Meal Plan Monday ~ Saving Money in my Frugal Kitchen Returns!

Good Monday morning! I've decided to start back posting Monday blog posts again now that I am back to making meals for the most part. Bailey still helps me from time to time, but for the last week I've consistently been making the meals and washing dishes. 

Quote of the Week

“Somewhere Over the Rainbow” became Judy Garland’s signature song. She continued to perform it for 30 years, just as she did for the film, saying she wanted it to remain true to Dorothy’s character and the song’s message. That message, imagining a better future in an uncertain world, still resonates. It can sometimes feel impossible, but I believe it is what will get us through. ~ Dan Rather

My Frugal Week

Bailey did her breakfast meal prep on Sunday morning as usual. I chopped up red onions, red peppers, and also made a batch of my homemade Cottage Cheese Chipotle Ranch for her. She was making her breakfasts with her turkey sausage while I had the ham and beans cooking in the slow cooker, so the whole kitchen was smelling good. 

Use It Up Item Of The Week

I dug through the freezer and realized we were down to our last package of turkey sausage for Bailey's breakfast meal preps, so that is our use it up item of the week. We will want to replace this the next time we go to UGO, but in the meantime she will use the other sausages (chipotle, Italian, taco) we have in the freezer. 

What’s for Dinner

Monday ~ Egg Roll in a Bowl, Brussel Sprouts, and Baked Apples. 

Tuesday ~ Choice of Leftovers. 

Wednesday ~ Chicken Breast Filets, Baked Sweet Potatoes, Mixed Vegetables. 

Thursday ~ Beefy Baked Beans, and Steamed Broccoli. 

Friday ~ Salmon Patties, Green Beans with Onions & Potatoes. 

Saturday ~ Sub in a Tub, and Baked Apples. 

We still had a lot of apples on hand that I needed to use up, so I decided to make baked apples to go with dinner. 

Sunday ~ Great Northern Soup Beans with Ham, Baked Apples. 

On Saturday evening I took our last ham bone out of the downstairs freezer to make beans and ham for our Sunday dinner. I put Great Northern soup beans on to soak to make with the ham bone. Those were my Dad's favorite bean. 

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

Image Credit

No Yard Sale Saturday This Week

 

No Yard Sale Saturday ~ Conserving Gas

I decided not to go to any yard sales today for several reasons. Number one because it's cold here and I've been out of the house multiple days this week and I just wanted to stay home. 
Number two is because the price of gas has me concerned. 
Gasoline prices have risen since late February 2026 when the United States launched a coordinated strike on the country of Iran. 
As consumers, I'm afraid we are going to feel the pain of this in our wallets.  Higher expenses and shortages will affect many of us and may be hard to maneuver if you are not wealthy.
This is not to alarm anyone or create panic, but rather to remind us that we live in a time where we need to be prepared for things like this.  It isn't wise to live completely dependent on everything being there for us when we want it or need it. 
If we focus on our skills we can rest a little easier, hopefully.  There is no credit card for this, there is no one coming to save us.  We must learn the skills and know how to take care of ourselves. 
With the price of gas climbing as much as it has in the last week I can see a real need for people to start rationing the gas they do buy. 
I filled up my tank on Friday before coming home and it cost me $47, which if I had to do that several times each month, would definitely put a dent in my budget. 
So in my effort to save the gas I do have, I decided to stay home from yard sales this week. 
This is not to say that I won't be yard sailing this summer, but Bailey and I will probably take turns driving each week when we do go, which would cut our individual gas budgets in half for the month. Either way, we will reach into our frugal toolbox and find a way to make this work for us too. 

Belinda 🫶 💕 Homemaker at Heart 💕 ~ Living within our Means ~My Linktree
~ She looketh well to the ways of her household ~Proverbs 31:27

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