Second Frugal Friday of May 2022

Welcome to Friday! 
My Frugal Week
This week our new cell phone bill came out and I am happy to report it is down $60 from $200 to $140, which we both pay for half, so $70 each. The latest discount was for $20 off the bill for signing up for automatic payments. I’ve already paid the bill that is due by the end of the month. 
I cancelled an iTunes subscription that I was no longer using that was set for renewal in June, so I wouldn’t be charged the $19.95 annual renewal cost. 
I also cancelled a subscription service for an over the counter medicine that was set to renew this month. I didn’t recall subscribing to it, and the representative suggested I may have done it accidentally when I ordered it in January. Either way, that is now taken care of as well.

Bailey found a Harry Potter Marauder’s Map blanket with hood at the thrift store for $2.00. Bailey loves the Harry Potter series and was tickled to have found this and at such a  great price.
I visited with Mom in the rehab center Sunday on Mother’s Day. She didn’t want me to leave and even asked me to take her home with me, which breaks my heart. Her follow up appointment was on Monday. The surgeon removed the staples and said her arm was  naturally swollen due to the surgery.
When I had groceries delivered last week, Walmart said ketchup was now a shipped item, so they shipped it via FedEx. I received a text from Walmart saying it was delivered on Saturday. 
We went outside and looked all around, but couldn’t find the package, so I reported it as missing and Walmart sent out a replacement item. I found the package on Sunday when we went to visit Mom. 

The FedEx driver tied it to our mailbox, which they are not supposed to do. Our driveway is 1/8 of a mile long and can’t be seen from the house. I didn’t think FedEx would do something like this.  So, I called Walmart to let them know and they told me to keep the second bottle of ketchup when it arrived on Tuesday. 
Joy of the Week
The joy of my week happened on Friday night last week when Vickie over at Vickie’s Kitchen & Garden left me a comment about embedded comments on Blogger. She left me a link on how to fix it via a blog post made by Leigh over at 5 Acres & A Dream. 
Let me tell you that I made just a couple of tweaks and now the problem of having to sign in using the anonymous button to post comments on my own blog is over. I’m still not able to post on some blogs such as More Parsimony, and Sluggy’s blog. and some blogs I’m still having to post anonymously, but this is a step in the right direction. 
Thank you from the bottom of my heart to Vickie and Leigh for helping me solve what was becoming a very frustrating problem. 

Another joy this week was Mother’s Day and my birthday on Sunday and Monday. Pictured above are the gifts Bailey bought for my birthday. A brand new in the box weather station, which she bought at a yard sale for $5.00. The magazine came free from a yard sale also. And it’s hard to see but there is a new cell phone mount for my car included. 
We both have enjoyed the new weather station. I’ve had them before only to have the outdoor sensor go bad and used them indoors only until they finally stopped working altogether. At this time the outside humidity is 80%, up from 60% in the photo below, and I love knowing this information. 

Bailey installed the cell phone holder in my car that evening. Here is a photo of it ready to go for our next yard sale day. I use Google Maps to create a list of Friday and a list of Saturday yard sales and then check them off as we go to each one.

Question of the Week
Would you spend money to go to a destination wedding in Cancun, Mexico?
Dr. Phil had a show on recently about a Dad who received an inheritance and has made two trips to Ukraine to meet a lady, but hasn’t met her so far. (Catfishing?) 
His daughter is getting married in Cancun, but the dad is unwilling to spend money for that trip. 
How about you? Would you spend money on a destination wedding? 
As for me, it would depend on who was getting married. I would go for my daughter Bailey, but probably not for someone I barely knew. I think the Dad in this situation is wrong since he is willing to pay for other trips, but not this one. What do you think?
Saving Money In My Frugal Kitchen
I like to keep my kitchen neat and clean and orderly and when I’m cooking I have a sink full of hot soapy water to wash dishes as I go along and wipe down the counters and stove as I cook. It’s something that I actually enjoy doing and don’t see it as a chore in any way. Having a clean kitchen motivates me to go in there and cook, which saves me money over takeout or dining out. 
Another thing we did this year was instead of cake for my birthday we made another Ice Cream Bar with toppings. The toppings included strawberries, pineapple, cherries, chocolate, caramel, and peanuts. They can be a lot more fun compared to cake. 
Meals This Week
Friday:  Cheeseburgers and Onion Rings or Tacos, which did not happen. The power went out around 4 p.m. due to a storm and didn’t come back on until after 10 p.m. There was no way I was cooking anything for dinner at that time of night. 😂 LOL
Saturday:  Tacos with chopped potatoes to extend the meat, shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, black olives, sour cream, and taco sauce served on your choice of flour or corn tortillas.  Bailey adds jalapeños and chipotle sauce to hers, which I avoid as I am a wimp when it comes to spicy heat in my food. Delicious and one of my favorite meals!
Sunday: Happy Mother’s Day! Dinner tonight was bought by Bailey for my birthday, which is Monday and Mother’s Day. We picked a locally owned Italian restaurant because they make the best pizzas here. My favorite is one with Italian Sausage, Pepperoni and Black Olives. They have a buy one get one free option, which we will use so we will have pizza left for my birthday on Monday. 
Monday: Day 2 for Pizza. 😋 
Tuesday: Movie Night - Bailey still had pizza left. I wasn’t very hungry, so just munched on some celery sticks. 
Wednesday: Hamburger Steaks, Mashed Potatoes, Asparagus. 
Thursday: Grilled Chicken, Brown Rice, Steamed Broccoli. 
Recipe of the Week
I first made this recipe for meatballs back in 1994. The flavor of all the spices really shines through and makes these taste delicious. 
Meatballs
Ingredients:
2 pounds ground beef2 egg whites3 tablespoon minced onion1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning1 tablespoon Italian seasoning 1/2 teaspoon thyme1 tablespoon chili powder1 tablespoon parsley flakes1/2 teaspoon basil1/2 cup bread crumbs
Directions:
 Mix all ingredients together well so spices are evenly distributed. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Saving on Entertainment
April 27, 2011 disaster struck the nearby town where we shop and leveled parts of it when multiple tornadoes swept through the area. Chet from the YouTube channel, Dream Poet, posted this video looking back at the area eleven years later. 

Another fun activity from this week is this from Miami’s underwater livestream of a coral reef called Coral Morphologic. 

We finished watching the last episode of Manifest this week, which was so good. Now we are going to finish the last ten episodes of This Is Us. 
In the Kitchen with Mama Mel is a new to me YouTube channel that I found this week and have been enjoy. https://youtube.com/c/InTheKitchenWithMommaMel

What I've been Reading This Week

Archive of USDA Farm Bulletins -  Has some really good informational bulletins about so many useful topics that you can read for free. One of the ones I’m currently reading is called Planning a Subsistence Homestead. 

Thank you for dropping by my frugal blog, you are always welcome here. We would love to hear about your week in the comment section.
Belinda~ Living within our Means ~My Linktree