Frugal Friday

Welcome to Friday!  We ventured out on Wednesday this week to pick up a batch of clothing for my daughter's business. Other than that we have stayed home and did not buy any groceries this week. Warm weather and humidity returned this week, so we have been running our air conditioner as needed. 
In My Frugal Kitchen
This week we did the usually thrifty things like meal planning, cooking at home, washing dishes by hand. 
I made a new to us recipe for Olive Garden's Crockpot Chicken Pasta. Bailey liked it and I liked it, but I wouldn't make it on a regular basis. I'm not a fan of dishes like Stroganoff, Alfredo, or Cream Cheese Spaghetti and this falls into that category for me. Your Mileage May Vary. :) 
One thing that I really liked about this recipe was the fact that it was a crockpot meal, which meant that I set it up to cook in the morning, which freed up my afternoon. I was able to make tea, garlic bread, a salad, and clean up the kitchen really well all while dinner was already cooking. I really liked that. 
On our last grocery order we bought a lot of fresh produce, so I have been keeping a good eye on it and using it everyday, so we do not have any waste from it. This produce came from Aldi and is so much tastier than what we have been getting from Walmart, so this was easy to do. I’ve made more salads this week since I already have the salad items prepped and ready to eat. 
Several gallons of sweet tea were made this week along with a chocolate cake for those who wanted something sweet.  I made white popcorn on the stovetop for a snack this week. This is less expensive than bags of potato chips or Doritos type chips, which we rarely buy due to the cost. 
Meals This Week
Grilled Chicken, Vegetable Stir FryMaid Rite Sandwiches, Carrots, Green Beans with OnionsTaco Rice, Green Beans with Onions, CarrotsChicken Pasta, Garlic Bread, SaladBaked Potato BarBaked Salmon, Brown Rice, Steamed Broccoli
Saving on Entertainment
While we were driving to pick up inventory for Bailey's shop, we listened to an audio book in the car. This is Me: Loving The Person You Are Today written by Chrissy Metz who plays Kate Pearson on the tv show, This is Us. 
It's not often that I read or listen to a book that captures and holds my attention, but this one did. It's an  inspirational book about her life and the lessons she learned along the way. I would definitely recommend this one especially if you enjoy biographies. 
For movie night this week we watched The Hate U Give, which is based on the best selling novel of the same name. When a teenager witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood friend, she must find her voice and stand up for what’s right.
The book has been banned in Katy, Texas schools due to inappropriate language, and although it isn't based on a true story I could see this happening today. The protagonist struggles with keeping herself safe or taking a stand for her friend. I found it to be a very good movie that kept my attention the entire time. 
We payed Ramen Fury, Sorry, and Uno on game night this week. Ramen Fury is a fun board game where you prepare bowls of ramen filled with tasty ingredients, You collect combos of cards to score for different recipes while adding garnishes to boost your points. 
We really enjoy this fast paced game and it's fun for both children and adults. Bailey is very good when it comes to playing games. I tease her that I can see the wheels spinning in her mind to calculate her best moves. So, I have to be on top of my game or she will beat me every time. 
Other Frugal Things

Bailey cleaned out her sock drawer this week and found some new socks she wasn't wearing, so she listed them for sale on eBay and they sold the same day. 
Freebies
Vickie over at Vickie's Kitchen and Garden listed some really nice free coloring pages this week. You can find them here. 
This week I earned a free $5 Amazon gift card from the Hilton Honors program, and a $10 Amazon gift card from Microsoft Rewards. At this point I'm not sure if I'll use this for a Christmas present or for groceries. 
Fly Lady has a free holiday control journal on her website, which you can print out. Here is a link to the file if you want to read or print it.  
Other Stuff

Bailey put some clothes that were not worth selling into a box for the cats, so now they are taking turns or sharing the box to sleep. Here you can see Simba and Polka Dot sharing the box for one of their daily cat naps. 
How was your week?


Belinda ~ Living within our Means ~ My Linktree

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