The Frugal Five: #86

 The Frugal Five: #86

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- Haircut Savings 

Every other week, I cut my husband's hair.  This is a savings of $30.00 + tip twice a month.    As a bonus, at Christmas time, clippers were on sale and I picked one up at a great discount.    In addition, every quarter my salon runs a gift card sale which saves me 20% on my service.    In addition, for every 10 services, I receive a $50.00 gift card.  Instead of going every 4 weeks, I go every 5 weeks, this saves me the cost of 1 trip every 4 times.     It doesn’t seem like a lot, but every little bit helps with the budget. 

2- Fundraising 

My son is working on his Eagle Scout project, so when an opportunity to earn money towards it came up, we were grateful for the opportunity. This year he sold 151 bags of mulch, worked 2 solid weekends delivering, and helped to spread mulch.  This is a major money-maker for his project.    In addition, our church is having a Monarch Festival and he was asked to set up a booth to share his vision for the project.    In addition, he will be permitted to have a collection jar.   

3- Harvesting a Little 

The garden is starting to produce.    I was able to harvest a little oregano and chives.      After dusting off the drying racks, I placed the harvest out to dry, so we could replenish what we used over the winter.   I picked 2 bags worth of radishes, some kale, and spinach.     We are off to a good start.   

4- Couponing at its Finest

I have been slacking lately with my couponing due to a lack of time.    My duties at school have increased due to the end-of-year crunch and I needed to finish up strong.     However, I took some time lately to pick up a few things.    WOW, I picked up 19 FREE items in the past few weeks.   

5- Caring for my Gardens

In the past two weeks, I planted some tomatoes, basil, cucumbers, peppers, and peas.   This will help to make our pantry stocked for the winter.   In addition to my raspberry bushes and a blackberry bush, I was given several strawberry plants to add to my home garden.   They have been transplanted and are thriving.     Finally, I was given a thyme plant which is potted in a pot, so I can bring it in during the winter.  

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.