Menu Plan Monday ~ Saving Money in my Frugal Kitchen ~ Week #1 March 2025

My Frugal Week

Bailey & I went out of Saturday to get groceries. We first went to Kroger and then headed to UGO.  We found several markdowns at Kroger and found Bailey’s favorite breakfast turkey sausage at UGO ($2.49) for much cheaper than Kroger ($9.49). 

UGO also had red bell peppers for $1.00 rather than the $1.50 price of them at Kroger. Shopping at UGO really helps us save money on our grocery bill and budget. 

 

What’s for Dinner

Monday ~ Leftovers from Sunday ~ Chicken Fajitas, Corn or Flour Tortillas, Lettuce, Tomato, Red Onions, Cheddar Cheese, Jalapeños, Cottage Cheese Chipotle Ranch,  Taco Sauce, and Corn. 

Movie Night Tuesday ~ Everyone was on their own for tonight, but I did make Bailey a homemade pizza for her movie night. We were out of turkey pepperoni, so I took two hotdogs and cut them thinly and air fried them for a few minutes to make our own pepperoni and she enjoy them made that way.

Wednesday ~ Leftovers of Swiss Steak, Roasted Yukon Gold Potatoes, and Rainbow Swiss Chard, which we got free from one of the free community gardens in Chattanooga. It had been picked that morning and was so fresh and delicious. 

Thursday ~ Korean Beef, Roasted White Sweet Potatoes, Rainbow Chard. 

Friday ~ Bailey has book club this night, so I was on my own for dinner. I tried a new recipe that Carol posted in the Living Simply Facebook group for Black Bean & Rice Burritos. It was definitely delicious and similar to several of the Mexican recipes we make. 

Saturday ~ BBQ Pork Chops, Macaroni & Cheese, Brussel Sprouts. 

Sunday ~ I took the leftover burrito filling from Friday and turned it into soup adding a can of mild enchilada sauce. 

What’s on the Menu for This Coming Week

We served two meatless meals again this week to save money on meat. We also did not eat out at any restaurants, order take out or eat any fast food in February, which makes a two month streak for us. 

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 February 2025

Welcome to Frugal Friday! 

Quote of the Week

Sometimes it takes a lot of failures to reach success. 

My Frugal Week

Like many of you, I’m concerned with the economy right now as company layoffs, federal layoffs, tighter financial conditions, deportations, high inflation, high rent, high home prices, high mortgages, high grocery prices, etc. 

If we do not already have them in order we need to get our financial houses in order to weather this storm! 

Sometimes pulling back is necessary. 

Here’s how to prepare:

1. Pay off high credit card debt 

2. Build up your savings and emergency funds 

3. Be frugal 

4. Do well at your job as high performers have a better chance at weathering the storm 

5. Help each other! Lend a hand when you can.

I'm here to help you stay informed with frugal ideas to help you save money.

Speaking of all of this, my brother and sister both want this home to be sold, the one Bailey and I live in, and the profit split three ways. My sister wants it sold yesterday as she is afraid that housing prices will plummet. But, if we sell during higher housing prices then that means Bailey & I will have to buy during higher housing prices. ::sigh::

I look at houses for sale regularly and see what huge down payments are required, but still see ourselves being here for a couple more years at least. I've told both siblings that the downstairs has to be cleaned out of the tools and machinery before the house can be sold.

That will be a HUGE job, one that Bailey and I cannot do by ourselves. Her and I have already cleaned out all the garbage and my siblings are going to have to help with what is left before the house can be sold.

In the interim, we are working on getting our income up, saving and adding to our house fund, so we will have an even bigger down payment, and decluttering our own stuff upstairs. It is definitely a work in progress.

On Saturday evening the shower diverter in our combo bathtub/shower, decided to malfunction. We called on YouTube to the rescue rather than call a plumber.

We went went to Home Depot to get a replacement part, but despite all our strength, could not get the valve to loosen and come off to do the repair.

So, we needed a shower valve socket wrench. My Dad probably has one around here somewhere, but I would have no idea as to where it was as he has thousands of tools all over the place.

We ran to Home Depot again for this wrench, and came home and tried again to fix it, but even with the wrench we could not make the valve budge, so I called a plumber. I told him I needed some man strength. LOL Even he struggled to get it loose, but he did and was able to fix it and only charged me $77.50.

On Wednesday I returned those items to Home Depot that we did not use. 

Bailey and I took both of our cars to Sweet WeePeets last Friday to drop items off for the consignment sale. We also took another car load down on Sunday.

Friday I went to Save a Lot for our free steak dinner, three baked potatoes, and a salad kit. Then, I found a penny in the parking lot when I went to get back into my car. 

Afterwards I went to Food City for a 24 pack of water bottles, which I earned from taking a survey for them. 

Then I went into Walmart to redeem a free Barilla protein pasta coupon. 
I added my receipts to Fetch and NCP for the week. It takes a long time to build up enough for a good sized reward, but it will be worth it in the end. 
On Tuesday & Wednesday I had errands to run. One was for my six month dental cleaning. Then I stopped in at a church thrift store that has free stuff in the front of the store. I picked up two pint sized canning jars there. 
I went to a senior expo on Wednesday. I had a free hearing screening and even ended up with some free things like a reusable bag, water bottle, pens, notebook, shower squeegee, and a few pieces of candy. 
On the Health Front
Rode my bicycle pedals for one hour each day and added ten minutes for my arms, which the physical therapist had me do last year to strength my shoulders. 
On Tuesday I went to the dentist to have my teeth cleaned. 
I had my CT Scan of my left knee and will have labs drawn on Wednesday in preparation for my left knee replacement surgery on March 20th. 
Freebies

Freebies from the dental office. 

Free magazines this week. 
A local ministry here was giving away free food on Saturday. I went and received four cans of tomatoes, one dozen eggs, turkey breast, potatoes, pie crusts, mango juice, and ready to bake cookies, which I put into the freezer. 
Bailey often takes cookies to her book club meetings and these come in handy for those. I dropped off the potatoes at the Blessing Box here as we have plenty of potatoes on hand and I know someone else can use them. 
Savings of the Week

Found this box of Bigelow matcha green tea on markdown. 
Question of the Week

Someone gifted me with a gallon of LA Awesome cleaner this week. I've not used this before and read the label thoroughly. It doesn't say that it is a disinfectant. Have you ever used this product? What kinds of things do you use it for?
Avoiding Spending
We couldn't avoid spending this week as we had to pay the plumber to fix the shower, and I also had to buy some Dawn and cat litter. 
What I've been Reading This Week
Lessons on Thrift from the Legacy of Home
The How not to Diet Cookbook: 100+ recipes to Help Prevent and Reverse Disease, written by Michael Greger, M.D., the physician behind the website Nutritionfacts.org. This is a beautiful cookbook complete with recipes for delicious, life saving, plant based meals.
As usual, I've kept myself busy this week always finding something to do to keep our frugal home running smoothly. 
As I end this week's edition of Frugal Friday, may the Lord bless you and keep watch over you and yours while providing for your needs.  Blessings to you my friend and thank you for visiting with me here as I count you among my blessings. 

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 #4 ~ February 2025

 My Frugal Week

This week I opened the last can of quick oats out of a box of six cans bought in April 2021 during the pandemic. They have a shelf life of thirty years, but I've used them up in only four years. 

With snow overnight on Wednesday, I stayed home rather than run errands and had a very productive day in the kitchen.

Cheryl over at Cheryl's Frugal Corner gave me an this idea past week. I had some pie crusts in the freezer, so I thawed one out and made pizza pockets for lunch one day over the weekend. The pie crust made them delicious. 

Recipe of the Week

This recipe came out of the necessity to use up some pinto beans I had cooked from the weekend. We really like beans with a lot of flavor and pinto beans are not very flavorful if they are not seasoned. So, I had about four cups left and decided to make this soup, which is very flavorful. Leftovers were stored in individual bowls in the freezer for future meals.

Mexican Pinto Bean Soup

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion diced

1 - 14 ounce can fire-roasted tomatoes

3 garlic cloves minced

2 small carrots, peeled and diced

1 medium potato, peeled and diced

1 teaspoon oregano 

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

4 cups pinto beans

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat oil in a large pot over medium/high heat. 

Add onion and sauté for about 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Stir in the roasted tomatoes, garlic, carrots, potato, and spices. 

Cook for 1-2 minutes and then pour in the broth.

Bring the soup to a boil and let it simmer with a lid for about 10-15 minutes. 

Add in the pinto beans and cook for 10 more minutes.

You can add more veggie broth or water if you want it to be thinner.

Photo of the Week

 

What’s for Dinner

Monday ~ Leftovers of Egg Roll in a Bowl, Pinto Beans, and Brussel Sprouts. I also roasted some potatoes in EVOO in the oven. 

Movie Night Tuesday ~ Chicken Breasts in the Air Fryer, Pinto Beans, and Steamed Broccoli. 

Wednesday & Thursday ~ I took the rest of the Pinto Beans and turned them them into Mexican Pinto Bean Soup. Then I decided to make also up a batch of Lentil Loaf and portioned them out into eight cabbage leaves for Cabbage Rolls. 

I cooked the cabbage leaves for one minute in the Instant Pot to get them soft enough to roll. I really liked these and will definitely make them again. I served them with roasted potatoes & onions and green beans with onions. 

That made two meatless meals to save money this week. I’m saving the soup for lunches rather than dinner. 

Friday ~ I had errands to run and was out until 6:30 p.m., bur I did not get take out. Instead, we had the last two cabbage rolls and made a big salad to go with it. 

Saturday ~ Using the free steaks from Save-A-Lot, I made Swiss Steak with them in the crockpot. I served them with Roasted & Smashed Yukon Gold Potatoes and Green Beans with Onions. 

Sunday ~ Chicken Fajitas, Corn or Flour Tortillas, Lettuce, Red Onions, Tomatoes, and extra sharp Cheddar Cheese, and Corn. 

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

Third Frugal Friday of February 2025

 Welcome to Frugal Friday! 

Quote of the Week

The key to not being discouraged by circumstances is to think about possibilities not impossibilities. ~ Laura of Harvest Lane Cottage

My Frugal Week
Both of us have spent part of our week gathering items we no longer use to sell at the Sweet WeePeets consignment sale coming March 1st through March 9th. 
No matter how much I declutter during the year, I always find some things I no longer use or need. Some things I've held onto for years, thinking the day will come when I will use them again. But, as our lives change, our needs change and we simply adjust for where we are in our lives.  
Several things I held onto after my divorce twenty-four years ago, I let go this week like a Bundt pan, and a muffin tin for small muffins. I always thought I would use them again as I always did when I was married, but I’m a different person these days and decided to let them go to someone else. 
These days I spend some of my time doing exercises and stretching. Riding my bicycle pedals for one hour and doing my physical therapy exercises. 
On Saturday I walked out to the pole barn to get a old Coke tray to use as a step up for exercising. I try to go up and down the steps at least once each day to continue to improve my mobility. I also use the banister on the porch rails along with a stretch band to do resistance exercises on my legs. 
My reading glasses broke this week, but I had the free pairs from Zena Optical, so I was able to replace them without spending any money. 
Monday was a day to sell items on Facebook Marketplace, apparently. I listed a couple of propane tanks/heaters and they sold immediately. Then, a juicer I've had for sale on eBay and FB Marketplace finally sold. Two sweet ladies came to pick it up and marvel at what they thought was the most beautiful countryside where we live. They especially loved seeing the snow on the mountain. 

On Tuesday I went to the retina specialist and had injections in both eyes. He said they were much better this time around. I suspect that is because I went back after four weeks instead of six weeks. These injections wipe me out for some reason and I came home and fell asleep for a couple of hours. 

On Wednesday I had to cancel my errands because it snowed overnight. School was called off and students and teachers had remote learning instead. I'm ready for snow and ice to be finished now. 

Recently I bought a seat belt extender from Seat Belt Extender Pros for both my car and Bailey's car. I really like them as they extend the seat belt buckle up higher making it easier for me to click the seat belt into place. 
Buyers can choose between a regular extender or a rigid one and the number of inches they want it to extend. I chose the rigid one for both mine and Bailey's car. 

I also ordered a seat belt adjuster to hold the shoulder strap down away from my neck as I was tired of the shoulder strap rubbing and irritating my neck. Both items have made it easier to wear my seat belt. 
If you're interested in either of these items, they gave me a coupon code for 10% off to share. The code is: FAS3JO2AD4NL
Freebies

We had run out of clothes hangers due to using them for consignment sales, so we “put the word out”.  A frugal term from Amy Dacyczyn’s Tightwad Gazette. In no time at all we had offers from three people! 
One of them has a husband who was going to throw them away, but she kept them just in case, which worked out in our favor. An eighteen pack of hangers is $2.98 at Walmart, so we saved money, which is a reminder to always ask before making any purchase to see if we can save some money. 
Someone else put the word out on Facebook that they needed some containers for a project and wondered if anyone had any garbage cans. I just happened to have three metal ones from when Bailey had 4-H chickens, where we kept their food. I was as happy to give them to someone to use and she was to get them. 

Another freebie we got this week was winning a giveaway from Save a Lot of Eastridge for Valentine's Day, which included two steaks. If you follow along with our menus, you know we do not eat steak at home, so this will be a real treat. 

Bailey received this gift of Harney & Sons vanilla tea for Christmas. She is not a fan of vanilla flavored items, so she gave it to me instead. 
Savings of the Week
I perused the grocery store sale ads this week and saw that Piggly Wiggly has Fischer bologna and hot dogs for 99 cents for the one pound packages. Food Lion has chickens for 99 cents a pound this week. Food City has ground chuck on sale for $2.99 a pound if you buy an additional $25 worth of groceries. Those were the only things I would consider buying to stock up my pantry this week. 
Avoiding Spending
I couldn't avoid spending money this week as my car needed gas, which is all I spent this week and cost me $35.06 to fill up. 
Saving Money YouTube Videos
Prepper Princess posted a video this week, which states, "Food Prices are Out of Control, Time to cut Down to the Bare Necessities." 
In the video she is speaking about how prices are getting too high and she states that she is willing "to give up just about anything but coffee. I'll give up toilet paper. I'll give up my car. I don't care as long as I have my coffee and my TV it's all I care about."
As for me, I could easily give up TV as I rarely turn our set on at all. I do want my Internet though, so I can watch my favorite TV shows online. I use them to fall asleep at night, which I know is a bad habit. 
What would you give up if the price got too high?
What I've been Reading This Week

Be A Plant-Based Woman Warrior: Live Fierce, Stay Bold, Eat Delicious: A Cookbook ~ written by Jane Esselstyn, and Ann Crile Esselstyn. 

These two also have a YouTube channel:
 Plant-Based with Jane Esselstyn and Ann Esselstyn ~ Their humor and positive personalities shine through in their YouTube channel. 
That is our week in a nutshell. 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.

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