Frugal Friday ~ July 31, 2020

We received sad news this week. My daughter's first grade teacher passed away. She was only 51 years old and had a heart attack. She had spent a large part of her summer cleaning, organizing, and painting her classroom getting it ready for the new school year. 
She was always so funny and had the best personality. She came to me after Bailey, who was moving onto middle school, graduated from 5th grade to tell me she would miss me being there regularly. This is a huge loss for our small community and honestly we are just heartbroken. 

This week, as usual, we have stayed home, which is a huge money saver. My daughter has had to pay shipping to get inventory sent here, but I told her what we have saved on gas by not going to yard sales more than pays for that postage. 
In My Frugal Kitchen
We put a whiteboard on our refrigerator, so we could list whatever leftovers are in there that need eating. It will save us from food waste, which will also save money. 
I saved multiple jars this week by washing them and removing the labels. They will be stored with my other empty jars and used for another purpose when needed. 

The last of the money saving cookbooks I ordered came to me this week. This one ended up getting lost in the mail, but finally arrived. 
It's Ida Bailey Allen's Money Saving Cookbook from 1940. I've been reading it this week and it really does have good money saving recipes in it. 
I'll be sure to share them when we find and try recipes we like. 

This pair of kitchen tongs loses the parts on a regular basis even when I am cooking with them, which is frustrating. 
I finally fixed them using some Gorilla  Glue. I made sure to put the glue where it would not come in contact with any food. Hopefully this will fix that problem. 

For those that mentioned how good the Tony Chachere's was last week, we agree! I made some fried onions and potatoes this week with smoked sausage and seasoned them with the Tony's and it was very good. We will definitely be using this again. 
Gooseberry Patch has these free printables for Skillet and Slow Cooker Dinners if you're interested. 

This week I received a survey from Consumer Opinion and $5 for completing it. 

Free food for coins. A Chick-fil-A in Virginia needs your coins...badly.
For every $10 of rolled coins that customers bring in, customers will receive the same value in paper bills AND a free entree.
Why are they doing this? To avoid going cashless amid a nationwide coin shortage due.
Entertainment
This week I watched Alabama Moon for free on YouTube. It was a clean, family film, with nothing bad in it. 

This week I fixed my laptop with electrical tape.  The cord continued to fall out of the laptop, on both ends, and then it would go dead right in the middle of work, which was frustrating me.

So, like Amy Dacyczyn, I decided to fix this little problem and used electrical tape to keep it together permanently. It's worked great ever since and not fallen out again.
How has your week been?
Belinda ~ Living within our Means ~ My Linktree

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay and it helps me to earn a living here at Frugal Workshop.

Saving Money on Essential Oils

Bailey originally shared this on her Instagram account and I thought it was really good and wanted to share it here. If you would like to follow her Instagram account, you can do so by clicking here. 
Written by: Bailey
Robbers essential oil is awesome! 
It’s the same blend as Young Living Thieves and much more affordable. 
I just ordered my third bottle off eBay (much cheaper than their Amazon price). 
We’ve been diffusing it every day since the pandemic started. 

There is something so satisfying about a diffuser running. I keep one running in every room especially since the pandemic got going. ⁣ ⁣ The first one I ever got was from my mom for Christmas. She got it on the Young Living website along with some oils to try.  Since then I’ve picked up almost every one I’ve seen at yard sales and thrift stores. I’ve never paid more than $5 and I even got another Young Living diffuser.⁣ ⁣ It’s been about 5 years of running it every night and the first one I got for Christmas has stopped working. All of the thrifted ones are still going strong.⁣ ⁣ I feel like there is so much merit to shopping second hand. We are giving an item new life and stopping it from potentially ending up in a landfill. Many times thrifted items are older and have stood the test of time meaning they are great quality.⁣ Not sponsored, just wanted to share ⁣ Do you have diffusers running in your home? What’s your favorite oil essential oil? Also, what items do you always pick up when you see them thrifting? Bailey ~ Living within our Means ~ My Linktree

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay and it helps me to earn a living here at Frugal Workshop.

Menu Plan Monday ~ July 20 through July 26, 2020

Here is my loosely held meal plan for last week with side dishes determined later. These plans are always held loosely and can change as needed. 

1. Meatloaf

2. Chicken Pot Pie

3. Cheese Enchiladas

4. Sticky Pineapple Chicken

5. Chow Mein & Egg Rolls

6. Hamburgers with Cheese

7. Loaded Baked Potatoes

And this is what we ended up eating last week:

Monday: Chicken Sandwiches, tater tots, and steamed broccoli. I also served celery sticks and cucumbers with ranch on the side. 

Tuesday: I had all the makings for Chicken Pot Pie on this day. I used a lot of vegetables including onions, peas, carrots, corn, and green beans. I also used up a can of Broccoli and Cheese soup inside of it, which made it extra good. 

Wednesday: I took my last package of chicken out of the freezer and tried a new recipe for Pineapple Sticky Chicken. This recipe called for Hoisin sauce, which we bought at Kroger on our last grocery haul. I served this over brown rice and made some steamed baby carrots to serve along side. 

Thursday: This day I took a bowl of Taco Style Lentils & Rice from the freezer. Taking a flour tortilla, I placed some of the filling on there along with taco sauce, cheese, sour cream, and tomatoes.The burritos were served with corn and a side salad.  

Friday: This day I wanted to try and duplicate Chic-fil-A's chicken sandwich at home. There are plenty of copycat recipes online, so that is what I did.

First, I soaked the chicken breast in pickle brine and then double dipped them in batter and then a flour mixture.  They turned out pretty good, so now when I have pickle brine, I will use it for this recipe. 

Saturday: My daughter surprised me today and made dinner. She made a great pasta salad, peas & carrots, and cantaloupe. It was so good to not have to cook and very refreshing. 

Sunday: This day I took a package of ground beef from the freezer and made Tacos. They were served with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and cheese. We also had cantaloupe on the side. 

Here is what I'm planning for this week, sides to be determined later:

1. Vegetable Night ~ Red Beans & Rice

2. Beef Night ~ Smoked Sausage

3. Vegetable Night ~ Bean Soup

4. Chicken Night ~ Chicken Croquettes
5. Vegetable Night ~ Baked Potato Night

6. Beef Night ~ Tacos
7. Vegetable Night ~ Beans & Greens

As always these plans are held loosely. They could change based on my energy level that day or any other circumstance. But it is nice to have some type of plan for the week. 

What is on your menu for the week?

Belinda ~ Living within our Means ~ My Linktree

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay and it helps me to earn a living here at Frugal Workshop.

Yard Sales in 2020

Bailey originally shared this on her Instagram account and I thought it was really good and wanted to share it here. If you would like to follow her Instagram account, you can do so by clicking here. 
Written by Bailey
My yard sale bag waited in my office all year to go on adventures again, but quarantine happened. 😒⁣
⁣
I’m doing some office rearranging and I still thought I would share what I keep in my yard sale bag. Hopefully by next summer all of this will be long behind us. 🤞🏻⁣
⁣
𝘐𝘒𝘌𝘈 𝘉𝘢𝘨𝘴: These are great to have on hand for large rummage sales where it’s not as easy to make a pile for yourself. Also, I keep two in the trunk to throw everything in as I go. ⁣
⁣
𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬: I write down how much I spend as I go. This makes bookkeeping super easy when I get home.⁣
⁣
𝘍𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘬: I know, I know, but it’s super convenient! I can count out cash with one hand and hold a bunch of stuff in the other. It also has a pocket for pepper spray and hand sanitizer. 👍🏻⁣
⁣
Hat & Sunscreen: ☀️ ⁣
⁣
I also keep water, wipes, snack, etc. when yard sale season is active. ⁣
⁣
I’m really sad this isn’t happening this year, but I know it’s for the best. Stay home if you can. This won’t last forever. ❤️ Bailey ~ Living within our Means ~ My Linktree

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay and it helps me to earn a living here at Frugal Workshop.

Fluffy Baked Omelet

This recipe came from my high school home economics teacher, Mrs. Cimo. We made this during my senior year of high school in 1985. 
She had us use a can of Hormel ham for the ham portion of the recipe. 

I made this for breakfast this morning and it was as good as I remember it being back then. My daughter really liked it too. 
Here is the recipe if you're interested:
Fluffy Baked Omelet
Ingredients:
6 eggs, separated ¼ cup cornstarch ⅓ cup water 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon Tabasco sauce 1 cup chopped ham 1 cup cheddar cheese Optional: mushrooms, onions, green peppers.  2 tablespoons butter
Directions:
Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry.  Quickly beat egg yolks with remaining ingredients.  Fold into beaten egg whites.  Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet.  Pour in omelet mixture.  Cook over low heat until lightly browned on bottom, about 5 minutes.  Finish cooking in the oven.  15 minutes at 350 degrees. Loosen omelet, cut and serve. 
Belinda ~ Living within our Means ~ My Linktree

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay and it helps me to earn a living here at Frugal Workshop.

Frugal Friday ~ July 24, 2020

Welcome to Friday, our 19th week of staying home and avoiding crowds due to coronavirus. No grocery shopping, yard sales, or thrifting. Some days are hard mentally, some days are easier though. 
In other news this week, my daughter received her stimulus check this week. She planned ahead on how she would spend this and managed to save part of it while also treating herself at the same time.
We did go out one day this week to pick up an RX at Publix, which was made contactless (paid online) through the drive through. 
The last time I filled up my car was on July 6th. I still have almost a full tank since we are not driving as much. At that time I paid $1.79 per gallon.     This week I placed a Walmart.com order to be delivered free to our home. The order included freezer bags, probiotics, mayonnaise, tortilla chips, walnuts, and Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning, which I've been wanting to try. 
This week I already received a call to sub for this upcoming school year. 
Our dryer wasn't working correctly, so we called a repairman out on Tuesday. 
Turns out the heating element burned out. Total cost of the service call and parts came to $189, which is cheaper than buying a new dryer. 
So I'm glad we decided to repair this one rather than buy a new dryer. We did ask the repairman to wear a mask and disinfected after he left. 
Entertainment:

Tuesday night movie we watched Bridge to Terabithia. My favorite parts of this movie involve Miss Edmunds, the music teacher. Wouldn't it be wonderful if every student had a music teacher like her?

In my Frugal Kitchen:
I emptied a spice container of Mrs. Dash and cleaned it up. I'm going to reuse it for another spice as I like the size of these bottles. 
I stocked up on Chinese/Japanese oils and sauces this month. This week I'll be using oyster sauce in Sticky Pineapple Chicken and hoisin sauce in Chow Mein Noodles. 
My mom had me order her 24 cans of Chef Boyardee Spaghetti & Meatballs, but turns out she didn't like them. So, she gave them to us and now we have 23 cans on our pantry shelves. 
How was your week?
Belinda ~ Living within our Means ~ My Linktree

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay and it helps me to earn a living here at Frugal Workshop.

Sticky Pineapple Chicken

This is what I made for dinner on Wednesday evening and my first time cooking with  hoisin sauce, which we bought at Kroger. 

The sauce for this was delicious and we could taste the pineapple in there. This will definitely be a keeper as I'll be making this again. 

Sticky Pineapple Chicken

Ingredients:

1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/3 cup low sodium chicken stock
1/3 cup hoisin sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 Tablespoon minced fresh garlic
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 Tablespoon olive oil
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cup diced pineapple
1/2 cup roasted, salted cashews (optional)
Rice, for serving

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, whisk together the pineapple juice, soy sauce, chicken stock, hoisin sauce, brown sugar, garlic and cornstarch. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until the mixture has reduced to about 1 cup and is the consistency of thick syrup. Set the sauce aside.


Add oil to a large nonstick skillet set over medium-high heat. 
Add the chicken to the pan and season it with salt and pepper, and onion powder. 
Cook the chicken, stirring, until it is no longer pink, about 10-15 minutes. Add the sauce to the pan and stir until combined. 
Add pineapple and cashews and cook for an additional minute.
Serve over a bed of rice.


Belinda ~ Living within our Means ~ My Linktree

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay and it helps me to earn a living here at Frugal Workshop.

Grateful for USPS, FedEx, UPS, & Amazon Delivery Personnel

Pictured above is a basket of snacks and drinks we made for the people who deliver packages to our home. 
We are so grateful during these uncertain times that they are willing to deliver packages, which allows us the privilege of staying home and out of the stores. We know that not everyone has that option. 
Our FedEx driver even left us a sweet note. :)

Belinda ~ Living within our Means ~ My Linktree

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay and it helps me to earn a living here at Frugal Workshop.

Menu Plan Monday ~ July 13 through July 19, 2020

Menu Plan Monday

This was my original meal plan for this week with sides were to be determined later:

1. Egg Roll in a Bowl

2. Cheesy Potatoes

3. Chicken Pot Pie

4. Spaghetti

5. Easy Sausage Quiche

6. Loaded Baked Potatoes

7. Meatloaf
8. Chicken Tenders

And this is what we ended up eating this past week:

Monday: This day I decided to make Egg Roll in a Bowl along with some baked homemade egg rolls . I made enough to have leftovers for lunches this week. I used the egg roll dish to make the egg rolls too. I served steamed broccoli alongside. 

Tuesday: I took chicken out of the freezer on Monday and placed in the fridge to thaw for Tuesday night dinner. I've been wanting chicken tenders for a while now, so I just decided I was going to have to make some, photo above. I also made some homemade cole slaw to go with them.   

Wednesday: There was still chicken left from Tuesday, so I went off menu, cooked it and made Chicken & Chile Chimichangas. 

This is such a simple, but good recipe and one I made back when I was married. I ordered a Chimichanga in the Mexican restaurant we went to on my first real date back in the early 1980s. 

Thursday: Since we've had meat several days in a row, I decided to do a meatless dinner tonight. Loaded Baked Potatoes is what we had for dinner on this night. 

Friday: Dinner tonight was homemade pizza with pepperoni and black olives. I also made a salad to go along with it. 

Saturday: Dinner tonight was grilled chicken, with rice and a side salad. 

Sunday: Dinner today was Spaghetti using sweet Italian sausage, onions, tomatoes, and a new to me sauce from Italy. I also made some garlic bread using us some hamburger buns we had on hand. 

Beverages this week included Sweet Tea, Almond Milk, Sprite, Lemonade, V8-Juice, Pineapple Juice, or YooHoo.

Here is what I'm planning for this week, sides to be determined later:

1. Meatloaf

2. Chicken Pot Pie

3. Cheese Enchiladas

4. Sticky Pineapple Chicken

5. Chow Mein & Egg Rolls

6. Hamburgers with Cheese

7. Loaded Baked Potatoes

Of course this could change based on my energy level that day or any other circumstance. :)

Belinda ~ Living within our Means ~ My Linktree

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay and it helps me to earn a living here at Frugal Workshop.

Frugal Friday ~ July 17, 2020

Image Credit

Graphic Garden has free calendar pages you can print from home if you're interested.  She also has free cards on her website if you want to print them from home as well. 

The other day I noticed a mouse dropping on one of my clean kitchen dish clothes. I had just put them in there less than a week prior to that, so I figured there was a mouse in the house. 
We've had the best luck with the Tomcat mouse traps. We put a small amount of cheese on one and set the trap and caught him the second night after we set it. I'm glad I figured it out and caught it. 
These mousetraps are effective and cost around $2.50 each on Amazon, which is worth every penny to me. You can even reuse these traps.
My word of warning here is this: Make sure all of your food is protected. Anyone can get a mouse in their house and they can cause damage. If you are stocking up on food right now during these uncertain times, make sure you're protecting it.   

Saturday night is game night here. We popped some popcorn and played two of our favorite games Boggle and Sushi Go. We usually always play a couple of games of Boogle on Saturday night. It helps to keep our minds sharp. 
Tuesday night is our movie night here. We made a small pizza and iced tea and watched The Secret Garden. It's one of my favorite movies and is a sweet, beautifully told story based on the classic story of Mary Lennox, a lonely orphan girl, who goes to live in her uncle's British manor house, Misselthwaite Manor.  
The Secret Garden was set in 1911 and I hadn't watched it since I've watched Downton Abby, which was set in 1915 and beyond. The similarities in both films was interesting to watch. 

In my frugal kitchen this week I grated cheese to be used in meals this month. I like to buy the two pound block and shred it all at once. We prefer our own shredded cheese over store bought as the taste is better and does not have any fillers. 

One day we had grilled chicken salads for dinner as I wanted to use up and not lose the fresh produce we had on hand. 

Image Credit 

Last week I ordered a shelving unit from Amazon because I wanted to have more storage room in my bedroom. The unit arrived on Monday evening and my daughter I put it together. It's so great to have additional storage in that room. 

Since I had a new place to put things, I decided to clean out my closet and store the small bookshelf, where the new shelf was going, in my closet. 

So, I condensed things, threw somethings away, went thru papers and tossed some, and set aside a few things to sell online. 

Another item I bought this week, to stock up on, was four boxes of the 100 count Johnson & Johnson band-aids. They were on sale for $4.00 per box. They are no longer on sale for that price, but are priced at $6.88 and 50% off one when you buy two ($5.16 per box). We like these because they are made with fabric and not plastic. 

We have a raccoon coming during the daytime to eat our cat's food. I thought about buying a small animal cage to humanely catch him, but they cost around $30. 

My solution so far has been to set a timer when I feed the cats and then go and get the food after twenty minutes and bring it back into the house. 

Some days I sit out there with them and wait until they are done eating and then bring it back in with me. We always do this at night because that's when they usually visit so this daytime raccoon is an odd ball. 

When we had chickens I had to be careful of the bears getting into the chicken feed and eating it. As much as I would love to feed them, I simply cannot afford to feed all the wild animals that come here. 

That's all the news to report from here this week. How was your week? I hope you have a homemade, thrifty week and look well to the ways of your household.

Belinda ~ Living within our Means ~ My Linktree

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay and it helps me to earn a living here at Frugal Workshop.