The Frugal Five: #88

 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- Replace the Soda

The price of soda is going through the roof and we are trying to improve our diet.     I picked up Kool-Aid packets at the grocery store for $0.50 each and you just add a little sugar and it produces an entire pitcher.   In addition, I make homemade iced tea regularly.    Finally, my son is now drinking a lot more water.   Since my husband tends to purchase a soda at work for $1.50 per can, he took the rest of the soda cans to use.    Even with the increased price, buying by the case is still cheaper than buying a can per day at $1.50.     

3- Hair Cuts 

Hair cuts cost at least $30.00 per person + Tip.    However, during COVID I learned to cut my husband’s hair and save $60.00 + Tip per month.     My son will get his hair cut once per month.  My haircuts cost significantly more, but I take advantage of buying gift cards (at a discount) and redeeming a loyalty card for $50.00 on one visit per year.   How do you save money on haircuts? 

4- Garden Harvest

The garden has started to produce enough food to supplement our grocery shopping.   I have harvested a lot of basil, jalapeno peppers, chili peppers, banana peppers, carrots, peas, radishes, zucchini, and tomatoes.  Our basil was so much that it needed to be preserved, so I dried some and froze the rest.   In addition, the jalapeno peppers will need to be canned shortly.   That is next on my list.   

 

5- Shopped the Loss Leaders

Each week the more expensive grocery stores will run sales with low prices to get shoppers into their store.   I have found that Aldi tends to have the best prices overall for non-sale items, but they do not carry all the items of the other grocery stores.     However, I will shop there first and then go to a second store for the rest of my list.      Meijer’s had a 7 for $7.00 sale this past month for two weeks.    I picked up many items for $1.00 each during this sale and then applied coupons and/or rebates to lower that price even more.  The result was 10 cans of tuna ($0.50 each), 10 tuna pouches ($0.25 each), dental floss ($0.60), pasta ($0.75) and so much more.   

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.