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 Photos
Several times each year, CVS and Walgreens offer a free single photo with a promo code. I typically find the codes close to holidays. When these codes appear, you MUST act fast because they are good for only 24-48 hours. I will take photos throughout the year and keep them in a folder ready to print. Sometimes it is an 8x10 photo, but sometimes you will get 5x8 or printed cards. This week, I printed 2 8x10 photos because both CVS and Walgreens released a promo code.
2- Our Rich Backyard - Bird Food at a Discount
Our local tracker supply store ran a bird food sale on Black Friday. We were able to pick up our yearly supply for half off. Because we know our expenses and always look for ways to reduce the cost of what we need/want, we can live a Sweet Life On A Budget.
3- Discounted Grocery Store Items
This week I purchased 20 pounds of chicken for only $1.99 per pound. This is the lowest price I’ve seen in a very long time. They are processed and in the freezer for future use. The grocery store also had pork loin on sale for $1.99 per pound. Sometimes, I can find beef discounted for quick sale up to 50% off. When I find this deal, I try to pick it up, so my family can have a little more variety in our diet. This week, I found beef slices and put them in the freezer the same day. Our freezer is full with meat for December.
4- Replacing the Lunchmeat
Lunchmeat costs between $10.00 and $20.00 per pound. Although lunchmeat is easy and quick to use for lunches, we found that with a little planning and effort, we can reduce our cost. We used the leftover turkey from Thanksgiving as lunch meat the week after. Our local grocery stores sell 2-pound ham packages for $10.00, which is just $5.00 per pound. After major holidays, we will pick up turkey or ham at a discounted price, cook it, slice it into lunch meat, and price it in portioned packages.
5- Using Rebate Apps to Pay for Holiday Expenses
Our credit cards are used for necessary expenses and paid off at the end of the month. In addition, our cards pay us back for using them. Several times a year, we cash them out and use them to buy household items. At Christmas time, we use this money to purchase our gifts.
In addition, we use the IBOTTA app when purchasing an item already or to try a completely free item. When this account reaches $25.00, we will cash it out as an Amazon gift card.
A final way we use apps is through the My Point program. For just 5 minutes per day, we can save enough points to redeem for at least $25.00 twice a year.
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. The new Free-bee List will be coming this Wednesday.
Here is my list:
Did you miss the last Frugal Five post? No worries, click on the picture for the link.
Please leave a comment below with your ways of saving money this week.
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