Today I baked up some fruit that I didn't want to lose. First off was this Southern Living banana bread recipe. First photo is of it going into the oven and then afterwards when I had it cut up for eating this week.
I also had some Granny Smith apples that needed using up. I read a recipe in the Betty Crocker newsletter this past week for Apple Dump Cake, which I made although I did add some cinnamon to the apples.
The apples used in this recipe were given to me, the cake mix bought on sale, and I did have to spring for the butter, so this cost me right at $1.00 to prepare at home.
Here is a picture of it.
We had two jars of honey in the house and both of them had crystallized, so I placed them in a pan filled with hot water to make the honey pourable again. And then I put all the honey in one jar.
Looks better, doesn't it? And much easier to use in this stage. :)
Afterwards, I made some more granola bars for my daughter to take with her to school this week. This batch made fourteen granola bars. These bars cost me under $1.00 to make at home, which is much cheaper than a box of granola bars bought at the store.
Dinner tonight was hamburger, which I browned with some onions and worcestershire sauce, drained, and then added some Campbell's Beefy Mushroom soup. I served that over mashed potatoes with a side of carrots. This dinner cost right around $4.00 to make because I used ground beef I bought on sale for $1.99 a pound.
Here is a photo of my dinner plate.
One of my readers, Patti, mentioned in the comment section last week that Brandy over at Prudent Homemaker had ordered some glasses online inexpensively. I did some research and the company is Zenni Optical and the glasses start out at $6.95 plus $4.95 for shipping. Such a great price!
I went ahead and used the eyeglass center at Walmart because I needed something right away. I found frames for $9.00 and with the lenses they cost me $38. I ordered them on Thursday and they were ready on Friday. I can definitely tell a BIG difference.
Thank you for everyone who expressed concern about my foot injury last week. Although it is still bruised, it is feeling much better.
Having stayed home all day today, we did not spend any money. We simply stayed home and used what we had on hand to make food and we did some simple chores around the house that needed doing. That is a big part of the frugal lifestyle for me. Staying home and not spending money, doing things that need doing around here. It may not be glamourous and people may tire of reading about it, but it is a part of being frugal for me.
I hope you all have a very pleasant weekend. :)
Belinda
Live simply by not spending money you don't have.
© Belinda & Frugal Workshop, 2011 - 2015.
I never tire of your frugal lifestyle. Now that my ds is away at college, I am helping alittle with the outside yard work. Helped dh with raking and while he used the lawn mower, I burned boxes and alot of fallen branches. With all the wind and rain last week, our trees are bare. No more yard work till spring I think. Cheryl
ReplyDeleteThat's great, Cheryl. I love how the yard looks after a day of working like you and your dh did. We still have plenty of leaves on our trees here, and we need to get the leaf blower out after them, but they are still falling.
DeleteI'm so glad you enjoy reading my blog. Thank you. :) I Hope you have a great weekend.
I love days when I don't have to go anywhere. I feel like I can get so much more done, than days when I even have just a couple of errands to run.
ReplyDeleteYour cooking and baking look delicious. Home-cooked meals and snacks are always yummy!
I don't think it's tiring, at all, reading about other's frugal days. I think it's inspirational and motivating. It normalizes the frugal choices that we make each day, to read about someone else doing similar things.
Glad your foot is much better.
Have a great week, Belinda!
Thank you, Lili. I agree wholeheartedly! I love to read about other's frugal days because it motivates me so much.
DeleteYour blog is especially motivating to me. You have the ability to create such great meals and so inexpensively. I appreciate that you take the time to blog about it too.
I feel like I get so much more done when I don't have to leave the house too. We live rurally, so a trip to town can take a big part of the day.
I hope you have a great week too! :)
Good for you staying home. I enjoy reading about your frugal adventures . I love staying home and cooking or sewing etc.
ReplyDeletePatti
Thank you, Patti. :)
DeleteI love staying home too. I get so much more done than I do on days when I have to get out of the house.
Your calculating cost for baking a cake reminds me of YEARS ago when I knew to the penny the cost of homemade pecan pie with free pecans. My homemade was larger than bakery bought pie and cost 75+% less.
ReplyDeleteHehe, it may be similar to bulk buying socks for DH 10+ years ago. Chances are that he could wear the socks another 10 years.
Yesterday, gas for car was $1.70 without reward points. For now, gas savings are about $150 monthly.
Staying home can be as enjoyable as gadding about here and there. Hoping you soon have another good day at home.
Good deal on the gas savings, and socks, Anna. That is a long time for socks - great way to stretch that dollar. :)
DeleteFree pecans? Wonderful! They were charging $9 at the bank on Friday for some. I let them keep them. LOL I do have a peach, cherry, and pumpkin pie in the freezer for Thursday if needed. We are invited to BIL's house that evening, so I will bring one of those with me. :)
I hope you have a wonderful week. :)