First Frugal Friday of August 2022

Welcome to Friday! 
My Frugal Week
The Sweetweepeets consignment sale starts at the end of this month. I’m still going through stuff here to add to the sale. On Tuesday I went through the silverware drawer. When I find silverware secondhand I buy it and take out the pieces I want to keep. This leaves silverware I don’t need in another drawer. I went through that drawer and added what we don’t want to the consignment sale  pile. 
This week I called our electric company to talk about our electric bill. We average a usage rate of $220 per month and that is for an all electric house. We have no other utility bills such as gas or water. 
Bailey and I split the electric bill in half each month, which is one way we save money on expenses by living together. The bill was especially high in July because of the heat wave, but we make up for it in the winter months with much lower electric bills. 
Our electric company does not do the average monthly bill where you pay the same amount each month. So, I created a slush fund to pay into for when the bill is lower than my set budget amount of $150.00 per month. That way when I have an especially high month, the money will already be in my slush fund account to pay for it. 
I also called my auto insurance company this week. First off, I had them take Mom off my auto policy. Then I added a homeowners insurance policy to my account. Since Mom passed away I needed a policy in my name in case of an emergency. My insurance agent said having this second policy on my account will save me money on my auto insurance.
Since this was the first week of the month, I paid all of my bills that are not already automated. 
On Thursday I had an eye doctor appointment and we ran several errands to save money on gas. We stopped at the bread outlet and bought Dave’s Killer Bread for $3.00 a loaf, post office, library, book store, stopped in to vote, Petco for flea medicine, Staples for copies, CVS for an RX, and Publix for ground beef, cheese, butter, and salmon. Whew, it was a busy day! 
It was funny as the RX from CVS didn’t cost me anything, but they gave me $7.00 in extra bucks. I can buy a can of Salmon for $4.99 and make a meal out of it with the extra bucks. At the library we both picked up a free book for participating in the summer reading program. 
Joy of the Week

We stopped in at the Book and Cover book store in the North shore area of Chattanooga. Bailey is a member of their book club this month and picked up her copy of The House in the Cerulean Sea. The bookstore was so quaint and lovely I just had to share a photo of it. 
Saving Money In My Frugal Kitchen
We’ve been in use it up mode this past week when I did stop in Publix on Thursday and bought just a few items. With the high cost of groceries right now I am not stocking up at the moment. I’m just buying what I need to feed us for right now. 
It seems that the loss leaders are far and few between, so we have to make different choices. I bought one can of salmon for $4.09 when normally I would buy a couple. I bought cheese to make Rice & Cheese for dinner one night to serve with a vegetable as that is an inexpensive meatless meal that we enjoy. 
We are definitely using up what we have, making different choices, and making more inexpensive dinners as a result. This is what we are doing differently at this time until something changes. 
Meals This Week
Friday: Pizza.
Saturday:  Ham, Rice & Vegetables, Broccoli. 
Sunday: Taco Meat, Tortillas, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Onions. 
Monday: Grilled Chicken, Potatoes, Asparagus. 
Tuesday: Lemon Pepper Chicken, Cucumber Salad. 
Wednesday: Pork BBQ, Roasted Potatoes, Mixed Vegetables. 
Thursday: Hamburgers with Cheese, Lettuce, Tomatoes, and Onions. 

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.
BelindaDebt Free & ~ Living within our Means ~My Linktree