Meal Plan Monday ~ Saving Money in my Frugal Kitchen ~ First 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 thing I snack on regularly is apples and I love Honey Crisp apples, but they are expensive. A three pound bag of them is selling for $7.48 at Walmart right now. This week I bought the Gala apples in the three pound bag for $2.38 instead, which is a savings of $5.10 and they were delicious, so for now I am making the switch to save money. 

We have a 32 gallon garbage can filled with water downstairs in case we need it for anything when or if the power goes out. 

Savings of the Week

I found one of my favorite Skinny Syrups on clearance at Walmart for $3.50, when they normally sell for $4.97, so I bought four of them saving myself almost $6 in the process. 

 

What’s for Dinner

Monday ~ Chicken & Dressing, Green Peas. 

Definitely a night for leftovers and choices included chicken and dressing or meatloaf. Bailey was out with a friend so we were on our own for dinner, which gave me a break from cooking for the day. 

Tuesday ~ Choice of Homemade Pizza or Leftovers

Wednesday & Thursday ~ Fajita Chicken Tacos, Chili Beans, and Corn. 

Friday ~ Chicken Strips and Cole Slaw

I had been in town running errands, so his was a quick and easy dinner when I got back home. 

Saturday ~ Chicken Croquettes, Cole Slaw, Brussel Sprouts, Pickled Beets. 

This is a recipe I first made back in 1994, and is a good recipe to use with canned chicken, which I mentioned last week I have a lot of in my pantry right now.    

Sunday ~ Bean & Cheese Enchiladas, Chili Beans, and Corn. 

Bailey had some turkey sausage thawing for her breakfast meal prep, but then decided against it, so I used the sausage in our dinner in order to not waste it. I turned it into turkey taco meat and then made enchiladas with it. 

I was able to use several cans from our pantry including refried beans, green chilis, and enchilada sauce. I was also able to use up the last of the chili beans I had in the fridge, so this was a use it up meal too. 

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

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Sunday in the South

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Sunday in the South carries deep cultural and spiritual meaning, which is a day shaped by church, family gatherings, and long-standing traditions. It brings to mind the sight of steeples, the warmth of Sunday dinners, and moments of quiet reflection. 

Where I’m from, we’ve always called it the Lord’s Day, which is especially meaningful as many come together to celebrate Easter Sunday. Wishing you and your family a truly blessed and peaceful Lord’s Day.

There are storm clouds all around us, so let's take this day to feed the light that will, in time, remove the darkness that currently challenges decency and goodness in the world. Let's help spread the warmth of community and the light of kindness. 

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

First 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. 
My Frugal Week
One thing we did while we were waiting on our new air conditioner to arrive, was to put black poster boards over the kitchen windows because the sun was shining directly in those windows and heating up that area of the house. I was pleasantly surprised at how well that simple task made the kitchen and the whole house so much cooler. 
On Wednesday I had an errand to run in Chattanooga and I stopped in at Goodwill. I found two pull chain lamps for $5 each, so I bought both of those as pull chain lamps are my favorite lamps. I also found a large lazy Susan, also $5, for our dinner table. 
The Great Cleanup Continues …
I've been cleaning more downstairs again now that the weather been warmer. Dad had pop bottles (soda bottles) behind the door leading to his office, so I cleaned those up and put them in the shed outside with all his other pop bottles. I'm sure they are valuable to the right person. 
I've been taking one box of mail from the cabinet at a time, and going through it and disposing of it as needed. I've hired a new garbage company to come on Tuesdays and they will take off unlimited garbage for $50 per month, so I want to take advantage of that and be busy cleaning out down there, and we still have our regular Friday crew to take off garbage too. 
I found some neat things from our childhood in some of the boxes like grade cards, school reports, old pictures, etc. It's fun because I send pictures to my sister and we can laugh over some of them. 
I posted a flyer from a pizza place from the 1980s from my childhood hometown of Lockport, Illinois in that Facebook group and we've been reminiscing about it. The owner's son reached out to me and asked if I would be willing to send him the menu as he didn't think to keep one back then. So, it is back on its way to Lockport once again. 
There is a countertop next to the washer and dryer downstairs that was filled with tools and such, so I cleared all that off and scrubbed the counter, so I can put my laundry there as needed.
Someone posted on Facebook that they needed a non-working microwave along with some other things for a theater play at the local community college. So, I offered up the one Dad had downstairs along with a clock. I was glad to finally have it gone and grateful to help someone else in the process. 
Washing Machine Update

Bailey watched a YouTube video and fixed the agitator dogs in our washing machine. These are small plastic cogs in top-load washing machines that allow the agitator to rotate in one direction. 
Pictured above are the parts from our machine. On the left are the new pieces and what they should look like and the parts of the right are the ones from our machine. Yikes!
But even though Bailey was able to fix this part, there is another repair it needs, which involves lifting/moving the washer, which I won't be able to help with right now. So, for now the washer upstairs will have to wait. 
In the meantime, I continue to carry laundry outside and downstairs to Dad's washing machine. I'm so glad we kept that washer/dryer combo just in case of something like this. 
Other frugal things we did this week include:
- Taxes were completed and paid for this week. - Laundry washed, folded, and put away. - Did some weed eating and clearing of brush in the yard. - Sold one item on eBay for $22.00. 
Weekly Gasoline News
Gas Price in SE Tennessee: $3.79 gallon
The U.S. Postal Service, pending approval from the Postal Regulatory Commission, will begin to add an 8% fuel surcharge to package deliveries starting April 26 and will last until January 17, 2027 and is driven by a 43%+ rise in diesel costs. This temporary fee will apply to Priority Mail, Ground Advantage, and Parcel Select. 
Photo of the Week

I found this advertisement from Tide while cleaning out mail downstairs this week, which had to be from the 1980s. The coupon is good for 65 cents off and has no expiration date. I like it when coupons have no expiration date. 
Question of the Week?
Do you think my Frugal Friday blog posts are too long? Do they get boring to read? Would it be easier to read if I break it up into more smaller blog posts throughout the week? Please let me know what you think. 
Saving Money on Entertainment
This week I started watching Leanne, a TV series on Netflix set in Knoxville, TN. Leanne finds her husband is leaving her. The show reminded me of one of those classic sitcoms, which I enjoy,  and Leanne is very likable as a southern Mom starting over with support from her loving, but unfiltered family. 

Puff the Magic Dragon

Molly Whuppie is well known for her nostalgic folk music for children, and has built a community of followers worldwide from her home on Prince Edward Island. She sings those songs from our childhood that we all know and love. 

How Much is that Doggy in the Window?

My Reading Nook ~ What I've been Reading This Week
Consumer Affairs is reporting the U.S. inflation rate was fairly moderate at 2.4% before February 28. But after the attack on Iran, oil prices have surged. Now, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) projections suggest inflation could reach about 4.2% in 2026. 
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

Saving on Gasoline

According to Consumer Affairs, the national average gas price is now over $4 a gallon, according to AAA and GasBuddy predicts the price will continue to climb. 

Prices have climbed more than $1 in a month, driven largely by global oil disruptions and seasonal demand shifts.

As a result of all of this, I decided that it would be a good time to revisit the saving on gas posts I've written about here before, so here they are. 

- Saving on Gasoline

- Saving Money on Gasoline

Belinda

Homemaker at Heart

~ Living within our Means ~My Linktree

~ She looketh well to the ways of her household ~Proverbs 31:27

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Meal Plan Monday ~ Saving Money in my Frugal Kitchen ~ Fifth & Final Week March 2026

Welcome to Frugal Workshop where every Monday I share the simple strategies used to save money 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

In inventorying my pantry, I realize that I have a lot of canned chicken on hand, which is something I need to think about when planning meals in the upcoming weeks. 

I try to use the fresh or frozen chicken I have on hand before turning to the canned chicken, just in case of a power failure, which could result in losing the frozen chicken. 

I’ve also been cleaning out my pantry and freezer and using up the food that I tend to ignore when planning meals. Lately I’ve used up several of those often overlooked items.

For lunches this week we had leftover salmon patties, homemade pizza, vegetable bean soup, a bowl of leftover vegetables from dinner the night before, along with other various items I found to use up. 

Use It Up Items Of The Week

I had one filet minion in my freezer, that someone gave me, that has been there for a few months as I rarely cook steak. I finally used it this week putting it into my slow cooker until it was tender, which worked and I finally have that item out of my freezer. 

I also had two packages of Pepperidge Farms dressing that I bought for 50 cents each on markdown that I used this week. Once on Saturday when I made a meatloaf using the dressing as one of the ingredients, and then again on Sunday when I made chicken and dressing for dinner. 

 

What’s for Dinner

Monday ~ Rotisserie Chicken with P. F. Chang's Teriyaki Sauce, Bean Salad. 

I placed a marked down rotisserie chicken in the fridge on Sunday to thaw. On Monday I pulled the meat from the bones adding the PF Chang's teriyaki sauce, and  fresh ginger, pineapple, and some onions. I served this with the bean salad that I made the day before. 

Tuesday ~ Leftovers

Wednesday ~ Beefy Baked Beans, Butternut Squash.

This is a tried and true family favorite recipe that I made for dinner using up two cans of pork and beans in the process. I've used a lot of canned food out of my pantry this week, which is a good thing. 

Thursday & Friday ~ BBQ Pork Sandwiches, Bean Salad.

I had a glass container of pork with BBQ sauce in the freezer, which I thawed and chopped up to make BBQ sandwiches. It's great to use up the pork and get my glass container back into service in my kitchen. 

On Friday evening I opened up a canned of peaches that I had chilled in the refrigerator to add to dinner, They were a sweet and refreshing addition to the BBQ.  

Saturday ~ Meatloaf with Dressing, Mexican Vegetables. 

This was a new to me recipe, which you can find here:

Easy Meatloaf with Stuffing Mix

Bailey really liked this recipe, and I did too except I prefer my own meatloaf recipe as I find it has much more flavor. The Mexican vegetables included a mixture of red peppers, corn, and broccoli that I served as the side dish. 

Sunday & Monday ~ Chicken & Dressing, and Green Peas.  

I used a bag of already cooked and diced chicken along with a container of dressing, two containers of broth, butter, and celery that all came out of the freezer. Which opened up space in that freezer. 

I also used up the last container of Pepperidge Farm dressing.  I served this with a side dish of green peas. I used up the last of my sage in this dish, so I added it to my grocery list. I'll check Ollie's the next time I go as they have spices regularly priced inexpensively. 

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

Belinda

Homemaker at Heart

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

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