The Sweet Life On A Budget

  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.   20 1- Crockpot to the Rescue  Balancing work and home life can be challenging during the week, and it is tempting to eat out each week.     However, eating out is about $100.00 for our family of 3 and that is just not in the budget.     Since we enjoy soups, stew, chilis and other crockpot dinners, I use my crockpot regularly throughout the winter to feed my family.    What do you do to keep your f...

  Small Wallet, Big Strategy: Thriving on Less:  Stretching Chili Small Wallet, Big Strategy: Thriving on Less using the project management cost triangle approach.    There are 3 components of products which include: time, quality and cost .    You can choose any two but you can’t have all three!   For Example:  If you want something cheap and fast , it probably won’t be high quality. If you want something high quality and cheap , it will take more time or effort. If you want something fast and high quality , it will cost more. Stretching Chili During the cold months, chili is a family favorite and my boys enjoy the meat version, so with ground beef costing between $6.29 (73/27) - $10.49 (90/10) we need to think big to bring the cost down.      Let’s look at some solutions:  Cheap and Fast:   Bean Heavy Budget Chili - Two or three types of canned beans + tomato sauce + spices. No meat needed, super filling...

  Menu Plan #331 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 November 2025:  USDA Thrifty Food Plan According to this plan, our family’s weekly budget is $188.20.  Since January has 4 weeks, our monthly budget is $752.80.   However, we have specific dietary needs, so I have increased our budget to $200.00 per week or $800.00 for a month.     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:     Meat Swaps:     This week chili is on the menu and ground beef cost between $6.29 (73/27) - $10.49 (90/10) and ground turkey...