The Frugal Five: #82
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 Centered Lunches
To lower my stress level, I am starting to pack gourmet lunches. The other week I got 2 boxes of gourmet mac and cheese for free, so this week I am trying goat cheese mac and cheese for lunch. Since strawberries are on sale this week, I will part it with strawberries and cut vegetables or a small salad.
2- New Coffee Shop
Getting coffee out is very expensive, a cup of coffee will run you between $3 and $4.00. However, when we take our son to a travel swim event, we try to find a coffee shop with wifi, so we can work. In exchange, we always purchase coffee and sometimes food depending upon how long we are there. However, we tried a new coffee shop when visiting Miami University this weekend→ Kofenya Coffee. We were able to get 2 bottomless coffees for under $5.00→ Yes, I said bottomless. They use real coffee cups, score 1 for the environment, and we can get some work done while having coffee. I call this a frugal score.
3- Road Trip Savings
We had a travel event to attend on Sunday. Since my son was swimming only one event, we opted to travel a little later than the rest of the team. We were able to sleep in two extra hours, which was great considering it was spring ahead this Sunday. In addition, we ate a full breakfast at home and only needed a place to work for a few hours. We found a local coffee that had incredible prices and wifi. As a bonus, the parking meters are free on Sundays.
4- Recreating a Feeling
Over winter break we took a trip to Hawaii, and I truly enjoyed it. We were lucky to stay at a high-end resort thanks to my husband’s work travel for most of the trip. I soaked in all the luxury and am recreating it at home, so I can relive that pampered feeling. I cleared off our faux fireplace and adjacent built-in bookcases. Now I am locating various “art” and glassware that we already own to decorate it in a similar style. We dedicated one shelf for our bar glasses with the bottles being located below in an enclosed area. Other areas include our son’s artwork from his ceramics class (Primitive Style) and painting from elementary school (sweet and creates a warm feeling). There is an antique clock from my husband’s family and other antiques to round out this area. I am amazed it took me so long to display these items instead of just having them packed in a box. This is just one of my plans to infuse my life with luxury without the price tag.
5- Planning Summer
This summer, I am planning on doing a little more of my side hustle→ AKA tutoring, but I also need to recharge my batteries as this year has been brutal at work.
I am organizing and coordinating the plants for my gardens. Our community garden group will be planting seeds next week, so I will also be planting seeds for my home beds too. I have an early spring, summer, and fall planting plan to maximize my yield. In addition, my husband will be helping out more with the gardening and preserving process.
In addition, I am investigating various cultural activities to attend and experience in my local area. So far I have found free concerts, Shakespeare in the Park and so much more. I find being organized and planning helps get all of my ideas accomplished.
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.
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