The Sweet Life On A Budget

  With inflation rising 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 that celebrates 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- Pantry Cooking Challenge In anticipation of the holidays, we are eating down our refrigerator, freezer, and pantry items.    This will provide us with the ability to thoroughly clean and oranize our long(er) term storage and save a little money.   Some of the meals we are making include Chinese Stir-Fry, Pasta, Pizza, Pork Chops with sides, Chicken, and Beef dishes.    2- Our Rich Backyard - Enjoying the first large Snowfall  Although we had several small snow events, the first major event, followed by f...

  Menu Plan #327 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’s weekly budget is $190.50. Since December has 4 weeks, our monthly budget is $762.00.   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:     Give yourself a pantry challenge every few months to clean out your refrigerator, freezer, and pantry.     This allows you to use up the items you have already purchased and deep clean these areas.     Here is what we did this week to make our week...

  With inflation rising 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 that celebrates 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- Free Bee Collection  This week, there are several freebies from CVS, Kroger, and Meijer's.  Earlier this month, I was gifted $5.00 in ECB for picking up prescriptions from CVS.   Although with coupons and sales, I leveraged the $5.00 ECB into 5 freebies.   In addition, Kroger and Meijer grocery stores provided several free product coupons.    I was able to pick up a grocery bag, Hidden Valley salad dressing, cauliflower, a bag of frozen vegetables, and a ½ gallon of ice cream.    2- Our Rich Ba...

  This year, our family received 136 free items !   This year, I am focusing on seeking fewer freebies but looking for higher-quality items to pick up.    However, I will pick up all the free bees my family will use within the year.  As a result, I may need to pay more for items previously picked up for free, but I am comfortable with this.    Since I have changed my focus, I will not be making a goal this year.    Instead, I will use my energy to research how to elevate the items I purchase or get for free in our current economy.         Typically, I pick up freebies by leveraging digital coupons, store coupons, store reward programs, samples, and rebate apps.     I will seek additional ways to buy items at a significant discount or for free.        January (13 Items)  February  (14 items) March  (16 Items)  April (16 Items)  Ma...

  Menu Plan #326 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’s weekly budget is $190.50. Since December has 4 weeks, our monthly budget is $762.00.   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:     Pork loin dipped to $1.49 per pound this week, so I picked up 2 pork loins and processed them to place in the freezer.     If I purchased boneless pork chops, it would cost $4.00 a pound.   Because I invested about  5 minutes to cut the pork loins into chops...