The Sweet Life On A Budget

  With inflation on the rise 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- Garden Harvest Preservation  July - August has been busy with harvesting and preserving our garden. I preserved salsa, canned tomatoes, pickled banana peppers, froze green beans, dried tomato skins, and dried many herbs.        2- Our Rich Backyard - Free Tickets to a Red’s Game My husband’s work provides a set of 4 tickets to the Reds’ game to key employees.   We were gifted a set of tickets and attended the game against the Braves.  I was able to share two tickets with a colleague....

  This year has provided our family with 90 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.         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) March  (16 Items)  Apr...

  With inflation on the rise 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- Garden Update  The tomatoes are starting to produce a large number of green tomatoes, and the jalapeno plants have a bunch of small peppers.    The kale, basil, herbs, and yellow squash are still producing strongly.      The cucumbers are coming to an end, but I am pleased with the number of cucumbers I was able to get from 1 plant in my backyard.   I will most likely be growing one in that bed next year. It is time to succession sow my green beans.    2- Our Rich Backyard  I hav...

  With inflation on the rise 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- Garden Update  The harvest is starting to come in.   I have picked 3 large heads of cabbage, 3 pounds of carrots, kale, jalapeno peppers, chili peppers, banana peppers, and herbs (sage, chives, and oregano).   The kale was cleaned with stems removed.   Then we used it in salad and made kale chips.   We devoured one cabbage and wrapped the other 2 in plastic bags to keep in the refrigerator.    The rainbow carrots were trimmed, cleaned, wrapped in plastic bags, and kept in the crisper drawer.   ...

  Summer Salad Grocery Prices are going through the roof with no end in sight!    Using healthy, nutritious, delicious, and inexpensive dining options always reduces your grocery bill.  I accomplish this in the summer by making various salads the star of our dinners.   Vegetables are either grown in the garden or at their rock-bottom price at the grocery store.  Therefore, we eat a lot of different salads over the summer.     Having salads multiple times per week for dinner provides savings and advantages.   Here are a few benefits I thought of: If you grill the protein(s) in advance, the oven is not turned on.  The salads can be prepared ahead of time, so if you have a busy evening, no need to eat out —> dinner is done.  Adding vegetables to your diet helps to keep you healthy.  By using in-season vegetables from your garden or grocery store, you are saving money on your grocery bill.  Steak Salad My first sa...

  This year has provided our family with 75 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.         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) March  (16 Items)  Apr...