First Frugal Friday of June 2022

Welcome to Friday! 
Quote of the Week

A rising tide lifts all ships. 

~ Jack Monroe ~ The Bootstrap Cook

 Update on my Mom 

My Mom has earned her angel wings as she passed away on Friday, May 27, 2022. She came to me in a dream that morning in her red nightshirt and was leaning into me to give me a hug. I sat up to hug her back and woke up and I knew in my heart she was leaving. She was the best Mom ever and I will love and miss her for the rest of my life. Thank you for all of your kind thoughts to me after her fall and illness. They have meant so much to me.
My Frugal Week
Bailey had book club last Friday, so we did not yard sale on that day.
We decided to stock up on cat food this week and bought four - thirty pound bags for $19.48 each. 
It really pays to hang on to some of your old cords and chargers. I keep mine in a ziplock bag and label them. Sometime this week I had lost the charger to my cordless headphones. Bailey has a bag of old chargers and we found one in there that works for the headphones. I have since found my charger, so now I have two of them.
We sent back Mom’s hospital bed on Tuesday. They were going to charge $12 per month for the next year, so she would own it outright. But there is no need for that now. 
Our local charity shop came by on Thursday as we donated her wheelchair, shower chair, bedside commode, brand new packs of diapers and pads. They allow people in our community to use these things for free as long as they need them, so we wanted other people to benefit from these items. I also sent along a box of food of items that she enjoyed but we would not eat, so others may benefit from them too.
Photo of the Week

Mom & Me ~ Summer 1980

Question of the Week
Did you know that some Corell dishes made before 1970 might contain lead in the paint? The white dishes, which are non painted, are fine. 
Saving Money In My Frugal Kitchen
With rising grocery costs facing us, I’ve been thinking about some of the dishes we used to make back when money was tighter. Dinners like baked potatoes, rice or macaroni and cheese, beans, etc. Several of our dinners this week reflected that as we want to make the best use of the resources we have available to us. 
Bailey went to multiple thrift stores on Thursday. She stopped in at both Kroger and IGA for meat markdowns and came home with three packages of chicken, four packages of hamburger meat, and several packages of already made hamburgers. All of that went into the freezer for future meals.
Meals This Week
Friday: Bean & Cheese Enchiladas. I used McCormick Enchilada Sauce Mix with an eight ounce can of tomato sauce to make these enchiladas, which cost $1.90 to make. The Old El Paso enchilada sauce is $1.98 for a ten ounce can, so the price is similar. 
This was a meatless meal, which is a good way to save money since the cost of meat has went up in price with so many other things. 
Saturday:  Bailey’s uncle and cousins treated us to dinner delivered to our home since my Mom passed away. We decided on pizza from our local Italian restaurant. 
Sunday: Dirty Rice, Corn on the Cob, Potato Salad. 
Monday: Better Cheddars, Buttered Noodles, Carrots, Corn on the Cobb. 
Tuesday: Tuna Salad for lunch, Pizza for movie night. 
Wednesday: Macaroni & Cheese, October Beans ~ another meatless meal.
Thursday: I took the last two hamburgers from the freezer and the October beans from yesterday, added onions, tomatoes, and chili powder and made chili for dinner. Cheese, sour cream, and saltine crackers for those who wanted that. 
Recipe of the Week
This is the cake recipe that was involved in my question of the week last week. Is Watkins dessert mix the same thing as dry pudding mix? Several people asked for the recipe, so here it is in its entirety. It’s a delicious cake if you do get the chance to try it. 
Vanilla Filled Fudge Crown Cake
Ingredients: 
1 package (18.5 ounces) Swiss or milk chocolate cake mix1 & 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 package (8 ounce) cream cheese2 tablespoons butter, softened1 & 1/2 tablespoons Watkins vanilla dessert mix (pudding?)1 can (14 ounce) sweetened condensed milk1 large egg2 teaspoons vanilla
Glaze Ingredients:
1 cup powdered sugar1/4 cup Watkins chocolate dessert mix (pudding?)2 tablespoons cooking oil1/2 teaspoon vanilla2 to 4 tablespoons warm milk
Directions:
Prepare cake mix as package directs adding cinnamon.Pour into a greased Bundt pan.In a small mixer bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, and dessert mix. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk, egg, and vanilla until smooth.Pour evenly over cake batter.Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 55 minutes or until done. Remove from pan and let cool. Drizzle glaze over cake. 
Glaze Directions:
Combine powdered sugar, dessert mix, oil, and vanilla. Add enough milk to make desired consistency. 

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~ Living within our Means ~My Linktree