Second Frugal Friday of July 2023

Welcome to Frugal Friday! 
My Frugal Week
Two weeks ago we picked up a computer at a yard sale for $20, but then couldn't use it here. We ended up selling it on Facebook Marketplace for $60. 
We used that money to go to multiple yard sales on Saturday. We went to seventeen yard sales, which took us about four hours. 

I came home with two refrigerator containers, a set of measuring cups, one metal water bottle, and a new to me book, United Tastes of the South, written by Jessica Dupuy.  

From Amazon…

From the Gullah-Geechee rice pirlaus of coastal South Carolina to Delta Hot Tamales from Mississippi's alluvial plains, the food of the South is a multicultural melting pot. In United Tastes of the South, food writer Jessica Dupuy, […] focus on the diverse cuisines of the American South. 

Bailey, who loves to read, came across a great yard sale with several books on her wish list. Her and the lady running the sale made a great deal on her books. Bailey also came home with inventory for her shops. 
One of the things we picked up at Goodwill last week was a Deluxe Waffle Bowl Maker from Yes Chef. I used it on Sunday morning to make Egg and Cheese Hash Brown Waffle Bowls. You can also use it to make waffle bowls for ice cream, but I won't be doing that. You can also use it to make bacon bowls. 

On Wednesday I drove to the little free pantry to drop off a gifted to us two liter bottle of Mountain Dew that we do not drink. I swung by again after my errands and it was already gone. I love it when that happens. 
Freebies
We had several food items gifted to us this week and some that we will not use, so I offered it up on our community Facebook page and it was taken that evening. 
This Week’s To Do List
🧺 Laundry🍳 Kitchen Duties🧺 Kitchen Laundry
Avoiding Spending
We couldn't avoid spending this week as we were running low on laundry detergent. 
Saving Money In My Frugal Kitchen

I ran into Food City while we were out yard sale-ing and picked up two ofthese taco salad kits for $3.00 each. I also picked up some ripe bananas on markdown.
I mentioned last week that my doctor wants me to follow the Mediterranean diet while another doctor of mine wants me to follow a low carbohydrate diet.  So, in order to do that I've been revamping some of my older recipes while using up items we have on hand at the same time. 
For example, I have a recipe for Poppy Seed Chicken with Ritz crackers and butter as a topping. The carbohydrates from that recipe are higher than I want to eat, so I removed those two items entirely from the recipe. 
I also had one can of organic Pacific Foods cream of mushroom soup, which was gifted to us, which I can use in this recipe. A win-win situation for us lowering both the calories, carbs, and using up what we have on hand. 
I’ve been using the Lose It app to keep track of the amount of carbs I’ve been eating. We definitely stay away from processed food for that reason, but even some fruits and vegetables are high in carbs like bananas. In that case, it’s best to just add part of a banana to a fruit smoothie rather than multiple fruits, which would really increase the carb count. 
I made my own popsicles this week using apple juice as the base. It sure does save money over store bought popsicles. 
Meals This Week
I'm going to try a change and see how it sticks. I'm going to go back to the way I used to do my Meals this Week blog post and post them on Monday. 
Recipe of the Week
Bailey really likes the chipotle sauce from Taco Bell. She even buys it over the counter at the grocery store. 

So. I bought this can of La Costena Chipotle peppers at Walmart for $1.48 and made some at home to save money. Bailey declared it a hit, so here is the recipe if you're interested. 
Cottage Cheese Chipotle Ranch
Ingredients:
1 can chipotle peppers (very strong! we used less than half the can)1 - 24 ounce container of low fat cottage cheese1 package ranch seasoning mix (I used Great Value)Salsa or in our case, taco seasoning
Directions:
I used my high powered blender to puree the cottage cheese into a more sour cream consistency and then added the other ingredients. I stored the dip in the cottage cheese container when I was done. The measurements are arbitrary, so feel free to add or decrease them to suit your families tastes. 

Saving Money YouTube Videos
Poor Man Meals when Money is Tight by Southern Frugal Momma
Mediterranean Diet/What I Eat in a Day on a Budget by Mediterranean Living
What I’ve Been Reading This Week
The Mediterranean Dish 

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.

BelindaMortgage & Debt Free~ Living within our Means ~My Linktree
~ She looketh well to the ways of her household ~Proverbs 31:27