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.    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...

  This year has provided our family with 43 free items !   This year, I am focusing on seeking fewer freebies, but looking for higher quality items I 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 a little 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, my energy will be used to research how to elevate the items I purchase or get for free in our current economy.         Traditional ways of picking up freebies include: digital coupons, store coupons, reward programs, samples, and rebate apps such as IBOTTA.     I will seek additional ways to buy items at a significant discount or for free.        January (13 Items)  February  (14 items) Here is my March  202...

  The Frugal Five: #88 With inflation on the rise and salaries not increasing, our ability to make ends meet keeps going down.    Therefore, we must be more careful with our money.   The Frugal Five is a series where we celebrate the daily or weekly activities that help us live a frugal life.     This week I am exploring how to keep costs down during busy weeks.    Keeping dinner on the table instead of eating out is one of my strategies to get the job done.    Here are some of my tips and trips.    1- Free-Bee Pick Up  Over the last month, we have been blessed with several Free-Bees.  First, a friend gave us a dozen eggs from his chickens.  In addition, we picked up several photos with discount codes from Walgreens and CVS.   Next, we used our local grocery store coupons for several free food items such as seltzer water, ice cream, etc.   Then, we picked up toothpaste and eyeliners from ...

  The Frugal Five: #85 With inflation on the rise and salaries not increasing, our ability to make ends meet keeps going down.    Therefore, we must be more careful with our money.   The Frugal Five is a series where we celebrate the daily or weekly activities that help us live a frugal life.     This week I am exploring how to keep costs down during busy weeks.    Keeping dinner on the table instead of eating out is one of my strategies to get the job done.    Here are some of my tips and trips.    1- Spring Garden  Our garden group is meeting and planting a lot of our gardens for the spring.    My peas, radishes, carrots, and spinach are coming up.    In addition, I was able to plant cabbage and peppers.    I am hoping for a great harvest again this year and planning on how to preserve our bounty for the winter.  2- Free Tickets to the Red’s Game My husband’s work purchas...

  The Frugal Five: #81 With inflation on the rise and salaries not increasing, our ability to make ends meet keeps going down.    Therefore, we must be more careful with our money.   The Frugal Five is a series where we celebrate the daily or weekly activities that help us live a frugal life.     This week I am exploring how to keep costs down during busy weeks.    Keeping dinner on the table instead of eating out is one of my strategies to get the job done.    Here are some of my tips and trips.    1- Gas Discount  We are fortunate to have a Costco membership, so we receive a great discount regularly on gas.     However, before getting our Costco membership, we would use GasBuddy and watch for the lowest prices along our daily route to get the best price. Costco saved me $0.25 per gallon this week.   Before Costco, I was able to save between $0.03 and $0.05 per gallon.   2- Grilling...

  The Frugal Five: #79 With inflation on the rise and salaries not increasing, our ability to make ends meet keeps going down.    Therefore, we must be more careful with our money.   The Frugal Five is a series where we celebrate the daily or weekly activities that help us live a frugal life.     This week I am exploring how to keep costs down during busy weeks.    Keeping dinner on the table instead of eating out is one of my strategies to get the job done.    Here are some of my tips and trips.    1- Samples Each time we go to Costco on the weekend, there are a lot of sample stations up and running.     I have been able to get unstoppable and tide samples.   In addition, there are various food stations set up throughout the store.      You can sample your way through the store.   In addition, I was able to order several samples this week.      2- Free ...