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Monday, October 30, 2023

Saving Money in my Frugal Kitchen ~ Meal Plan Monday

 

Saving Money in my Frugal Kitchen


My Frugal Week

We didn't need to buy any groceries this past week as we were stocked up with plenty of food on hand. Some meals got creative in my efforts to avoid food waste, but that is OK with both of us. 

This week we were gifted a huge butternut squash. Rather than just bake the squash, I looked in my cookbooks for butternut squash recipes and they did not disappoint me. I plan on using it later this week for some soup.

Recipe of the Week

Vegetable Beef Soup Recipe

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup sliced celery
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (24-ounce) bottle of spaghetti sauce
3 cups beef broth
3 cups water
1 (14-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
2 cups cubed potatoes
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup sliced fresh green beans
2 teaspoons basil
1 large bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Directions


Brown ground beef in a large soup pot.

Add onion, celery, and garlic.

Cook and stir until vegetables are soft and translucent, about 3-5 minutes.
Add remaining ingredients, stirring to combine.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low.

Allow to simmer for 20-30 minutes or until vegetables are soft.


Photo of the Week



Old South Pickled Okra, available from Walmart for $6.92 for a 64 ounce jar and is delicious and only 15 calories for two pods.


Beverages This Week


Sweet or Unsweet Tea ðŸŦ– 

Herbal Tea ðŸŠī 

Red Mountain Dew (birthday treat)

Lemonade 🍋 


What’s for Breakfast


Leftovers, Cottage Cheese, Cheddar Cheese, Yogurt, Walnuts, Deviled Eggs, Overnight Oats, and Fruit which included Peaches, Oranges and Grapefruit this week.


What’s for Dinner


Monday ~  White Chicken Enchiladas, I did one pan with tortillas and one without. I served this with a spinach salad with tomatoes, and Green Peas. 

Tuesday ~ Movie Night, so homemade pizza for dinner. 😋 

Wednesday ~  Baked Beenie Weenies, Air Fried Potatoes, Green Beans. The cost o this meal was $1.73 and fed two adults plus leftovers for lunch the next day. 

Thursday & Friday ~ I took a whole Lemon Pepper Rotisserie Chicken out of the freezer to thaw.  I pulled all the meat off the bones and chopped the chicken. I had white chicken enchilada sauce left from Monday night, so I used that for a gravy. 

I added some leftovers from the fridge such as peas and cornbread dressing to both complement the dish and use up the food to avoid food waste. It was a huge hit and made dinner for both Thursday and Friday.  

Saturday ~ Dirty Rice with Andouille Sausage for Bailey along with some green beans with onions, and sliced tomatoes. I made Chef AJ's Split Pea Soup for myself. Total cost for the meal was $3.78 with leftovers for several more meals.

Sunday ~ I pulled out the second Lemon Pepper Rotisserie Chicken from the freezer that I bought on markdown for $3.97 at the beginning of the month. I used it to make Fajita Baked Chicken using a free jar of salsa and a 99¢ block of cream cheese. I served this with air fryer potatoes and green beans with onions. Total cost for this dinner was $5.95 and made enough leftovers for more meals later. 

What’s on the Menu for This Coming Week

These are some items we have on hand that I can use to make meals this week. 

October Beans, Greens, Cornbread
Chicken, Corn Chowder
Lemon Pepper Chicken
Split Pea Soup
Butternut Squash Soup
Quiche
Shrimp

Be sure to come back next week to see what sides we serve with these main dishes.


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

~ She looketh well to the ways of her household ~
Proverbs 31:27


As an Amazon affiliate, I earn a small percentage that helps me to earn a living. Any items you place in your cart from one of my links means I will earn a small percentage from that sale. 





Friday, October 27, 2023

Fourth Frugal Friday of October 2023

 


Welcome to Frugal Friday! 

Quote of the Week
Today is your opportunity to build the tomorrow you want. ~ Ken Poirot
My Frugal Week

Bailey and I have both lost some weight over the last six months and I was cleaning out our hallway storage tree when I noticed a coat in there that looked like it would fit me now. I tried it on and it fit perfectly, so a new to me coat. 

On Tuesday we decided to venture out to McKay Used Books and trade some of our used books for new to us books. I found Dr. Fuhrman's Eat to Live  cookbook for 75¢. (Amazon affiliate link)


I was also able to pick up
Collagen Myths & Misconceptions, Rich Food Poor Food, Taste of Home Guilt Free Cooking, Cooking Light Dinnertime Survival Guide, and Cooking Light Pressure Cooking Made Simple. These are nice big cookbooks for 75¢ each. (Amazon affiliate links)

We also went swimming at the YMCA since I have a free membership through Silver Sneakers thanks to my health insurance. 

Freebies

This was a great week for freebies...


I helped my Dad sign up for a program to help him with his propane gas this winter.


The office gave me a free reusable bag of items including two weather kits, two window insulation shrink kits, hot water temperature gauge card, window film, foam self stick weatherseal, ear buds, a nightlight, fingertip rope caulk, two lightbulbs, insulating outlet draft stoppers, and a free travel set including toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, comb and soap.

I also picked up a free Sunday Chattanooga Times paper and two free calendars from our electric company, which included one for my Dad.                  

Free Owl Sounds from Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Joy of the Week

Having my needs addressed through physical therapy has been a joy for me this week. Rather than feeling hopeless over a medical issue I have, I have began to feel like this is something I can work through with the help of a physical therapist specialist. 

Photo of the Week

Isn't this the cutest Little Free Library you've eve seen? We found it recently no our way to Chattanooga. 


Avoiding Spending

Other than filling up my car with gas, this was a no spend week for me. We didn't eat out even though we were out of the house several days this week and we didn't need to do any shopping. 

Saving Money on Entertainment

Extreme Cheapskates, a television series created by TLC, is now playing for free on Facebook. I watched them years ago when they first came out, but it's fun to rewatch them again. 

What I've been Reading This Week

Walmart & Aldi Shoppers Can Save Money on Thanksgiving Dinner

7 Healthy Frugal Beverages to Enjoy on a Budget

25 Simple Tools for Cutting Down on Food Waste


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

~ She looketh well to the ways of her household ~
Proverbs 31:27


As an Amazon affiliate, I earn a small percentage that helps me to earn a living. Any items you place in your cart from one of my links means I will earn a small percentage from that sale.

Monday, October 23, 2023

Saving Money in my Frugal Kitchen ~ Menu Plan Monday

 

Saving Money in my Frugal Kitchen


What’s for Dinner


Monday ~ Mexican Food  ~ 


Bailey had the Pina de la Fiesta, which is a pineapple filled with grilled steak, chicken, shrimp, peppers, onions, bacon and queso. 


I had the Molcajete de la Fiesta, which includes grilled chicken, steak, shrimp and chorizo, beef ribs, nopales and cambray onions, and oaxaca cheese.  

Both were served with rice, beans, salad and tortillas. It was so much food that we brought the leftovers home and ate them for several meals afterwards.


Tuesday
 ~  Japanese - Hibachi Chicken and Shrimp, Cucumber Rolls, Stir Fried Vegetables, Fried Rice. 

Wednesday ~  Leftovers!

Thursday ~ Cauliflower Taco meat from Brand New VeganTortillas, Cheddar Cheese, Spinach, Tomatoes, Potato Pancakes, and Deviled Eggs. (Trying to avoid food waste makes for some interesting menus)

Friday ~  Repeat of Thursday night dinner. 

Saturday ~  Dirty Rice with Sausage, Oven Fried Potatoes, Broccoli. Bailey enjoys the Dirty Rice with Sausage, but I opted for a Veggie Burger instead. 

Sunday ~ Quiche with Spinach, Tomatoes, and Broccoli. 

What’s on the menu in your home this week?raid your cupboards or

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

~ She looketh well to the ways of her household ~
Proverbs 31:27


Saturday, October 21, 2023

Kroger Grocery Markdowns

At the beginning of the month we went to Kroger to check on their markdowns and to pick up a few sale items. The markdowns did not disappoint us either.

Normally at this time of the month we are running low on pantry inventory, but not this month thanks to the markdowns and sale items we bought. 

Three pound packages of Four Star Premium Mild Smoked Sausage marked down to $4.44 each, we bought six packages. 

Ten pound bags of Russet Potatoes were marked down to $2.27, we bought three. 

Bumble Bee Tuna 43 cents, Bumble Bee Albacore Tuna 81 cents and $1.22, Simple Truth Organic Beef Flavored Gravy 54 cents, Simple Truth Albacore Tuna pouches 37 cents, Kroger Pizza Sauce 79 cents. 

Rogerwood Cajun Style Andouille Smoked Sausage was $1.84, we bought five packages. 

Simple Truth Vanilla Dairy Free Almond Milk Yogurt Tub $1.69. 

We also picked up cream cheese for 99 cents, 18 count packages of eggs for 99 cents, and canned potatoes for 99 cents. 

Thanks to all of these items we have plenty of inventory on hand for a while. 

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

~ She looketh well to the ways of her household ~
Proverbs 31:27





Friday, October 20, 2023

Third Frugal Friday of October 2023



Welcome to Frugal Friday! 

My Frugal Week

The price of gas is down to $2.79 per gallon here in southeastern Tennessee.

It’s been another busy week here as Bailey’s birthday was on Tuesday. I want to thank all of you who sent her happy birthday messages. She was so tickled over them. 


She requested Mexican food on Monday and then Japanese food on Tuesday. 


We went to several Little Free Libraries and also went to Dave & Busters and had a blast playing games. I beat the socks off of her at the life size Hungry Hungry Hippo game, although she did skunk me in air hockey. 

Freebies

We did get several freebies this week. She got a free sub from Firehouse Subs, free cookie from Crumbl Cookies, and a free Starbucks drink. 

Photo of the Week


A beautiful double rainbow coming home on Monday was the ending to a perfect day. It had been a mixture of black clouds and sunshine all day and then a very light rain created this beautiful scene. 

Saving Money on Entertainment

We watched three movies this week and they are:

Red, White, and Royal Blue  (Amazon affiliate link) is based on the bestselling book, Red, White & Royal Blue, which centers around Alex, the president’s son, and Britain’s Prince Henry whose long-running feud threatens to drive a wedge in U.S./British relations, and is free to watch on Amazon Prime.

Nerve  (Amazon affiliate link) is a high-stakes online game of dares turns deadly, and is free to watch on Amazon Prime.

Purple Hearts   (Amazon affiliate link) When a soldier with a troubled past and a struggling songwriter agree to a marriage of convenience for the military benefits, neither expects much after getting married, but then through a series of struggles love shines through. 

These are paid links, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

It's been another busy week here and we are going swimming later this evening. I hope you've had a great week and your weekend is even better. 


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

~ She looketh well to the ways of her household ~
Proverbs 31:27


Monday, October 16, 2023

Menu Plan Monday ~ Saving Money in my Frugal Kitchen

 

Saving Money in my Frugal Kitchen


My Frugal Week

Last week I went to Trader Joe's and have been enjoying several things from there this week as a result. One of them has been fresh figs and they were so sweet and delicious. 


What’s for Breakfast


This week we enjoyed figs, pizza eggs, cottage cheese pizza, yogurt, and smoothies.


What’s for Dinner

Monday ~ Salmon Patties, Mashed Potatoes, and Green Peas. 

Tuesday ~ It was a movie night for Bailey, so she had chicken BBQ pizza while I had a salad with Cruciferous Crunch from Trader Joe's

Wednesday ~ Roast Beef with Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, Corn. 

Thursday ~ Chicken Chimichangas, Refried Beans, Mexican Rice. 

Friday ~ Chicken Fajitas, Fried Potatoes, Corn. 

Saturday & Sunday ~ We ordered take out pizza, a buy one get one free special, so we had enough for the whole weekend. This is the weekend leading up to Bailey’s birthday on Tuesday, so we ate pizza and watched movies. Good times. 💕 

We also have ice cream with toppings for sundaes and I’m making a chocolate cake for her birthday to have as treats all week long if we choose.

What’s on the Menu for This Coming Week

We are definitely going to the Mexican restaurant for Bailey’s birthday dinner. Other than that I know we are having chicken tacos, white chicken enchiladas, salmon, lemon pepper chicken, and maybe some almost spaghetti. If you’re interested, please be sure to come back next week to see how the week turns out.

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

~ She looketh well to the ways of her household ~
Proverbs 31:27