The Frugal Five: #109

 

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- Baking Bread

Baking bread doesn’t seem like it would save a lot of money, but when you have specialized diets that do not permit you to purchase the cheaper products, it does save money.   A clean loaf of bread costs between $3.00 and $5.00.  

2- Free-Bee Alert

Make sure you don't fail to pick up your free items.  Last month, I received a coupon for a free Silk milk from Kroger, but I had just picked up several almond milks, which would last through the month.  Since this is a product with a use-by date, I waited until the end of the month and picked up the free product then.          

3- Gas Prices 

Energy prices in my area are rising, and with the current trade wars, I don’t think they will come down anytime soon.   To minimize the impact on our family, we check gas prices at different gas stations, and Costco is still the cheapest option.  However, I can use my Kroger gas points and drop the price to beat Costco about once per month.  When buying gas at Kroger, I will make sure my gas tank is almost empty to ensure the largest savings.                     

4- Low-Cost Breakfasts

Here is another Low-Cost Breakfast.     I will make a double batch of homemade pancakes and eat them for the entire week.   Each morning, I heat them in the microwave,  fresh fruit from the refrigerator, or a little syrup,  and breakfast is served.     

If you want more ideas, check out my Breakfast for under a $1.00 post.   Click on the picture above for the link. 

5-  Stock Rotation 

This week, I took a little time to look at my stock and pulled the oldest items to the front.  In addition, I am pulling some items to the top of my cabinets to ensure that I use them this week.  Finally, I created an inventory of my freezers and will be eating through them.         

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. 

Please leave a comment below with your ways of saving money this week.