Third & Final Frugal Friday of December 2024

 

Welcome to Frugal Friday! 
My Frugal Week
There will not be a Frugal Friday post next Friday on December 27th as I prepare for my knee surgery. There will not be any Meal Plan Monday posts either, so this will be my last post of 2024, but I'll be posting again in January. 
I wanted to send a thank you to Arlene for the sweet gift she sent me this week. That was so thoughtful and kind of her,  and I hope she as well as all of you have the merriest of Christmases.
Dinner tonight will be Salmon Patties, Green Beans with Onions, and Sweet Potatoes. 
Saving Money YouTube Videos
Poverty Meals: Budget Meals for those on a Low Income by Strawberry Moon Homestead. 
Frugal Christmas Homemaking Extreme Budget Ideas for Christmas by Strawberry Moon Homestead
What I've been Reading This Week
Chasing Cupcakes by Elizabeth Benton who also runs a podcast called Primal Potential. 
I hope and pray all of you who celebrate have a very Merry Christmas. With my surgery coming up, my mind is on other things right now as I prepare. I hope you all stay safe and warm and I'll be back before you know it. 

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.

BelindaHomemaker at HeartMortgage & Debt Free~ Living within our Means ~My Linktree
~ She looketh well to the ways of her household ~Proverbs 31:27

Menu Plan Monday ~ Saving Money in my Frugal Kitchen ~ Third Week of December 2024

My Frugal Week

This was a week where I was winging dinner everyday, waiting until later in the day to figure out what I was serving. 

On Saturday there was a local ministry giving away free food. We came home with potatoes, sweet potatoes, yogurt, coffee drinks, ginger beer, croissants, cheese, butter, cookies, peaches, and I'm sure I'm forgetting some items. 

On Sunday I worked in the kitchen for a few hours. I peeled and cooked apples in my Instant Pot, peeled all the clementines because they get eaten faster that way, pulled out the produce drawers, washed them in the sink and wiped down the inside of the fridge. 

Also, went through my pantry pulling items we aren't using to donate to the Little Free Pantry here, vacuumed the kitchen, made a crockpot full of soup using up all the little bits from the fridge, made a fresh batch of sweet tea, and made cornbread. 

What’s for Dinner

Monday ~ Baked Whitefish with Mustard Glaze, Green Beans with Onions, Salad. 

Taco Tuesday ~ Tacos! Yum!

Wednesday ~ Chicken Polish Sausage, Field Peas & Snaps, Macaroni & Cheese. 

Thursday ~ Salmon, Corn Casserole, Salad. 

Friday ~ Chicken Sausage, Corn Casserole, Butter Beans.

Saturday ~ Baked Fish, Butter Beans, Sweet Potatoes, Deviled Eggs. I used a mustard glaze for the fish, which was the last of the fish I had in the freezer. I still have plenty of canned salmon and tuna fish on hand though. 

Souper Sunday ~ I made a batch of Mexican Chicken Soup and just winged it as far as ingredients using up multiple cans from my pantry and leftovers from our fridge. It turned out really well and we will be having it for dinner again on Monday. 

What’s been on the menu in your home this past week?

Belinda

Homemaker at Heart

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

Second Frugal Friday of December 2024

Welcome to Frugal Friday! 
My Frugal Week
Last Friday I measured the last of the clothes Bailey will have for her shops this year. It’s always good for her taxes to have all the inventory listed by the end of the year. 
We sold a sifting litter box to our garbage man for $10 on Saturday. It had been sitting on the back porch for a couple of weeks, and he expressed interest, so we sold it to him. 
Tuesday was my appointment with the retina specialist where I had injections in both eyes again. I've been going every four weeks, but he said I was doing so well he wants to try six weeks, so we shall see if it works this time.  
Afterwards, Bailey had a mystery shop to see the movie, Wicked, so we went it in the 3D version, which was neat. It's the untold story of the witches of Oz. Elphaba and Glinda forge an unlikely friendship before their lives take different paths after an encounter with the The Wizard of Oz. Part One of a series  ultimately sees them fulfill their destinies as the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda The Good Witch. 
I sold a weighted blanket for Bailey on Facebook Marketplace this week for $30. 
I woke up on Thursday morning and the temperature had gotten really low through the night and my bedroom was 54 degrees, so I turned on some heat to get warm. It felt so good. 
As far as Christmas goes, I'm as ready as I can be, although I am waiting on a couple of gifts in the mail. I'll wrap those as soon as they come. Everything else is wrapped and under the tree. 
As far as food goes, I just need to pick up some chocolate chips for cookies, which we are making to bring to a Christmas gathering. Everything else I already have on hand including a small ham for Christmas dinner. As usual, with just the two of us, we are keeping it very simple. I am not even planning a dessert as we have no desire for one. 
Freebies this Week

The Safe Haven Animal Rescue Program, aka Sharp, group helps people where I live with pet food. Pictured here is a sixteen pound free bag of Hills Science Diet cat food they gave me this week. This bag sells for $32.99 at PetSmart. 

Another Freebie this week was this sample of shampoo and conditioner. 

That is all the news to report from here this week. How was your week? Find any good deals? Ready for Christmas? Only about a dozen days left before it’s here. I hope you had a wonderful 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.

BelindaHomemaker at HeartMortgage & Debt Free~ Living within our Means ~My Linktree
~ She looketh well to the ways of her household ~Proverbs 31:27

Menu Plan Monday ~ Saving Money in my Frugal Kitchen ~ Week 2 December 2024

My Frugal Week

Last Sunday I made six more gelatin and fruit cups. These were gone by yesterday, so I made eight more for this week.  Some were made using cherry gelatin with blended cottage cheese for protein, and some with banana strawberry gelatin with blended cottage cheese and strawberries.  

We shopped for groceries on Tuesday. We ended up with more food than freezer space, so we took two turkeys out of the freezer upstairs and put them in the freezer downstairs, which was my Dad’s refrigerator.  That freezer was empty, but not now. 

On Saturday I spent time reorganizing the refrigerator upstairs. I made more Chipotle Ranch for Bailey, made deviled eggs, used up all the bowls of chopped onions and peppers into a stir fry for dinner. Cut up all the celery and red peppers in order to have them ready to be eaten, peeled some clementines for easy snacking, put like items together and wiped everything down.

Here is what we had for dinners this past week:

What’s for Dinner

Monday ~ BBQ Pork Chops, Roasted Beets, Sweet Potato Fries. 

Tuesday ~ Cheeseburgers and Fries.

Wednesday ~Chicken Teriyaki Kabobs, Vegetable Stir Fry with Cauliflower Rice. 

Thursday ~ Grilled Chicken Salads, Sliced Cucumbers & Sugar Snap Peas. 

Fish on Friday ~ Baked Whitefish with a sweet bourbon mustard glaze, Green Beans & Onions, and a salad. 

Saturday ~ Plant Based Chicken & Teriyaki Vegetable Stir Fry. I used multiple bowls and bags of vegetables from the fridge, using them up in the process. I added some grated frozen ginger right off the ginger root, which always elevates this dish to the next level. I made deviled eggs earlier in the day, so I served those as well as sliced cucumbers and clementines. 

Sunday ~ Grilled Chicken, Salads, and Deviled Eggs. 

What’s been on the menu in your home this past week?

Belinda

Homemaker at Heart

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

First Frugal Friday of December 2024

Welcome to Frugal Friday! 
My Frugal Week
I listed one item on eBay this week and sold two items, which one was another old pocketknife I found while cleaning downstairs. 
On Tuesday we went grocery shopping. First stop was UGO in Chatsworth. Afterwards we headed to Food City to spend our $25 gift card, Ingles, and finally Kroger. 
Ingles had their Borden cheese on sale buy one get one free. We found a package of Chicken Teriyaki Skewers on markdown for $5.99, a can of white corn on markdown for 50 cents, and plant based steak on markdown for $1.49. 

At Food City I found a one pound package of Bison marked down from $9.99 to $4.99. I also picked up Greek yogurt, green olives, hot chocolate, tortillas, and apples. After my gift card I paid $15.50. 
Deals at Kroger include multiple bags of salad on markdown, so we will  be eating a lot of salads in the next week. Other than that we mostly just stocked up on everyday groceries. 
And our best deals came from UGO where we found the large boxes of sugar free Jell-O for 79 cents, which sell for $1.78 at Walmart. I eat them every day, so the savings was tremendous. I bought three cases or 72 boxes in all, which saved me over $70. 
Other deals at UGO include turkey lunchmeat for $1.00, sometimes less, per pack. Quarts of Almond Breeze eggnog priced at 3 for $1.00, egg whites for $1.00 per 32 ounce box, grass fed beef hot dogs for $1.99, boxes of 24 individually wrapped 1 ounce bags of peanuts for $1.00 (unheard of!), and not to mention all the other good deals we were able to purchase. Grocery closeout stores can really help families save money on their grocery budgets. 
Wednesday & Thursday were spent at home. Our Christmas tree is up, the house is decorated and the presents are wrapped. We’ve already started watching some Christmas movies and watched The Family Stone this week. 
It’s cold here, around 26 degrees most mornings, so we have our draft dodgers in place by the doors and are keeping warm. We only have heat on in the bathroom for now. 
How are you doing? Getting all your Christmas doings done? I’m not a fan of these shorter days with it getting dark around 5 p.m., but they won’t last too long. 
I hope and pray you’ve had a wonderful 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.

BelindaHomemaker at HeartMortgage & Debt Free~ Living within our Means ~My Linktree
~ She looketh well to the ways of her household ~Proverbs 31:27

Menu Plan Monday ~ Saving Money in my Frugal Kitchen ~ First Week December 2024

 My Frugal Week

What didn't get eaten of our Thanksgiving leftovers were put into the freezer over the weekend to save for another day.

What’s for Dinner

Meatless Monday ~ Spaghetti & Meatballs. I took the meatballs in sauce out of the freezer, which had been saved from another meal. I baked a spaghetti squash and used it as the noodles for the meatballs. We've been trying to stay low carb and steering away from sugar, flour and white pasta and white rice, so spaghetti squash is a good alternative for the pasta. 

I served this with steamed carrots for the vegetable and some garlic bread on the side for those who wanted some.

Taco Tuesday ~ Grilled Chicken Taco Salad. 

Wednesday ~ Chicken Burrito Bowls.  

Thursday ~ Thanksgiving Dinner of Turkey Breast, Dressing, Green Beans with Onions, and Deviled Eggs. 

Friday ~ Leftovers

Saturday ~ We had our family get together for Thanksgiving on Saturday. I made Southern Spoonbread and a chocolate cake to bring. Other dishes served were turkey, macaroni and cheese, baked beans, dressing, and several desserts. 

Sunday ~ Baked Fish, Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Brussel Sprouts. 

What’s been on the menu in your home this past week?

Belinda

Homemaker at Heart

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

Fourth & Final Frugal Friday of November 2024

 Welcome to Frugal Friday!

My Frugal Week
This week I worked on wrapping and packaging Christmas presents.  I figure if I do a few things here and there every few days it won't feel rushed when the time comes. On Saturday I packaged mini marshmallows into cups and papers and tied with pretty ribbons to include in the hot chocolate/mug packages I'm making. 
Saturday also had me washing laundry. I tried on my winter coat from last winter and it is way too big for me now, so I washed it and gave it to Bailey to resell. I also sorted and washed the kitchen laundry afterwards. Not buying paper products for the kitchen saves us a lot of money each year. 
I took the turkey breast out of the freezer on Monday to be thawing in order to cook it for Thursday, Thanksgiving Day. I made cornbread for the dressing on Wednesday.
I earned $12.34 from Amazon this week, which is for items my readers buy when using my link. 
Hulu is being offered right now for 99 cents per month and it's the one streaming service where I can watch The Conners, so I signed up for that. 
Thanksgiving was spent at home with just Bailey and me. We had a simple dinner of turkey breast, dressing, and green beans with onions, which was delicious and filling. 
There is no need for us to spend a lot of money on food as we don’t eat that much to begin with and there is no need to spend extra money for special food. If there were more people here, I might consider that, but this works for us. We will be going to spend time with family on Saturday. I’ll be bringing a spoon bread corn casserole and chocolate cake. 
In The News 
Disclaimer: This is not meant to start a political discussion, but rather to let my readers know about a possible price increase in order that they can take steps to stock up before that happens.  
Fox News is reporting that, "Trump says he will issue executive order to charge Canada, Mexico 25% tariff on goods upon taking office".

If you order your pet medications from Canada  in order to save money like we do, you may want to buy them before Trump takes office in January. 
And on that note, egg prices are going to surge once again as Avian flu has reared its ugly head again. Avian Flu has been found in Tennessee too in Gibson County in western Tennessee.
Freebies
The Gem Theater in Calhoun, Georgia is showing free Christmas movies for the holidays. Here is the schedule: Gem Theater 
We'll be going to the Christmas Tree Lighting in Dalton on Friday evening as well as putting our own Christmas tree up at home and decorating the house for the holidays. 
Saving Money YouTube Videos
Eleven Christmas Gift Ideas on a Budget and Awesome Packaging Ideas ~ I really liked several of her ideas, especially for packaging. She used a leftover Cheez-It box as the base of one of her Christmas baskets, so she has some really good frugal ideas here.  
Saving Money on Entertainment
Women of The Hills ~ 3 Cultures of Appalachia ~ This is available to watch for free on YouTube. 
What I've been Reading This Week
Azure Canning Company Holiday Gift in a Jar Recipes ~ Some really good ideas for Christmas gifts can be found here. 

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.

BelindaHomemaker at HeartMortgage & Debt Free~ Living within our Means ~My Linktree
~ She looketh well to the ways of her household ~Proverbs 31:27

Belinda’s Peanut Butter Banana Bake

Belinda’s Peanut Butter Banana Bake

Today I tweaked the recipe that I posted yesterday from Nourish & Thrive Amy from TikTok, which I did to lower the calories.

I switched out the one ounce of peanut butter to two tablespoons of powdered peanut butter, which lowered the calorie content by 134 calories from 512 to 344 for the entire mini loaf.

I also made the switch to two tablespoons of the wheat germ to make it easier to measure.

I also added two tablespoons of vanilla protein powder for an extra 34 calories, which added an additional five grams of protein, making the entire loaf twenty-five grams of protein.

This recipe produces a very moist loaf of bread. 

This recipe isn’t very sweet since there is no sugar, but if you make sure your bananas are really ripe that will help with the sweetness.

Here is the tweaked recipe, if you're interested:

Belinda's Peanut Butter Banana Bake

Ingredients:

6 ounces ripe banana
1 egg
2 tablespoons powdered peanut butter

2 tablespoons  wheat germ

⅛ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Mash banana and add egg. 
Mix well.
Add all other ingredients. 
Mix well. 
Spray a small loaf pan to prevent sticking or use parchment paper.
Pour batter into the mini loaf pan.
Bake in a 375 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes.

Belinda

Homemaker at Heart

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