Menu Plan Monday ~ First Week of May 2026

Welcome to Frugal Workshop where every Monday I share the simple strategies used to save money in my kitchen over the past week, along with the meals that made it to our dinner table. You'll find practical tips on how we saved money on food hopefully to inspire your own meal planning using the foods you have in your own pantry.

My Frugal Week

The other day I walked into Walmart and saw this display of oranges marked down to $1.00 per bag that had been marked down from $4.97. There were approximately seven in each bag that I bought. So, we now have 35 oranges to add to our fruit for this month. We've already eaten several of them and they are delicious. 

The cashier asked me how I was going to eat all those oranges before they spoiled. I laughed inside thinking she doesn't know me very well. hehehe

We went to Kroger to do our monthly grocery shopping on Friday and also went to UGO and Ingles. We saved $70.52 at Kroger with our store coupons and sales. 

What’s for Dinner

Monday ~ Baked Chicken Thighs with Cabbage & Onions, and Corn. 

Tuesday ~ Baked Potatoes with Cheddar & Black Olives. 

Wednesday ~ Chicken, Caramelized Sweet Potatoes, and Lentils. 

This was a sort of use it up dinner. I had a small portion of chicken, which was left from Monday night's dinner. I also made a side dish with lentils, onions, and chili beans that turned out really well.  

Thursday ~ Chicken Tacos, Lentils, and Corn. 

Friday ~ Chicken Tenders, and Nachos. 

I know this is a weird combination, but we were both wiped out after a full day of yard sales. 

Saturday ~ Grilled Chicken Salads

Sunday ~ Chipotle Chicken Sausages, and Green Peas.  

What’s been on the menu in your home this past week? Did you build up or organize your pantry this week?  How are you managing food prices? 

Belinda

Homemaker at Heart

~ Living within our Means ~My Linktree
~ She looketh well to the ways of her household ~Proverbs 31:27

Image Credit

First Frugal Friday of May 2026

Welcome to Frugal Friday

My Frugal Week
On Monday I took another load of metal to the recycling center and ended up with 260 pounds of metal to be recycled. 
Afterwards I used the weed eater and trimmed the grass, cut down some small trees that were trying to grow back and hauled all the brush into the woods. 
My neighbor came over on Tuesday and gathered up some metal from the woods and one of the sheds. I told him he could have the money for this if he was willing to haul it off, so he did. Now those areas in the woods where Dad had stored some roofing tin are clear and look much better. 
This will be a short version of the blog this week, but I want to share a frugal recipe for weed killer for you. I’ve worked a lot in the yard this week, so this is fitting. 
Frugal Weed Killer
Say goodbye to pesky weeds in your garden with a homemade weed killer. Mix Dawn, lemon juice, and white vinegar in a spray bottle and apply it directly to weeds.
Ingredients:
32 ounces white vinegarDawn dish soap1/4 cup salt
Directions:
Measure out 32 ounces of white vinegar. Using a funnel, pour the measured vinegar into a spray bottle. White vinegar is an excellent natural herbicide due to its high acidity. It can effectively kill weeds without harming the environment.
Add a small dash of dish soap to the vinegar. Dish soap acts as a surfactant, helping the solution stick to the leaves of the weeds. It also breaks down the waxy surface of the weeds, making the solution more effective.
Measure out 1/4 cup of salt. Salt is a desiccant, which means it can draw moisture from the weeds, ultimately causing them to dry out and die. Add the salt to the spray bottle with the vinegar and dish soap.
Shake the bottle with vinegar, dish soap, and salt. Make sure the salt is dissolved in the solution.
Hold the squirt bottle a few inches away from the weeds and generously spray the solution onto the leaves and stems. Make sure you cover the weeds thoroughly. You'll start to notice results within a few hours. How was your week?

Thank you for dropping by my frugal blog, you are always welcome here. 
We would love to hear all about your week in the comment section.

Belinda 🫶 💕 Homemaker at Heart 💕 ~ Living within our Means ~My Linktree
~ She looketh well to the ways of her household ~Proverbs 31:27

Meal Plan Monday ~ Saving Money in my Frugal Kitchen ~ Fourth Week April 2026

Welcome to Frugal Workshop where every Monday I share the simple strategies used to save money in my kitchen over the past week, along with the meals that made it to our dinner table. You'll find practical tips on how we saved money on food hopefully to inspire your own meal planning using the foods you have in your own pantry.

My Frugal Week

Many families feed their crew on smaller budgets through smart, disciplined habits, which involve practical systems that minimize waste and stretch their ingredients.

Key habits include buying discounted day old bread, keeping a continuous stock pot from scraps, growing herbs at home, and making one roast last multiple meals. Thee families eat seasonally because it is cheaper, track prices carefully, and relying on staples such as oatmeal, potatoes, pasta, rice, and dried beans.

Vegetables fill plates before small portions of meat, and leftovers are used up such as stale bread becoming croutons or dessert, bones becoming soup, all of which involved not throwing away food. 

Other strategies included preserving fruit, diluting ingredients to stretch them, using cheaper cuts of meat, and cooking from scratch. Eating out can be rare, and sometimes communities share food to reduce food costs.

At the core of all of lies one principle: waste nothing. These aren't outdated habits, but rather efficient, economical systems that keep families healthy and budgets intact.

 

What’s for Dinner

Monday ~ Choice of Beefy Baked Beans or Cajun Turkey Breast, Sweet Potatoes, Cabbage & Onions, and Deviled Eggs. 

I had leftovers from the weekend, so it was a choice of either the beans or turkey breast for the main course. Bailey picked the beans and we finished those. I also baked some sweet potatoes with olive oil, made some deviled eggs, and made a side dish of stir fried cabbage and onions using a bit of olive oil and a bit of bacon grease (yum!). 

Tuesday ~ Baked Chicken Tenders, Sweet Potatoes, and Cabbage & Onions. 

The chicken tenders were some we had in the freezer and the sides were the rest of the leftovers from Monday night's dinner. 

Wednesday ~ Cajun Turkey Breast, Baked Beans, Corn on the Cob. 

We used up the last of the Cajun turkey breast for dinner and I served baked beans and corn on the cob as side dishes. I also served deviled eggs along side. 

Thursday ~ Chicken Crunchwrap Supremes, Refried Beans, and Corn.

I had a Taco Bell kit for Crunchwrap Supremes that I used up for dinner tonight. I stopped in at Food City to pick up one tomato and some marked down bananas while I was running an errand. 

Friday ~ Grilled Chicken Burritos and Corn on the Cob. 

I asked Bailey what she wanted for dinner and this was her suggestion, which works for me as it's an easy dinner to make for both of us. I make hers with my homemade chipotle sauce and make a sauce for me of cottage cheese and taco seasoning, blended until smooth. 

Saturday ~ Chicken Tenders, Chili Beans, and Salad. 

Sunday ~ Chicken & Onions with Cabbage, and Caramelized Sweet Potatoes. 

What’s been on the menu in your home this past week? Did you build up or organize your pantry this week?  Have you been decluttering? How are you managing food prices? We would love to hear all about it in the comment section. 

Belinda

Homemaker at Heart

~ Living within our Means ~My Linktree
~ She looketh well to the ways of her household ~Proverbs 31:27

Image Credit

Fourth & Final Frugal Friday of April 2026

Welcome to Frugal Friday

Each Friday here at Frugal Workshop, I love sharing the frugal wins, quiet savings, and simple strategies that helped us stretch our budget over the past seven days. It’s a gentle look back at the small things that make a big difference. 
Thought of the Week

"If it's out of your hands, set it free from your thoughts".

My Frugal Week
My intentions were to stay home this week, but Bailey's ear drum ruptured on Saturday evening and I drove her to the minute clinic on Sunday. She came home on antibiotics and rested. 
We went back to the doctor on Tuesday as the pain was bad, and the doctor gave her antibiotic ear drops and a stronger antibiotic. Hopefully this will heal up and she will be out of pain asap. 
Saturday night it rained, which was good as there is a fire in the Cherokee National Forest here, which has burned 650 acres so far and is 60% contained, and thankfully is not threatening any structures. The rain brought cold weather with it and we woke up to 48 degrees with high winds on Sunday. 
The Great Cleanup

On Monday I pulled an old wooden ladder that was rotting and an old wine bottle out of the yard in the area where we had been putting garbage from downstairs for the garbage man to pick up. He didn't do the best job at picking everything up, so I finished the job myself. 

On Thursday I took some of the metal Dad has laying around here and took it to the recycling center. This load was 193 pounds and they paid me $17.37, which is good yard sale money. 
The recycling center is on Highway 411 here and it's time for the semi-annual 411 Yard Sale, so I stopped at a couple of places on the way back home. I picked out a pair of black pants at one sale for $1.00. but then when I went to pay her, the lady said I could just have them, which was so nice of her. 
Other Frugal Things this Week
- I earned a $25 Walmart gift card from my insurance company. - Caught up on all the laundry this week- Mixed up a bottle of cleaner with water and two squirts of Dawn. - I sold eight School House Rock Videos on FB Marketplace for $15.
Yard Sale Saturday 
Bailey woke up on Saturday and asked me if I wanted to tag along with her to a church yard sale, so I did. I found two pairs of denim capris, and six flannel baby blankets (to restock my stash) all for $1.00. 
At another sale I found a shirt for 25 cents, and at another sale found a great raincoat for 25 cents! I also found a pair of like new Isotoner slippers for 10 cents, and a bed rail for $3.00. She had great prices at this sale and Bailey really scored by purchasing all her name brand clothing for $15 total. 
One thing I did not buy was a very well made large bird feeder. I would have loved to have bought it, but bird feed is expensive here and the squirrels will not leave the ones we already have alone, so I decided against it. I hope it's not one of those things I regret buying for years to come like some things. 
Bailey’s Greenhouse

Bailey recently acquired a greenhouse on the second hand market. 
We went to Home Depot for their sale on soil priced at five for $10. She now has spearmint, peppers, and spinach growing in the greenhouse. 
She wanted something underneath the greenhouse to hold water runoff, so it wouldn’t soak the porch. I kept a lid from a storage bin downstairs, which worked well and cost nothing. #usewhatyouhave
I also picked up a Shasta Daisy seed packet for her for free from the local Blessing Box when I was dropping off stuff. 
Freebies

From our Buy Nothing group I was able to pick up this box of laundry detergent sheets for free. There are twelve sleeves with sixty-four sheets in each sleeve, so a lot of laundry can be done with these. 
Clean Freakz, who posts on TikTok, made this video about how laundry detergent sheets are a scam here. According to him, a single laundry sheet is four grams of detergent, but a large load needs 24 grams, which means using six laundry sheets for the correct dose.
So, I experimented to see how many I needed to use to ensure clean laundry, which was between six and eight sheets depending on how large the load was. These will still save us money while also getting the laundry clean especially since they were free. 
My Reading Nook ~ What I've been Reading This Week
I’m back to riding my bicycle pedals for one hour every morning, which leaves me an hour to read guilt free. 
Grandma Donna wrote a lovely blog post about the times we are living in and how people here do not want what is going on, and how we cannot judge the people of a country for what their leader is doing. Click here if you would like to read it. 
How was your week?

Thank you for dropping by my frugal blog, you are always welcome here. 
We would love to hear all about your week in the comment section.

Belinda 🫶 💕 Homemaker at Heart 💕 ~ Living within our Means ~My Linktree
~ She looketh well to the ways of her household ~Proverbs 31:27

Meal Plan Monday ~ Saving Money in my Frugal Kitchen ~ Third Week April 2026

 

Welcome to Frugal Workshop where every Monday I share the simple strategies used to save money in my kitchen over the past week, along with the meals that made it to our dinner table. You'll find practical tips on how we saved money on food hopefully to inspire your own meal planning using the foods you have in your own pantry.

My Frugal Week

One way we save money here is by building meals around the cheapest proteins such as eggs, beans, canned tuna, cottage cheese, ground turkey, chicken, or pork. These proteins are often half the price of beef. Right now I am working through the ground turkey I have in my freezer and using up what we have on hand. 

Freebies

My friend had some extra eggs that she wanted to share with me this week and we ended up with 84 eggs! We had extra bread, rice, and oats that I shared with her. 

Recipe of the Week

Protein Pasta Cheese Bake

Ingredients:

1 pound Italian turkey sausage

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 beef bouillon cube

1/2 cup minced onions

2 teaspoons granulated garlic

2 teaspoons oregano or Italian seasoning

1 pound protein pasta, cooked

1 - 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes

1 - 14 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained

2 - 14 ounce cans spaghetti sauce

2 cups cottage cheese

2 eggs, beaten

2 cups mozzarella cheese

Directions: 

Brown Italian sausage, add Worcestershire sauce and bouillon cube.

Add onions, garlic, and oregano.

Add crushed tomatoes, drained tomatoes, and spaghetti sauce.

Mix cottage cheese and beaten eggs together.

Add cottage cheese to meat sauce.

Add pasta to meat sauce.

Fill two 9x13 inch pans with pasta meat sauce.

Top with mozzarella cheese.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.

 

What’s for Dinner

Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday ~ Protein Pasta Cheese Bake, and Steamed Broccoli. 

Wanting to use up some of the Italian turkey sausage we have in the freezer and use a box of protein pasta we had on hand, I decided to make a protein pasta cheese bake for dinner. 

From my pantry I used up one can of crushed tomatoes, the box of pasta, two cans of spaghetti sauce, and one can of tomatoes. 

This made two 9x13 casserole pans, which was more than enough for dinner, so I was able to put part of this into the freezer for future meals. 

Thursday ~ Grilled Chicken Salads

Friday ~ Chicken Tenders, Baked Beans. 

I used up one lurking can of store brand baked beans for this dinner. I’m glad to have used it up and now it’s out of the pantry. 

Saturday ~ Beefy Baked Beans, Golden Hominy, Sliced Oranges. 

For this recipe I used a package of ground turkey instead of beef, but by adding one beef bouillon cube and some Worcestershire sauce to the turkey, a tip I learned from Cheryl, the recipe closely resembles real beef. I used up several containers from my pantry in this recipe including the last of the ketchup bottle, jar of seasoned pepper, and two cans of pork and beans. I also used up the lurking can of golden hominy. 

Sunday ~ Cajun Style Turkey Breast, Baked Sweet Potatoes, and Deviled Eggs. 

This was a Kentucky Legend turkey breast we had in the freezer and I love their hams and now know Bailey enjoys their turkey breast too. Being Cajun, it was too hot and spicy for me to enjoy. 

What’s been on the menu in your home this past week? Did you build up or organize your pantry this week?  Have you been decluttering? How are you managing food prices? We would love to hear all about it in the comment section. 

Belinda

Homemaker at Heart

~ Living within our Means ~My Linktree
~ She looketh well to the ways of her household ~Proverbs 31:27

Image Credit