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Friday, August 5, 2022

First Frugal Friday of August 2022


Welcome to Friday! 

My Frugal Week

The Sweetweepeets consignment sale starts at the end of this month. I’m still going through stuff here to add to the sale. On Tuesday I went through the silverware drawer. When I find silverware secondhand I buy it and take out the pieces I want to keep. This leaves silverware I don’t need in another drawer. I went through that drawer and added what we don’t want to the consignment sale  pile. 

This week I called our electric company to talk about our electric bill. We average a usage rate of $220 per month and that is for an all electric house. We have no other utility bills such as gas or water. 

Bailey and I split the electric bill in half each month, which is one way we save money on expenses by living together. The bill was especially high in July because of the heat wave, but we make up for it in the winter months with much lower electric bills. 

Our electric company does not do the average monthly bill where you pay the same amount each month. So, I created a slush fund to pay into for when the bill is lower than my set budget amount of $150.00 per month. That way when I have an especially high month, the money will already be in my slush fund account to pay for it. 

I also called my auto insurance company this week. First off, I had them take Mom off my auto policy. Then I added a homeowners insurance policy to my account. Since Mom passed away I needed a policy in my name in case of an emergency. My insurance agent said having this second policy on my account will save me money on my auto insurance.

Since this was the first week of the month, I paid all of my bills that are not already automated. 

On Thursday I had an eye doctor appointment and we ran several errands to save money on gas. We stopped at the bread outlet and bought Dave’s Killer Bread for $3.00 a loaf, post office, library, book store, stopped in to vote, Petco for flea medicine, Staples for copies, CVS for an RX, and Publix for ground beef, cheese, butter, and salmon. Whew, it was a busy day! 

It was funny as the RX from CVS didn’t cost me anything, but they gave me $7.00 in extra bucks. I can buy a can of Salmon for $4.99 and make a meal out of it with the extra bucks. At the library we both picked up a free book for participating in the summer reading program. 

Joy of the Week


We stopped in at the Book and Cover book store in the North shore area of Chattanooga. Bailey is a member of their book club this month and picked up her copy of The House in the Cerulean Sea. The bookstore was so quaint and lovely I just had to share a photo of it. 

Saving Money In My Frugal Kitchen

We’ve been in use it up mode this past week when I did stop in Publix on Thursday and bought just a few items. With the high cost of groceries right now I am not stocking up at the moment. I’m just buying what I need to feed us for right now. 

It seems that the loss leaders are far and few between, so we have to make different choices. I bought one can of salmon for $4.09 when normally I would buy a couple. I bought cheese to make Rice & Cheese for dinner one night to serve with a vegetable as that is an inexpensive meatless meal that we enjoy. 

We are definitely using up what we have, making different choices, and making more inexpensive dinners as a result. This is what we are doing differently at this time until something changes. 

Meals This Week

Friday: Pizza.

Saturday:  Ham, Rice & Vegetables, Broccoli. 

Sunday: Taco Meat, Tortillas, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Onions. 

Monday: Grilled Chicken, Potatoes, Asparagus. 

Tuesday: Lemon Pepper Chicken, Cucumber Salad. 

Wednesday: Pork BBQ, Roasted Potatoes, Mixed Vegetables. 

Thursday: Hamburgers with Cheese, Lettuce, Tomatoes, and Onions. 

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 ~
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22 comments:

  1. It's nice that all your utilities bundle together, saves time tracking. I hope you have success with the consignment sale.

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  2. Good luck with your consignment sale!
    I continue to stock the pantry if I find good buys, which is a rarity now.

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    1. Thank you, Anne. Yes, if I do find a good deal I will also stock up.

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  3. I love the little bookstore. Yeah to independent bookstores. I am not buying a lot of groceries either. I don't want to take a lot of food with me when I move cross country soon. My husband & I found out doing this we don't like having a large kitchen. We actually like a smaller kitchen and simpler meals. I am going to be scaling down our kitchen a lot. I know that will be a money saver for us in our new stage in life.

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    1. Yes, Bailey was very excited to support an independent book store. The book cost more there, but it’s worth it. We get our fair share of deals at McKay Used Books and do not mind supporting an independent book store.

      Scaling down your kitchen and not buying as much, even if just u til you move, will definitely save you money. šŸ˜Š

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  4. Good luck with the sale! Hope you are able to make a good profit.
    Glad you are able to split the electricity costs with Bailey. Smart idea to keep a slush fund too. We are an all electric house too, but we pay the same amount each month with a catch up in May. Our rates have gone up though.
    Love the picture of the bookstore. What a fun place to browse.
    Your meals sound so good! I actually shopped at Food City the past few weeks since they had some good sales. Usually they are more expensive than other stores. Pork chops were .99.lb last week, and canned tomatoes and beans were .50/ can so that is a stock up price for me. Should be set for lots of chili this winter. ;)
    Hope you have a great weekend.

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    1. Thank you, Kathy. Bailey is going to use the profits to shop the sale and get more inventory. That’s great about Food City and a good deal on the pork chops, tomatoes, and beans. I love to stock up on beans and tomatoes when I can find them on sale.

      I hope you have a great weekend too!

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  5. What a busy Thursday you had! That bookstore looks charming.
    We still have really good loss leaders here, and that is what I am buying and stocking up on. Only those - as I am fine with other stuff. Have been eating a lot of meatless meals for summer.
    I am really thankful that my elec. company spreads bills evenly over the year. Sure helps budget.
    Have a great weekend.

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    1. Oh yes, I love companies that let you spread things out over the year. It makes it easier to know what to expect and not have anxiety from the mail. That is great that you are still getting loss leaders. I know if we go to Georgia and Kroger we could do that, if we are conserving gas right now. So this will work for now.

      I hope you have a great weekend too, Cheryl.

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  6. I wish you were close as we have fresh salmon here.

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    1. Yum, I’d say that is delicious salmon, Kim.

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  7. I have been thinking about ditching my pharmacy. Under what conditions did you get the free med and then $7 coupon? I hope the consignment sale is good for you. You can email me at pparsimony@yahoo.com if you like.

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  8. That's a lovely old bookshop - it has character! xx

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  9. I do just like you for the utility bill. Same amount goes in all year long and then I am never short when the big bills arrive.

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  10. What a lovely and quaint bookstore. That is a place I would definitely shop at.

    God bless.

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  11. We have solar, and typically it all offsets the electric bill, but we do pay for gas (we have a gas stove), so there's that cost. Our water bill is the big expense in the summer, with the garden & a pool!

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  12. I left you a message on your email! You won the giveaway this month!

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