The Sweet Life On A Budget

  Menu Plan #319 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 June 2025:  USDA Thrifty Food Plan According to this plan, our family has a weekly budget of $189.30. Since June has 5 weeks, our monthly budget is $946.50.   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:     Sales Cycles: Sales run in cycles, much like the weather or seasons.     Systematically, I purchase multiple sale items to hold me over until the next sale cycle, ensuring I consistently buy items at their lowest prices.    Back-to-school shopping has already beg...

  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.   ...

  Menu Plan #318 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 June 2025:  USDA Thrifty Food Plan According to this plan, our family has a budget of $189.30 weekly. Since June has 5 weeks, our monthly budget is $946.50.   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:     Where you shop is becoming increasingly important in saving money. Grocery stores are becoming tricky with their pricing and policies, so I will create a grocery shopping list and then price-check every store on my route. Knowing the price point of every item on the list is helpful ...

  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...