Final Frugal Friday August 2024

 

Welcome to Frugal Friday! 

Quote of the Week

Life is shorter and more fragile than you realize. Embrace what is within your power to control, and forget what remains outside of it. ~ Emily Dickinson

My Frugal Week

Bailey has been wanting a bigger TV set for long time now. We even found one at a yard sale that wouldn't work because we couldn't fit it into our car. This week she lucked up and found one at a thrift store. It's a 42 inch tv and she bought it for $35, which I consider a great deal. She is thrilled with it. 
This week I listed one item and sold one item on eBay. I had just lowered the price of the item to sell it faster and it worked.  
I submitted my receipts to Fetch this week and am working towards a $50 Kroger grocery  card. 
Since this is the end of the month I went over my budget with a fine tooth comb as I get ready to pay bills for the month. 
Burger King and Walmart Plus are offering a new deal. When you link your BK Royal Perks account with your Walmart Plus membership you'll be able to get a free Whopper every three months (with a purchase) and 25% off every digital order you make at Burger King. 
I saved two baggies that some of my medicine came in recently. Also, I had one rx delivered via the mail rather than go to the store and pick it up, which saves on gas and wear and tear on my car. 
This was drop off week for the Sweet Weepeat consignment sale in Hixson starting today. I had gathered a few things for Bailey to sell, but not like what we normally have to sell. Dollar Dash Day will be on September 11th, cash only, and I may go to the sale on that day. 
I had a nurse visit from my insurance company on Monday for an annual review and earned a $50 gift card to Walmart in the process. It will take around eight weeks for it come to, but I'll take it. 
Electric In The News This Week 
TVA approved a 5.25% rate increase this week, which means higher electric bills for Tennesseans starting in October.
The average increase will be about $4.35 each month. I mentioned last week that I had been turning off the ac at night, so I'm hoping we won't see too much of an increase. 
Speaking of electric, I've been using natural light to read by during the daylight hours rather than turning on a lamp in order to read. Taking advantage of natural daylight to get work done will help save money. 
Freebies

I just love Circle K and their rewards program. Not only am I saving 25 cents per gallon on my first five fillups, but they also sent me this freebie for a bag of potato chips and I can get a free drink if I want to go into the store. I always just pay at the pump, but this is a nice freebie. 
Funny of the Week
Bailey was coming up the driveway the other day when she saw something she had never seen before, a wild hog. She said it was huge about the size of a small horse. Dad and I have both seen them here, so I was not surprised. 
Question of the Week
What coffee brand do you prefer? 
Where do you find the most savings for on coffee? 
I'm not a coffee drinker, so don't pay attention to coffee prices. Now Bailey is into coffee, so I'm asking and wondering now because coffee can be expensive. I see the Bones and Drag Up coffee is popular on TikTok, but like  I know nothing about coffee. 
Avoiding Spending
Staying home is an important aspect of the frugal lifestyle. Every little bit of money you save adds up and makes a difference in the long run. One small action may seem insignificant in the long run, but if you repeat these frequently, they will have a positive long-term impact.
Staying home is one of the easier ways to save money because every single time you leave your house, whether or not you physically spend money, you are in fact spending money. Gas or wear and tear on your car, wear and tear on your good clothes and shoes, and any unplanned shopping, etc. 
Each outing costs money and one of the easiest ways to save money is to combine all those errands into one outing. This requires some planning and organizing, but it is doable.
Saving Money YouTube Videos
Eating For $1 A Day (Full Week) In 2024
That Lisa Dawn
What I've been Reading This Week
MIT Living Wage Calculator ~ This calculator shows we should be spending $8,090 for food each year, which works out to $675 per month. 
My Frugal Kitchen ~ Stretch Our Food Dollars
Food is one of the bigger expenses in many people's budget. If you're looking for ways to cut back on your budget, your food budget should be one thing you look at closely as there's almost always ways to reduce your spending here. First, eat out less and cook your own food more, which will save a lot of money right off the bat.

On Saturday I made six orange/mandarin orange jello fruit cups to have. I enjoy them as an evening snack with a spoonful of cottage cheese on top. 

Publix had the Fresh Express salad kits on sale this week for buy one get one free. I took one of the French Bistro kits and divided it into three servings, which brings the cost down considerably. Paired with a baked potato, these make an affordable lunch or dinner.  

Recipe of the Week

We had a cucumber that I wanted to use, so I created this salad. I was going to use plain Greek yogurt in the dressing, but realized I had a small container of sour cream to use, so I used that instead.  

Chickpea Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:

1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 cucumber, diced

1 orange pepper, chopped

1 slice red onion, chopped

2 tbsp dried dill

½ cup sour cream

1 clove garlic, minced

Salt and Pepper

Directions:

Combine chickpeas, cucumbers, pepper, and onions. 

Mix sour cream, garlic, and dill together. 

Combine chickpeas and dressing. 

Season with salt and pepper. 

Cover and refrigerator until ready to serve.

 

What’s for Dinner

Friday ~White Chicken Enchiladas, Corn, Salad. 

Saturday ~ French Bistro Salad Kit and Baked Potato with Cheese. 

Sunday ~ Grilled Chicken with an Asian Salad Kit. 

Monday ~ Grilled Chicken, Sweet Potatoes, Roasted Brussel Sprouts & Carrots. 

Tuesday ~ Soup Beans & Cornbread, which is a dinner from my southern heritage. I put the beans on to soak Monday afternoon. We will be eating on these all week long and putting some in the freezer for later. 

Wednesday ~ Fluffy Baked Omelet, Soup Beans, Cucumber & Chickpea Salad. 

Thursday ~ Chicken Stir Fry, and Soup Beans. I took a couple of servings of rotisserie chicken and a bag of cauliflower rice from the freezer to make this dinner. I love using up my frozen assets. I used an onion, broccoli, cabbage, and carrots to stretch the meal. I also added some fresh ginger into the dish. 

Friday ~ Bailey has book club, so I’m on my own for dinner tonight. I have some leftovers from the week and will have that for dinner. 

What’s been on the menu in your home this past week?

Savings of the Week
We first tried this Morton Coarse Kosher salt at a friend's home and really liked it. We enjoy adding it to things like baked potatoes and other vegetables. Amazon is selling a pack of six of them for $11.27 this week. Walmart sells this for $2.12, so buying them from Amazon saves me $1.45. 
Food Lion has boneless, skinless chicken breast on sale for $1.99 per pound, 5 pounds of potatoes for $1.99, making them 40 cents per pound, and Ronzoni pasta on sale for $1.19 with a 50 cent off coupon making them 69 cents, all through Tuesday, August 3rd. 

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.

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