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Frugal Five: #124

 


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 Backyard - Enjoy local concerts for Free

Our local church hosted DuoMente in a chamber concert.    They played Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf”, Saint-Saens' witty and sparkling “Carnival of the Animals”, and other creature-inspired surprises.   This is an example of how you can elevate your life experiences.    


3-  Chinese “Fake-Out Take-Out”


Instead of ordering Chinese Takeout, our family worked together to prepare a Chinese Stir-Fry meal.    With just a few vegetables and chicken with a bottled sauce, this created a wonderful stir-fry.    By pairing it with a little rice, we recreated Chinese Take-Out and saved at least $30.00.    

    

4- Turning Pork Loin into Boneless Pork Chops 

Pork loin dipped to $1.49 per pound last weekend, 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, I saved $2.50 per pound.   I was able to package 4 meals of pork chops at rock bottom prices.   

     


5- Packed Lunches


Our family of 3 could spend at least $60.00 a day for lunch, or choose to pack for a fraction of the price.     Each day, each family member will pack their individual lunches, saving our family more than $240.00.    


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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