Frugal Workshop: Saving Money in My Frugal Kitchen ~ Week #4 November 2025

Monday, November 24, 2025

Saving Money in My Frugal Kitchen ~ Week #4 November 2025

My Frugal Week

Welcome to Frugal Workshop where I post on Mondays about how we saved on food during the past week along with what we’ve had for dinner that week.

We had clementines that were sour and I noticed we were not eating them. So, rather than let them go to waste, I decided to dehydrate them in my air fryer. I also dehydrated some lemons and apples from the crisper drawer. I’ll be making some simmering potpourri with these items to give as Christmas gifts.

There were also some plums on the counter not being eaten, so I made a concentrated effort to eat one with my breakfast each morning in order to use them.

I had some yogurt, bought on markdown, that was expiring, so I put that into the freezer downstairs along with several bags of cranberries. That way I’ll have cranberries to use all year long.

I didn’t buy a turkey this year since I have one in the downstairs freezer. I’ve already placed it in the refrigerator to be thawing for the holiday on Thursday. If you're interested, here is a link to my traditional Thanksgiving meal plan. I won't be making everything on the list this year, but keeping it simple instead.

I spent some time straightening up my kitchen cabinets, putting like items together. I usually organize things as I put groceries away, but items still get misplaced from time to time and need to be tidied up again. While I was reorganizing, I noticed several ingredients that sparked ideas for a few meals I could make using what I already have.

It reminded me of a tuna noodle casserole my friend’s mom used to make when I was a teenager. I made it often back then, and today I realized I have everything I need to make it and can use either tuna or chicken, since I have both in my pantry. That gives us another easy, budget friendly meal using what’s already on hand.

Bailey picked up this Zojirushi rice cooker at the last People Helping People bag sale, and tried it out on Sunday. It's an expensive rice cooker ($167.96 on Amazon) and makes restaurant quality rice. It has multiple features, such as singing a melody when it is done cooking, and we can even make whole meals inside of it. At $15 for the bag sale (13 gallon kitchen trash bag full of this and other stuff), this was a great deal.

What’s for Dinner

Monday ~ Honey Baked Ham with 15 Bean Soup, Southern Spoon Bread.

This was leftover from the weekend, so we were able to squeeze one more meal out of it along with a couple of lunches.

Tuesday ~ Chicken Filets, Roasted Potatoes, and Steamed Broccoli.

Wednesday & Thursday ~ Egg Roll in a Bowl, Green Beans with Onions, Baked Sweet Potato.

I made this dish using some of the Italian turkey sausage I bought for 79 cents at UGO last weekend. I also used up a small head of cabbage, a bag of coleslaw mix, onions, and red and yellow peppers from the Mennonites. I doctored it up with fried rice seasoning, fresh garlic and ginger, soy sauce, and toasted sesame oil.

Friday ~ Homemade Chicken Nuggets, Green Beans with Onions.

Bailey had book club this night, so we didn’t eat dinner together like we normally do each night. Green Beans & Onions were the ones left from Thursday’s dinner that I didn’t want to go to waste. I served the chicken with honey mustard sauce.

Saturday & Sunday ~ Bean & Cheese Enchiladas, Corn, and Salad.

This dish is a tried and true family favorite. I really like green enchilada sauce and had a can in my pantry, so I decided to use it up and make this for our weekend dinners. I served it with corn, and salad with tomatoes for the sides. It is a real money saver being meatless and we still get plenty of protein from the beans, cheese, and cottage cheese, which I substituted for the sour cream.

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