The Sweet Life On A Budget

  This year has provided our family with 55 free items !   This year I am focusing on being more selective on what I pick up for free.      I am still seeking high quality items or preferred brands which my family will use.  As a result, I may need to pay a little for items previously picked up for free, but I am comfortable with this.    I will not be making a goal again this year, but am grateful for anything I am able to secure for my family.    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 free-bees are as follows: digital coupons, printables from the company when available, store coupons and reward programs, samples, and rebate apps such as IBOTTA.     I will seek additional ways to buy items at a significant discount or free.       ...

  This year has provided our family with 36 free items !   This year I am focusing on being more selective on what I pick up for free.      I am still seeking high quality items or preferred brands which my family will use.  As a result, I may need to pay a little for items previously picked up for free, but I am comfortable with this.    I will not be making a goal again this year, but am grateful for anything I am able to secure for my family.    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 free-bees are as follows: digital coupons, printables from the company when available, store coupons and reward programs, samples, and rebate apps such as IBOTTA.     I will seek additional ways to buy items at a significant discount or free.       ...

  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- Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup for the Week  Work over the next few weeks is expected to be tough, and we’ll all be doing a little more than usual.  With that in mind, keeping lunch elevated feels like an important way to maintain morale.  March’s weather is always unpredictable, but a warm lunch becomes a small but meaningful comfort — something that makes the day feel a little more luxurious. Last weekend I prepared a lar...

  January provided our family with 24 free items !   This year I am focusing on being more selective on what I pick up for free.      I am still seeking high quality items or preferred brands which my family will use.  As a result, I may need to pay a little for items previously picked up for free, but I am comfortable with this.    I will not be making a goal again this year, but am grateful for anything I am able to secure for my family.    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 free-bees are as follows: digital coupons, printables from the company when available, store coupons and reward programs, samples, and rebate apps such as IBOTTA.     I will seek additional ways to buy items at a significant discount or free.        Janua...

  January provided our family with 11 free items !   This year I am focusing on being more selective on what I pick up for free.      I am still seeking high quality items or preferred brands which my family will use.  As a result, I may need to pay a little for items previously picked up for free, but I am comfortable with this.    I will not be making a goal again this year, but am grateful for anything I am able to secure for my family.    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 free-bees are as follows: digital coupons, printables from the company when available, store coupons and reward programs, samples, and rebate apps such as IBOTTA.     I will seek additional ways to buy items at a significant discount or free.        Janua...

  This year, our family received 157 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.    Last year, I was able to get 271 items for free, and this year my total came in at 157, which is 114 fewer than last year.  However, since I have elevated the types of items I pick up, and the economy continues to make it harder to get free items, this is still a win.  Typically, I pick up freebies by leveraging digital coupons, store coupons, store reward programs, samples, and...