Second Frugal Friday of March 2026 ~ Miserly March

 

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
Last Friday was another busy day here. I had another follow-up with my surgeon, went to two yard sales, stopped at Publix, Walmart, Sam’s Club, Staples, and the UPS store. 
At the yard sales I picked up twenty-two wash clothes for 25 cents each. The ones we have are becoming thin, so we have them on our yard sale list to buy this year. I also picked up a 100% wool jacket for $1.00, flannel blanket, leather money holder, an Instant Pot for $2.00, and one pair of cordless ear buds, which Bailey has already claimed. LOL

This week I watched a TikTok video where a lady used a pumice stone to clean a baked on spot in her oven.  I picked one up a Walmart for $1.98 this week and used it on my stovetop to clean a couple of rusty spots on the stainless steel. It worked so well, and much better than any of the cleaners I've tried before. I'll definitely add this to my frugal cleaning arsenal.
On Sunday we went to Kroger for our main monthly grocery haul. Kroger sent both of us coupons this month, so we picked up one carton of eggs and one box of microwave popcorn both for free, and saved $5.50 in additional coupons for items we normally purchase. We also used the $20 gift card I earned from a survey this month.
I'm feeling much better these days and was able to do laundry by myself on Monday. There are still some things I'm not doing such as lifting more than 10 pounds, until I get my surgeon's clearance, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. 
I had some paperwork for the church that needed to be notarized, so I did some checking around and found one in the county courthouse here that will do this for free. I was going to pay $16 for this service, but free is better. Afterwards I visited with a neighbor for a few minutes before heading home for the day. 
We had more errands to run on Thursday and stopped in at McKay’s Used Books. We traded books for store credit and both picked up a couple of new to us books. 
I actually found a copy of Dr. Nowzaradan’s, of My 600 Pound Life fame, book! I’ve always wanted a copy and even have it on my wishlist at Amazon, so I was tickled to find a copy there for only $3.00. 
I love reading weight loss, recovery, success stories, etc about healthy living and weight loss and you’ll see a lot of those types of books in what I read. Immersing myself in this topic helps keep me and my own weight loss journey on track.  Blog News

In exciting news this week, Frugal Workshop has been selected by the panelists at FeedSpot as one of the top 90 frugal blogs on the internet this year. If you’re looking for more frugal content to read I’d suggest checking out this comprehensive list.

Saving Money in my Frugal Kitchen
On Saturday I made orange chicken using a rotisserie chicken I picked up from Sam’s Club. The sauce is made from one cup of orange marmalade, half a cup of bbq sauce, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, and two teaspoons of toasted sesame oil. I pulled the chicken off the bones, poured the sauce over, and heated through. We really liked it and will make this again. 
I tried a new recipe for walking taco casserole on Monday and wanted to share it with you. I substituted cottage cheese for the sour cream as a healthy alternative. Lettuce and tomatoes would have been good on top, but I was out of both of those items. 

DIY Goo Gone

This Old Baker has a recipe for homemade Goo Gone in their newsletter this week. I’ve always liked Goo Gone and keep it on hand, but I’m going to try this homemade version. 

Goo Gone

Ingredients:

1 cup coconut oil, solid or melted. 

1 cup baking soda

Directions:

Mix together in a small bowl until it forms a paste.

Store in a sealed jar (a half-pint mason works perfectly).

To use, scoop with a cloth and rub onto sticky residue. 

Let sit for 1 to 2 minutes, then wipe clean.

Walking Taco Casserole
Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef1 onion, diced10 ounce can tomatoes and green chilies
1 can chili beans16 ounce can refried beans1 cup shredded cheddar cheese1 cup sour cream 2 cups tortilla chips, crushed
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Spray baking dish to prevent sticking.Cook ground beef and onions until browned and drain.Stir in taco seasoning and cook according to the packet instructions. Add a can of diced tomatoes and green chilies to the skillet. Mix well to combine.Spread 1 can refried beans in an even layer at the bottom of the baking dish. Layer the seasoned beef mixture over the refried beans.Add cheese on top of beef then top with sour cream, spreading it evenly.Generously sprinkle 2 cups of crushed tortilla chips over the sour cream. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
What’s for Dinner

Monday & Tuesday ~ Walking Taco Casserole, Corn. 

Wednesday & Thursday ~ Sub in a Tub 

Friday ~ Chicken Meatballs, Sweet Potatoes, Grape Tomatoes. 

Saturday & Sunday ~ Orange Rotisserie Chicken, Mixed Vegetables, Grape Tomatoes. On Sunday I served a salad with the Orange Chicken. 

Freebies
Free eggs and microwave popcorn thanks to Kroger. 
Savings of the Week
Last week I mentioned that cheese was on sale. When I went to Sam’s Club this week I noticed they have their 32 ounce blocks of cheddar cheese marked down to $4.96, so I bought two of those and put them in the freezer. That is a fantastic stock up price!
The Reading Nook ~ Things That Caught My Attention This Week ~
From the Consumer Affairs website, "If the U.S. is one of the world’s largest oil producers, why are gas prices surging?". Gas is up to $3.19 a gallon around here, which is an increase of about 75 cents per gallon. It definitely cost me more to fill up this week. I hope the price will come back down sooner rather than later. 
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

Sub In a Tub

 Sub in a Tub

A "Sub in a Tub" is a low-carb, bread-free version of a deli sandwich, featuring chopped sandwich meats, cheeses, and toppings served over a bed of lettuce in a container, often with vinaigrette dressing.

You can add anything you like on your sub to make this salad. These items are things I had on hand in order to make this for dinner tonight, but we can always add or take away from these ingredients.

We really liked this, I've been wanting to make it for a while now, and I had so many of the ingredients on hand that I decided it was time. It was a big hit and we will definitely be making this again in the future.

Ingredients for the Salad:

Proteins: 

Ham

Chicken

Salami

Pepperoni 

Cheese:

Shaved Parmesan

Parmesan Cheese

Provolone Cheese

Vegetables:

Romaine Lettuce

Tomatoes

Black Olives

Green Olives

Red Onions

Red Peppers

Banana Peppers

Pickles

Ingredients for the Dressing:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil ~ EVOO

Red Wine Vinegar

Mayonnaise 

Oregano

Olive Garden Italian Dressing

Garlic or Garlic Powder

Italian Seasoning

Salt and Pepper

Directions:

Add the lettuce to a large serving bowl along with the remaining salad ingredients.

Whisk the vinegar, oil, oregano, salt, and black pepper together.  

Pour over salad and toss until ingredients are well-coated. 

Enjoy immediately.

First Frugal Friday of March 2026 ~ Miserly March

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
I’ve borrowed a term from Carol on the Living Simply Facebook group and will consider this month to be Miserly March. My reason for that is we paid the property taxes here this week without dipping into our savings accounts. I’m calling that a victory, but the rest of the month I will need to be extra frugal. 
It was 68 degrees here on Sunday, so we took the plastic off the windows and opened them to get some fresh air into the house. The cats were thrilled and sat in one window all afternoon. 
The motor on our vacuum cleaner burned up this week and had to be replaced. We bought the same model we had before from Walmart for $72.42 (up $12.43 in price from when we first purchased this model back in 2021) and it was delivered the next morning. 
I managed to do a small load of laundry on Monday and washed my homemade bandages. They sure have come in handy after my surgery and saved me money in the process. 
On Tuesday I had two doctor appointments, first to my retina specialist for eye injections and second to my surgeon for another follow-up. He took both drains out, which has really helped me to feel normal again. He will see me for another follow-up on Friday. 
On Wednesday we had to drop off Bailey’s car as her check engine light came on the day before. I drove my car in order to pick her up, which is the first time I’ve driven my car since my surgery. Naturally it needed gas, so I filled it up at $2.79 a gallon.
We also did some thrift shopping, picked up an item from Facebook Marketplace, went to the courthouse and paid property taxes, my car registration, and Bailey’s yearly business taxes. Afterwards we stopped at Food City for cheese before heading home. 
Saving Money in my Frugal Kitchen
On Saturday I decided to use one of two soup packets I have in my pantry. The one I chose was for minestrone soup. I diced up an onion, celery, and carrots to sauté before adding the soup mixture and water. The soup made eight cups in all, so plenty for dinner and several lunches this week. 
On Saturday we took one of the ten-pound bags of chicken breast, which I bought at Gordon’s to thaw and placed in the crockpot to cook for Sunday dinner. I seasoned them with onion powder, salt, garlic, seasoned pepper, and my taco seasoning mix. I portioned out enough for dinner and made four other portions to freeze for future meals. 
Piggyback Cooking/BIG Timesaver
Piggyback cooking also known as the "three day Sunday roast" involves preparing large batches of food such as the taco flavored chicken I made over the weekend, and then transforming them into different meals throughout the week.
For example, here is a write up I did on three meals I can make when I've made a stockpot full of chili.
This trick involves cooking a protein from which other meals can be created.  Cook  and allow the protein to be the main part of at least three meals. Try to come up with ways to serve the protein so it does not feel like leftovers. 
Depending on how much I make, I use one portion for dinner, save one or two portions for the next two days and then freeze the rest for future meals. 
Cooking once and eating three times reduces effort and cost, allowing the kitchen to run smoother. By respecting what's earned and avoiding waste, we can outwit the system and build prosperity.

What’s for Dinner

Monday ~ Chicken Tacos

Tuesday & Wednesday ~ Chicken  Nachos

Thursday & Friday ~ Ground Chicken Meatballs, Sweet Potatoes, Baked Apples.

Saturday ~ Minestrone Soup

Sunday ~ Chicken Tacos

Freebies
Our friend gave us two sweet potatoes this week. 
Savings of the Week
Food City has their 32-ounce bags of shredded cheese on sale this week for $5.99 with a limit of two. I made sure to stop in and pick up two of them. Kroger also has their store brand cheese on sale this week too in the 32 ounce block or shredded for $5.99, so this is a good week to stock up on cheese. 
Saving Money on Entertainment
This week I watched the film, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? This was a movie recommended by Nedra Glover Tawwab who wrote the book, Set Boundaries, Find Peace. The film provides an excellent example of the need to set boundaries. In the film Gilbert, is a parentified teenager who takes care of his family but struggles to have a social life outside of his family due to unhealthy boundaries. I found the movie on both  Hulu and Pluto to watch online, so no cost there. 
What I've been Reading This Week

I mentioned last week that I was reading more due to recuperating from surgery. Normally I feel guilty reading for pleasure because I think about all the other things I could be doing instead. But I know that isn’t a healthy way to look at reading.

Reading is such a good activity and slows down memory decline in older age. It also helps with personal growth, stress management, and building vocabulary. Also, when we read a book instead of watching tv or scrolling on social media, our sleep improves.

Books I’ve finished reading this week:
 - All the Light We Cannot See, historical fiction written by Anthony Doerr. There is a four-part series on Netflix that Bailey and I plan on watching now that we’ve both read the book together. This was written well and I enjoyed how the author tied up all the loose ends towards the end of the book. 
- Set Boundaries Find Peace, written by Nedra Glover Tawwab, is a self-help book that focuses on establishing and maintaining healthy boundaries in various aspects of life. This is such an excellent book on how to set healthy boundaries with people in your life. 

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

Fourth Frugal Friday of February 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
I completed a survey from Opinion Place last week and earned a $20 reward, which I turned into a $20 Kroger gift card. 
I won two free tickets to the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga thanks to the EPB who ran a contest on their Facebook page. 
The weather turned cold here starting on Sunday, so we did have to turn some heat on and I also used the electric blanket on my bed. 
One thing I do when going to yard sales in the summer is to stock up on winter clothing and essentials. Last summer I found a really nice pair of knee length winter socks that I put into service this week. It may have been hot outside when I bought them, but they sure have kept me warm this week. 
Health Update (Feel free to skip)
I returned to my surgeon on Tuesday and everything looks as it should at this time, so I’ll see him again in one week. 
My incision has been leaking fluid, which is normal, and I’ve went through all the gauze and bandages I have in the house. So, I made some reusable ones out of my stash of cotton/flannel baby blankets and they are doing a great job, which is a real money saver. 
Saving Money in my Frugal Kitchen
On Wednesday I was feeling well enough to put together a casserole for dinner. This is a recipe that I received in my email and from looking it up online it’s posted in multiple places. I used one of the rotisserie chickens we recently bought from Walmart for $1.99. 

White Chicken Chili Cottage Cheese Winter Bake

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked shredded chicken

2 cans (15 oz each) white beans, drained & rinsed

1 & 1/2 cups corn (frozen or canned, drained)

1 cup salsa verde (or green enchilada sauce)

1 cup cottage cheese (blend smooth for extra creamy)

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack or mozzarella

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Salt and pepper

Optional:

1 can (4 oz) diced green chiles

1/2 cup diced onion

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). 

Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.

In a large bowl, stir together chicken, beans, corn, salsa verde, cottage cheese, 1/2 cup shredded cheese, spices and optional add-ins.

Spread into a 9 x 13 baking dish. 

Top with remaining cheese. 

Bake for 30 minutes.

What’s for Dinner

Monday ~ Salisbury Steak, and Mixed Vegetables. 

Tuesday ~ Grilled Chicken Burrito Bowls

Wednesday & Thursday ~ White Chicken Chili Bake, and Steamed Carrots.

Friday ~ Grilled Chicken, Tortillas, and Bean Salad. 

Saturday ~ BBQ Pork Chops and Bean Salad. 

Sunday ~ Chicken, Carrots, and Bean Salad. 

Saving on Electric
I was reading an article on the Consumer Reports website on how to cut your bills by more than $800 per month. The article stated that the average household spends $2,000 a year on energy. So, I looked up the history of our electric bill in our all electric home and figured we spent $2,464.51 on electric in the last year. Interesting. 
What I've been Reading This Week
 I’ve done a lot of book reading this week as I continue to recuperate. Nothing new right now, but rather books I needed to finish reading. 
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