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Friday, July 8, 2022

Second Frugal Friday of July 2022



Welcome to Friday! 

Quote of the Week

We should always be honest because honesty is the best policy. If we’re honest we will have a clear conscience in all matters, and we will truly be free. ~ Titus Yoder

My Frugal Week

Since we didn’t yard sale last Friday, I decided to rearrange the furniture in my bedroom. I now have two tables set up in there to form an L shape in the corner to use as a desk. Someday I want to replace them with a real desk, but until I find a great deal, the tables will do just fine. 

We’ve continued to declutter this week, organize things we’re keeping,  sell some things, and price some things for an upcoming Sweet WeePeets consignment sale in September. We also sold a set of shelves for $20 on Facebook Marketplace.

I filed all of the paperwork from the last month into the appropriate files. I also tossed a lot of paperwork that I no longer needed. After cleaning up my Mom’s paperwork, some from the early 1960s, I want to make sure I’m not leaving stuff for someone else to have to go through and toss someday. 

The top of my cedar chest, which is upholstered, my footstool and armchair were all shampooed by me this week using our Little Green Clean machine by Bissell. They look and smell so good and make the whole room cleaner

Bills were paid this past week including my auto insurance. I keep a sinking fund for that expense and put the appropriate amount of money in there each month even though it’s not due every month. That way when the bill does come due, I already have the money to pay for it. 

It’s a good way to stay ahead of the game and ensure the money is there when I need it. Keeping or getting your finances straight will go a long way in giving you peace of mind. 

Bailey went to Kroger on Thursday to look for markdowns. She found 4 packages of lemon pepper chicken on markdown. They are now stored in the freezer for future meals. 

Joy of the Week

Mr. Bo Gatsby

My joy this week has been in having a new kitten. The cats we already have are older and not nearly as playful as having a kitten around. We named our newest addition Bo Gatsby, but now I’m wishing we would have named him Mr. Bojangles or Bocephus. I’ve been calling him Mr. Bo Man, so that name might stick. He provides a lot of free entertainment. 

Question of the Week

Do you know how much money you need in order to live each month?

The book I’m currently reading by author Annie Jean Brewer states she knew she needed at least $500 every month in order to make it. She wanted to be able to stay at home with her daughter at the time and looked for ways to keep their expenses under that amount. 

I’ve crunched my own numbers and know what it takes for me to make it each month. If you’re interested in knowing yours, crunch your numbers and find out for yourself

Avoiding Spending

I couldn’t avoid spending money this week as I had an RX to pick up for Vitamin D. 

Saving Money In My Frugal Kitchen

We ran out of yellow onions this week, so I went to add a three pound bag to my grocery order this week. Walmart was out of stock, so I kept looking, comparing prices online and ended up going with a locally owned grocery store for the best price. 

Walmart $3.48 and out of stock
Aldi $2.65
Fresh and Low $1.79

Comparison shopping will save you money. I’m going to the doctors office on Wednesday and I’ll drive right by Fresh and Low, so it will be no problem to get a curbside pickup. I’ll also be picking up an rx, going to the post office, dr’s office, and the grocery store. Combining errands when I’m going out will also help us save money by using less gas.

The egg rolls we normally buy have increased in price to almost $1.00 per egg roll, so that prices that brand out of my budget. What to do? Get out my tried and true recipe for homemade egg rolls. I can get 20 egg roll wrappers for $2.48, so making our own makes sense. 

We’ve done the usual things we do in the kitchen this week to save money including eating all leftovers and using up items we bought. One day I was rummaging through some cookbooks I bought when I came across a recipe card for sweet potatoes. 

The recipe called for pumpkin pie spice, so I decided to make it for dinner. I used some sweet potatoes that needed using and thought Bailey would like it and she did, so I’m counting that as a win since she isn’t a fan of sweet potatoes. The recipe will be In next weeks recipe of the week.

I’ve been making ice tea every day since it has been so hot this week. Several days this week I made two gallons just to keep up with thirsty people. 

Meals This Week

Friday:  Swiss Steak, Buttered Rice with Peas, Salad.

Saturday: Tostadas, Salad, Corn.

Sunday: Beefy Baked Beans, Fried Rice, and Salad. I took the leftover rice and mixed vegetables from Saturday night’s dinner and added toasted sesame oil, butter and seasonings to make a new side dish for tonight. It used up some leftovers, which was the goal in order to save money.

Monday: Fluffy Baked Omelet, Sweet Potato Casserole, Mixed Vegetables with Rice. 

Tuesday: Movie Night ~ Pizza.

Wednesday: Out all day running errands, but made it to the grocery store and bought stuff for sandwiches as it was too hot for anything else. Sandwiches, macaroni salad, watermelon. 

Thursday: Meatloaf, macaroni salad, watermelon. 

Recipe of the Week

One of the packages of meat I bought at the Food City priced at the 5 for $14.99 sale a few weeks ago was round steak, which I bought to make Swiss Steak.  I found this recipe in the instruction booklet for the crockpot received as a wedding present in 1989. It’s been a tried and true recipe all these years and doesn’t disappoint

Swiss Steak

Ingredients:

1 & 1/2 to 2 pounds round steak
2 teaspoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 (16 ounce) can tomatoes 
1 (16 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 large onion, sliced
1 stalk celery, thinly sliced

Directions:

Cut steak into serving size pieces.
Coat with flour, salt, and pepper. 
Heat vegetable oil in skillet and brown the meat. 
In your slow cooker add the meat, tomatoes, tomato sauce, onion, and celery. 
Cover slow cooker and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. 

There was enough left over for both of us to have for lunch the next day.

Saving on Entertainment

Bailey and I are continuing to watch North & South this week and have started season two. Bailey went to McKay Used Books in Chattanooga on Thursday. She found North and South season two for 95 cents and season three for $2.95, so we will continue the mini series rather inexpensively. 

What I've been Reading This Week

The Shoestring Girl: How I Live on Practically Nothing & You Can Too, written by Annie Jean Brewer. She has a blog called Annienygma, if you’re interested in reading more of her writings

This book reminds me of both Dolly Freed in her book titled Possum Living and Amy Dacyczyn of The Tightwad Gazette fame. The lengths these three writers go to save money is very similar.

The Feel Good Contacts website demonstrates how to tighten glasses that are fitting loosely. Warming the arms up with a hairdryer and bending them back into place is one of the suggestions. 

Freebies

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
Debt Free &
~ Living within our Means ~
My Linktree

29 comments:

  1. Mr. Bo is adorable!!!!! Congrats
    I have crunched numbers here, and it takes a lot less than I thought. IF just paying nec. bills, I can get by on a much smaller amount.
    I will have to check out that new blog. I love Amy and Dolly. I have both of their books. I noticed a while back there was a You Tube series on Possum Living. I saved it, haven't watched yet.
    Menu sounds great!
    Have a great weekend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Cheryl. I hope you enjoy reading the new blog. She definitely thinks like we do. I hope you have a great weekend too.

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  2. Definitely want to give making egg rolls a go. I love the ones my neighbor makes, but they come to $1.80 per roll. We've had a lot of low cost viewing entertainment too.

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    Replies
    1. Food is getting expensive, but we are trying to do what we can to alleviate the higher costs.

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  3. I enjoy reading your Friday reports of your frugal week. I love egg rolls and have made them in the past. I’ve been buying a frozen box from Dollar General that are really good. The brand has slipped my mind. I have a huge box of sweet potatoes I need to do something with. I may check out recipes today. I have a friend who bakes hers up, makes sweet potato pie filling, and freezes it in separate containers for quick pies. I just might go that route. Have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is a great way to use up sweet potatoes, I like that tip.

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  4. Adorable new kitty!

    Let's see, I've been reading Biased, for a book club at work, trying to spend some time on my executive leadership course I'm taking, & using up lots of garden goodies! Drying mint, making pico de gallo & tomato sauce, juicing lemons, lots of caprese salads, etc. Maybe I'll pickle some jalapenos this weekend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That all sounds so good. I just love pico de Gallo and would top everything with it if I could.

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  5. I cannot imagine how a family has just $500/month total expense. Yes, I know what it takes for us each month/each year as I've tracked every penny for 22 years.

    Your kitten is adorable! Change the name-cats don't come to a name like dogs so why not? ;-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Right?! I thought the same thing but read her home was paid for, so no money spent there. It’s great to know your numbers. Yes, I think I will be changing his name to a cute one.

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  6. When my sons were small I used to make something similar to your beef and beans, but I called it cowboy dinner. They thought it was a special meal instead of being a cheap way to stretch ground beef.
    I am about to check out the links to the books you provided. How can I resist a book called Possum Living

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Right, Anne? LOL the title itself is intriguing. I’d say your boys loved anything called cowboy casserole.

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  7. I would love to get a new kitten but with the shop I don't dare. Plus, Roscoe is so jealous I don't know if he would stand for it. I worked out what we would need if I paid the absolute minimum and what we need to survive. I was shocked. It made my decision to add to the emergency fund and to get the truck and house paid off. If we do that we could probably, live for under $1000 a month with our food storage.

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    Replies
    1. It can be shocking, right, Kim?! I think It’s better to know than to not know. That way we can make better decisions.

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  8. I just finished The shoestring girl. Going to read Amy and Dolly and anything else I have. I've been thinking about making eggs rolls too. And I love your new kitten. Looks like the one I lost last year. She was 18 and the best cat every. Kittens are so much fun.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Awww…I’m sorry you lost your cat last year. Cats are just the best pets to have. I like that they are independent. I should reread Amy and Dolly too. I was reading a real book last night as our Internet was out.

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  9. What a cute little kitten!! Kittens are so playful and fun to watch. I'm so glad you have him.
    Thanks for the tips; I'll check out the books and blogs. Your recipe sounds so good too. I think I still have a package of round steak in the freezer so I'll try making some swiss steak.
    Hope you have a good weekend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Kathy. I hope you like the Swiss steak recipe. It’s something different for a change. I hope you have a good weekend too.

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  10. What a cute little kitty. I love his name.

    Making egg rolls is intriguing to me. Must look up a recipe.

    God bless.

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    1. Thank you, Jackie. If you click on the egg roll link it will take you to my recipe. They are so easy to make. :)

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  11. It is not too late to change the cat's name. They do start with Bo. After I paid for my house, I could live off $500/month. We eat frugally around here. I am going to check out the recipe. Tommy was saying three days ago that he was disgusted some people put ground beef in baked beans. I had a recipe for pork and beans and ground meat that my children loved. I should have made it more.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We really like the ground beef baked with the baked beans , it tastes so good. That is great that you can live off $500 a month. That would make finances so much less stressful.

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  12. I forgot to say how cute I think your kitty is. I’m having trouble leaving comments on blogger. Some won’t let me sign in at all and I’m having to sign in completely to leave you a comment. 🤷🏼‍♀️

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Thank you, Penny. Yes, Blogger can be so frustrating about leaving comments lately. I feel your pain. 😊

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  13. How much do all your cats cost with food and vets? I always want a pet but I’m worried about the total costs. Any experience is welcome.

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  14. Your Kitty is so pretty! So fun! Isn't amazing the different prices of food everywhere and not so amazing that we have to go to different stores.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Yes, it’s such a game to try and figure out all the different prices. I wish it weren’t that way.

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  15. I love Mr. Bo Gatsby. He is just the cutest. That little face is to die for. Congratulations on your new baby. You can change his name. When I adopted my puppy in May her name was Maura. I thought that was so pretty I kept it. After a week with my cat being named Lara, there was to much confusion. Plus, Maura didn't like her name. We changed it to Tali and she loved it. My DH is a huge Mass Effect fan. She's his favorite character. Tali really fits our puppy.

    I do crunch my numbers every three months to see how much we need to live. Right now it's around $2,000 a month for DH & I. That includes bills, & furbaby expenses.

    I can make that lower. I know personally for me it would be much lower. With the trucking shortages we have a few more expenses so DH can have some comforts during this stressful time.

    Freebie of the week. Amazon Prime as part of their Prime specials is giving away a year of a GrubHub subscription. I took advantage of that. It's our treat every week to get GrubHub since we are not going out. Working 60-70 hours a week the thought of the kitchen can be overwhelming, even a frozen dinner. It is a good mental break for us. I don't mind tipping because we don't go out to eat anymore. DH & I always loved to leave big tips to the college kids. We can do this now with the drivers.

    If you don't want to have it delivered they give you $10 a month to pickup your order. Some of the restaurants have discounts like $5 off of $20. Fifteen dollar off of $40.

    I took advantage of the early Prime deals & bought my DH a professional rock tumbler. He has been having so much fun with it. We both collect a lot of rocks in our home. He just brought one home that I know it has a diamond in it. We are close to Arkansas so diamonds occur naturally here. I don't know if this is going to be frugal but it's fun, lol.

    My Dollar Tree went to the Plus store. It has self checkouts now. Two aisles of products in the $3-$5 range. Most people were ignoring it, some were definitely grumbling. I did find things like really nice bath rugs for $5. I got some much needed washcloths that are really nice for $5.

    Everything else was pretty normal for a frugal week.

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  16. The kitten is super cute. We have a Publix ( actually 4 of them) Aldi and Winn Dixie for grocery stores. Target is closer, and their grocery section has better prices thanPublix and Winn Dixie. Aldi has better prices but it is a drive. So, saving money on groceries is a juggling act all the time.

    We have limited out eating out to about twice a month. Its definitely an improvement in our habits.

    ReplyDelete

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