Skip to main content

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.


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Menu Planning #132

Our meals need to be nutritious, clean, flexible, quick and cost effective. Between our work schedules and after school activities, we need to carefully plan our meals so that we do not end up ordering out.   The news is very scary at this time because of all the news of meat plants shutting down, grocery stories limiting the amount of meat a family can purchase and all of the talk about a depression on the horizon.    We have decided to keep our grocery budget the same, but to economize any way we can.     This week we tried to pick up some shrimp that was on sale, but the store was out of shrimp and not expecting to get any more in.    We were grateful to find wild caught salmon for the same price, so we picked that up instead for our Mother’s Day Dinner.    What did we spend?  Week 1: $96.44 Kroger: $96.44 Rebates: $3.55 IBOTTA: $1.35 Kroger Cash: $0.45 Checkout 51: $1.75 ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Menu Plan #322

  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 these dishes may be higher due to inflation and/or location.      Published September 2025:  USDA Thrifty Food Plan According to this plan, our family has a weekly budget of $190.50. Since  October has 5 weeks, our monthly budget is $952.50.   We elevate our dining experiences by including fresh fruits, vegetables, and higher-quality meats.  Since our family has specific dietary needs, we limit our consumption of highly processed food.   Grocery Shopping Tip:     Rethink lunchmeat.     The deli will provide you with thin-sliced meat or presliced deli meat, but you will pay a premium per pound.     ($6.49 to $15.00 per pound) However, if you buy a ½ boneless ham (unsliced or presliced), the price point will drop to between ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Frugal Five: #133

  With inflation rising and salaries staying the same, our ability to make ends meet is becoming increasingly difficult. Therefore, we must be more careful with our money. The Frugal Five is a series that celebrates the daily or weekly activities that help us live a frugal life.     This year, my focus is on Simple Abundance , so finding ways to live well while staying on budget will be challenging.    Come along and enjoy my journey of elevating joy, enjoying what you have, and finding luxury in my local area.    1- Giving Back to the Community  Supporting your community can take countless shapes. Some people choose to write a check, and that generosity absolutely matters. But many outreach efforts require more than funding—they need time, hands, and hearts willing to show up. I’m grateful that I’m able to participate in several programs that make a real difference for the people around me. One of the most meaningful ways I give b...
Post a Comment
Read more