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The Frugal Five: #107



With inflation on the rise and salaries not increasing, our ability to make ends meet is decreasing. Therefore, we must be more careful with our money. The Frugal Five is a series in which we celebrate the daily or weekly activities that help us live a frugal life.    


I am exploring ways to reduce costs during busy weeks. One strategy is to watch the pennies because they add up. Here are some of my tips and tricks.   


1- Garden Set Up

The outside seeds have been planted, so my root vegetables, pumpkins, cantaloupes, and peas are ready for the warm rainy weather to come and help them grow.     However, my tomatoes, peppers, kale, basil, rosemary, parsley, and other spring plants needed to be started indoors.     I took some time this week to get them into starter pots and they are headed to the greenhouse.    My friend will care for them until it is time to plant in May.     Another job done!   


2- Free-Bee Alert


Last week I found some candles that would make great Christmas presents and this week freebies crossed my path.   For FREE, I picked up an 8x10 photo, toothpaste, makeup sponges, lotion, shampoo, and conditioner!        


3- Lunch on a Budget

Our family has a person on a special diet and a teenager, so packing lunch is essential for keeping our budget in check.    We will eat leftovers, pack sandwiches for a quick meal, and make a large pot of soup, and chili to portion off for our daily lunch.    During this time of the year, I am very busy at work and need quick, easy ways to save time.   This week I made a huge pot of turkey noodle soup and lunch was prepared for the week.  


4- Saving on Breakfast



Here is another Low-Cost Breakfast.     This Oatmeal Bake is versatile, so you can add ingredients you already have.     I have added fresh fruit, nuts, and chocolate chips to this recipe.  It turned out great each time.    I’m still trying to keep breakfast under a dollar. 



If you want some more ideas, I just updated my Breakfast for under a $1.00 post.   Click on the picture above for the link. 


5- Preparing my Canning Pantry  

I went through my pantry to see what I currently have and what I need to plan to make this year.    I noticed that several canned items are old and unsafe to eat.   So, I have discarded them, saved the jars, and will use them to preserve this year’s harvest.   We ran out of pickled banana peppers, roasted tomato sauce, carrots, kale, and green beans.  In addition, I would like to try to preserve new items this year, but we will only use them.      Stay tuned to see what was decided. 


What Free-bees have you been able to pick up this year?   The  2024 Free-Bee Summary has been posted.    If you missed it, then click on the link below. 


Here is my list:

Do you want to see my last post?   

Just click on the picture for the link. 

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