The Sweet Life On A Budget

  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 CVS.     Finally, I got bar soap from Bath and Body, and a bucket from Harbor Freight.     2- Repla

  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 Salad Saturday Greek Burgers Roasted Potatoes Salad Sunday Salmon Rice Broccoli M- Lazy Man Lasanga  T- Burrito

  So far this year we were able to pick up 170 free items .  High inflation is making finding free items more challenging to find.   However, I have set a goal to beat last year’s number (247). I am working towards finding the most items when I have more time and giving myself grace during the months when my time is limited.    My goal for next year is to find 264 FREE Items. This works out to 22 items per month.  This may be challenging because drug stores and grocery store deals have started to dry up. I rely on digital coupons, printables from the company when available, store coupons and reward programs, samples, and rebate apps such as IBOTTA.      As always, I can secure these items through Kroger incentives, Drug Store (Walgreens/CVS)  Rewards programs, sales, Smart Source, Meijer’s sales/store coupons, sample requests, and Rebates Programs (IBOTTA/SavingStar).    January 2024 (29 Items) February (19 Items)  March (39 items)  April (20 Items)  May ( 32 Items)  June (8 Items)  Ju

  I was first introduced to Living Large In the Cheap Seats by a college friend, Chris J., who introduced me to lawn tickets for popular bands.   We were able to see great concerts at a significantly discounted rate.   Later when reading Brokenomics by Dina Gachman, I revised this concept and decided to share it with you.  I have been doing this for years and have been able to enjoy wonderful experiences for FREE! FREE Entrance to National Parks   NPS Photo .     National Parks are one of America’s treasures and are enjoyed by many.     Although some parks are free to the public, others charge entrance fees.    However, our National Park Service offers Free Entrance six times per year to over 400 National Parks.  I like to take advantage of these days to see the parks which normally have entrance fees.  It offers me and my family a chance to widen our experiences.    However, if you use the National Parks multiple times a year, you may want to invest $80.00 for an American the Beautifu

  There are cycles in the weather, economy, politics, and general fabrics of life, but I am focused on the sales cycles that are fairly predictable and consistent.  However, 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 August Sales Cycles and give a monthly tip/trick to maximize your budget.  August has back to school School, and possibly Labor Day Sales.  Here are some of the things I look for in August:  Back to School Supplies (pencils, pens, notebooks, notebook paper, crayons, folders, markers, colored pencils, notecards, etc.)  Backpacks Insect Repellent- Clearance Sunscreen- Clearance In addition to shopping the sales, it is also good to know what fruits and vegetables are in season because they taste the best and are sold at their lowest price of the year.   Seasonal Fruit  Blueberrie