Friday, November 18, 2022

Third Frugal Friday of November 2022



Welcome to Friday! 

Quote of the Week

~ Knowing what to cook for dinner is half the battle ~ Belinda

My Frugal Week

Rain off the latest hurricane came through and with it all the leaves are gone off the trees now. Usually this makes our internet work better when the leaves are gone. That is one thing about living in the rural countryside, the internet can be sketchy. 

After the rain moved through, cold weather was right behind it. It was cold enough for snow on the mountain. Rather early for that already, but we haven’t turned on the heat yet. We want to enjoy the cold for a little bit. 

On Friday night Bailey and I decided to do some rearranging of furniture. We took the top off the dining room china cabinet and moved the bottom into the kitchen to be used as a counter top plus storage where there was none before. 

Bailey moved one of her shelves where the cabinet had been. It opened up a lot of space in that area. 

I was kind of sad because the cabinet had been Moms and she was so proud of it when they bought it in 1986. Nowadays people are not into china cabinets or even china for that matter. I just tell myself that life goes on and it does. 

I did find a couple of relics from our childhood, which my sister claimed after I sent her a picture saying, “look what I found!” So, they will be on their way to her home in Michigan. One day she will pass them on to her children hopefully. 

I picked up prescriptions from CVS a couple of days last week and ended up with $15 in extra care bucks. I gave it to Bailey who used it for body wash. She still ended up paying $1.50 for the body wash, but it still was a big savings. 

Both of us got our flu shots this week. We still need to get our third Covid booster shot though. 

Saturday was laundry and garbage day and I deep cleaned in the kitchen rearranging stuff to put inside the cabinet. We put the china cabinet top on Facebook Marketplace and it was gone the same day. 

My Dad had an old pickup truck bed in the yard that he had listed for sale and it sold this week for $200. He told us to go ahead and keep the money. 💕 

We buy the large bottles of disinfectant Lysol in the concentrated 144 ounce bottle. We then use about an ounce or two in a foam spray bottle and then fill the bottle with water. The way I’ve figured it each spray bottle of cleaner cost us around 30 cents to make, which is much cheaper than buying it in the single use individual bottles.  

Joy of the Week & Helping Others

There is a Hope Community Fridge located at the UMC in Chattanooga. They’ve been putting Thanksgiving baskets in the pantry/fridge the last few weeks to help people who are hungry to be able to have a free Thanksgiving dinner. 

The baskets consist of a ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, macaroni and cheese, yams, corn, green beans, and cranberry sauce. Eight items in all and at a cost of less than $10.00 to the donors. There are also rolls in the community fridge if desired. 

The pantry is free and open to anyone who is hungry. There is even a garden next to the pantry where people grow vegetables to add to the fridge. It really warms my heart that people do things like this for others.

Photo of the Week


Hope Community Fridge Thanksgiving Dinner

Saving Money In My Frugal Kitchen

Kim over at Out my Window has a great blog post on how she cooks an affordable dinner for Thanksgiving. If you are looking to save money on yours be sure to check her blog post out. 

Here is a link to my Thanksgiving day recipes if you’re interested: 

Thanksgiving Recipe Series

Last week I cut two tarter sauce containers in half and used a rubber spatula to get all the tarter sauce out. It’s impossible to get all the tarter sauce out with the design of the bottle unless it’s cut in half. You’d be surprised how much is left inside. 

Meals This Week

Leftovers
Polish Sausage, Mac & Cheese, Broccoli  
Dirty Rice, Broccoli, Carrots
Beefy Spanish Rice, Corn on the Cob, Carrots, Green Beans with Onions
Homemade Pizza
Leftover Wizardy
Sausage Muffins, Rice with Cheese & Broccoli, Corn, Radishes

Recipe of the Week

This is a recipe I think I found on Tik Tok. I bought the Spanish rice a while back, but didn’t have any ground beef until recently when I bought some for $1.99 per pound. Then I couldn’t find that recipe I was going to use, so I just guessed at it. 


This turned out really good, Bailey thought it was just OK. I thought maybe an addition of chili powder and/or tomatoes would go well with it too, so I may try those additions next time. 

On Wednesday I added chili powder and tomatoes and used it in a tortilla stack, which used up all the leftovers, so no food waste. Tortillas are a great way to go when using up leftovers to feed your family. A package of 80 can be had here for $3.50 or so, which makes each tortilla about five cents each. 

The entire recipe costs less than $5.00 to fix and can easily serve five to six people, which makes each serving less than $1.00. It’s definitely a money saver especially when you can find ground beef on sale. 

Of course, you can save even more money by making your own Spanish or Mexican rice from scratch. 

Beefy Spanish Rice

Ingredients:

1 package Rice-a-Roni or Knorr Spanish Rice mix
1 pound ground beef
1 onion, diced
1 can corn
Cheddar Cheese ~ optional

Directions:

Prepare rice as directed on package. 
In a separate pan, brown ground beef and onions and drain grease. 
Add prepared rice to ground beef with corn and stir together. 
If desired, add cheese.
Enjoy!

Saving on Entertainment

The Snow Globe film by Chick-fil-A

What I've been Reading This Week

22 Super Easy Family Dinner Recipes 

Walmart Offering Last Years Prices on Thanksgiving Dinner





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
Mortgage & Debt Free
~ Living within our Means ~
My Linktree



19 comments:

  1. The Thanksgiving baskets are so cool & really great to see. Nice work rearranging the house for more space, and selling what you don't need. And, how sweet of your dad, to gift you the $200.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. 😊 my Dad has been so thought since Mom passed away this year.

      Delete
  2. You always have such good ideas. It kills me to know my dining room set will likely never be loved by anyone after us if we downsize and can't fit, or when we pass. If give it away if someone would want it. My girls would likely take my crystal and China, but would actually use more often. I'm trying to be better that way.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Sam. It’s odd looking at Mom’s things/furniture. I’m remind3d that “you can’t take it with you”. I just find it thought provoking that she is gone, but her things are still here.

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  3. I gave my china away several years ago. Never got used - so no sense keeping it.
    That is really nice - having the food baskets. I can't imagine just putting them out for the taking around here - someone would take them all. SMH!!
    I mix rice with all kinds of things to make new creations - it is so versatile.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, we didn’t use the China here either. Got rid of all of it. Yes, the food is emptied out of some of the pantries quickly here too, just depends.

      Delete
  4. Hey Melinda thanks for the shout out! Frugal is as frugal does. Let's embroider that on a pillow!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You’re welcome, Kim. Great embroidery project!

      Delete
  5. Sorry I’m confused did you donate the food basket? But first bring it home? I don’t understand how that works.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I’m sorry that wasn’t more clear. People make donations to the pantry including monetary donations. The people who run the pantry then go and buy the food and put it in the baskets for people to take. The sign says take what you need and leave what you can.

      Delete
  6. That was really kind of your Dad.

    I have several things from Mum and Dad's house and it's o hard to get rid of them. Easier to give away to someone who needs it but some things weren't really in good enough condition. It's what these items represent, isn't it?
    xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Joy. You said it perfectly, it’s what these items meant. It’s hard to part with some of them.

      Delete
  7. I love your quote! I'm having a hard time lately coming up with anything I want to cook for supper. At least we will have some Thanksgiving leftovers so I won't have to think about it for a few days.
    That was so sweet of your Dad to give you the money for the truck. I'm sorry about the china cabinet, but I hope that the person who bought it will love it almost as much as your Mom did.
    What a great idea for the Thankgiving box. I know I spent more than $10 for our Thanksgiving .meal so that is a great deal.
    Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving week. I'm thankful for your blog.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I feel the same way about coming up with what to make for dinner, Kathy. You are so sweet, thank you. I’m thankful for you and all of my readers. It wouldn’t be the same here without you. I hope you have a safe and wonderful blessed Thanksgiving.

      Delete
  8. (Little Penpen) I find that the older I get, the easier it is to part with things. At my current age, I realize life is flying by and I won’t need certain things , like I had originally envisioned. Especially clothing!! You girls will enjoy the China cabinet base much more than dealing with the whole set. Your dad was sweet to give you the money for the sale. ❤️

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Penny. We are already really enjoying the bottom of the cabinet. It’s the perfect height to work from. Bailey has really enjoyed working on it this week. Now I wish I had thought of it even sooner. 😊

      Delete
  9. What a lovely way to help those that could go hungry at Thanksgiving. I really love the garden beside to add fresh veggies to the mix.

    God bless.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Happy Thanksgiving to you & Bailey. Hope you have a wonderful day!

    ReplyDelete
  11. How nice of you to donate those food items to the pantry. Truly will help a family in need.

    ReplyDelete

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