerns, we struggle to maintain this budget, but I am going to try to make this happen. Cost Saving Tip of the Week: Check your sale flyers for loss leaders. Each week grocery stores advertise specific products at a great price to get you in the store. Recently, I have noticed a very specific time frame for getting these deals. Good luck and happy hunting. Here is what we did this week to make our week easier: Refrigerator Clean Out Pre-cut all vegetables for the week Pulled older items to the front for easier consumption C...

Menu Planning: #250

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. March USDA Thrifty Food Plan According to this plan our family would have a budget of $186.20 per week. Given our health concerns, we struggle to maintain this budget, but I am going to try to make this happen. Cost Saving Tip of the Week: When I purchase fruit for the week, it helps to calculate the cost per serving vs. the cost in general. For example, this week a whole watermelon was on sale for $3.99 each. When it is cut up, the watermelon will yield at least 20 servings which will place the cost per serving at $0.20. Here is what we did this week to make our week easier: Breakfast Options: Hard Boiled Eggs Yogurt Homemade Breakfast ba...

Menu Plan #307

Menu Plan #307 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. February 2025 USDA Thrifty Food Plan According to this plan, our family would have a budget of $189.30 per week. Since March has 4 weeks, our monthly budget is $757.20. 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. Grocery Shopping Tip: Utilize your grocery store’s loyalty program. This month, my 2 primary grocery stores have provided me with store coupons for bread, Silk milk, jelly candy, frozen vegetables, and Bali coconut water. Here is what we did this week to make our week easier: ...

The Sweet Life On A Budget

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