Frugal Five: #92

 The Frugal Five: #92

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.    

I am exploring how to keep costs down during busy weeks this week. One strategy is to keep dinner on the table instead of eating out. Here are some of my tips and trips.   

1- Crocktober 

October has been labeled →Crocktober.   The weather is turning into fall-like weather, so soups, stews, and long slow roasting are making it on the menu.     I have taken advantage of my slow cooker meals and their leftovers to cut costs and avoid eating out.           

2- Collecting Free Items

Each month, Kroger has multiple digital coupons for free items.     Some coupons are just for a free item and there is a weekly digital coupon for a free item when you spend $50.00.  Since I have to pick up at least $50.00 in items from Kroger anyway, I always pick up the free items too.  I have picked up peanut butter, cheese, and bread.   

3- Oil Your Furniture 

We have many pieces of antique furniture handed down through the generations.     In preparation for winter, we have started to oil our furniture to prevent the wood from cracking.   In addition,  I look carefully at my furniture to see if minor repairs are needed.   These few acts of care help to keep our furniture in good condition and usable for years. 

4- Putting the Garden to Bed for the Winter

Our garden has provided a lot of food for our family this year, and it is time to prepare the garden for winter.   We will complete our final harvest, remove the plants, rake the soil, and apply leaf mulch to the bed for the winter.    The leaves will break down into the soil and renourish it for the spring. 

5- Freezer Clean Out

Over the past several months, I have shopped the sales and accumulated a freezer full of food.     November typically has incredible sales, so I want to make room in my freezer for these items, save a little money for November sales, and use up what we have already purchased.     Therefore, for the next few weeks, I will be working on using up the meats, vegetables, and other items in our freezer.     

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.