Final Frugal Friday of July 2024

                                               

Welcome to Frugal Friday! 
Quote of the Week

“Don’t waste your time chasing butterflies. Mend your garden, and the butterflies will come.” - Mario Quintana

My Frugal Week
The score of the week goes to Bailey for finding a vibration plate at the thrift store in Dalton for $21. We've been reading that vibration plates can be good for Lymphedema, so are excited to have found one inexpensively. 

Yard sales were rained out last Saturday, but we did see a beautiful rainbow across the road. The picture does not do it justice. We did go to one indoor church yard sale. I didn't find anything, but Bailey found a few things. 
Afterwards we went to one of the high schools in the next town over as they were have a back to school/free community day and everything was free. 
It was wild! I saw people carrying furniture out of there, washers and dryers, beds, flowers, blankets galore. It was way more than just school supplies. 
I had a doctor appointment on Tuesday with my psoriatic rheumatologist. She is ordering Reclast for me for the osteoporosis they found in May. It's an infusion that only lasts twenty minutes and it's only needed once per year. We will have to wait for insurance approval first. 
Freebies

My free milkweed seeds came in the mail this week. 
My Frugal Kitchen

Bailey went thrifting on Thursday and came home with several markdown grocery items. One of them was packages of Flat Out wraps marked down to 50 cents each. 

Recipe of the Week

Back when I was growing up, we used to a glass of warm water with a spoonful on honey and apple cider vinegar. I Googled it and the experts say this is considered  folk medicine. Apple cider vinegar is a probiotic food, which has some health benefits. 

What’s for Breakfast

Greek Yogurt Protein Bowls

Smoothie Protein Bowls

What’s for Lunch

Garlic Tuna Salad on Flat Out Wraps - We are using up our packages of tuna this week. I had some in there I bought on markdown at Kroger for 37 cents, which makes for a very inexpensive lunch.

 

What’s for Dinner

Monday ~ Pork BBQ on Buns, Steamed Carrots, Green Peas.

Tuesday ~ I was out of the house running errands and it was Bailey's movie night, so I just had some cheese and crackers for my dinner. 

Wednesday ~ Bailey was at one of her book clubs, so it was just me for dinner. I've been enjoying the tuna salad on the Flat Out wraps we got on markdown, so that's what I had along with some fresh cantaloupe. 

Thursday ~ Hawaiian Chicken, Cauliflower Rice, Steamed Broccoli. 

Friday ~ Salmon Patties, Steamed Carrots, Corn on the Cob. 

Saturday ~Grilled Chicken Salads

Sunday ~ Bacon Burgers, Oven Fried Potatoes, Corn on th Cob, and Sliced Tomatoes. 

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

What I've been Reading This Week
Did you know that Amazon Prime customers have access to free books and magazines through Amazon Prime Reading? I had no idea Amazon offered this service and was pleasantly surprised. 
I'm currently reading The Blue Zones Solution by Dan Buettner. I find this type of non-fiction reading so interesting that it's hard to put the book down. I would love to live in one of the Blue Zones they've created here in the United States.

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

Third Frugal Friday of July 2024

 

Welcome to Frugal Friday! 
Quote of the Week

Behavior that is incongruent with the self will not last.  You may want more money, but if your identity is someone who consumes rather than creates, then you'll continue to be pulled toward spending rather than earning. James Clear ~ Atomic Habits

My Frugal Week

The paint on our inside ceiling of our microwave had begun to peel, which is a sign that it needs replacing, so we stopped using it about three weeks ago. While perusing Facebook Marketplace on Saturday I saw a new one for $20, so I made arrangements to pick it up and we are back in business again.  
Our electric bill came this week and the statement read that our bill is 31.18% lower than last year's bill. I love it! Anything to lower expenses and I'm a fan. 
My sister texted me early on Tuesday, so I went ahead and woke up and got all my work done before 9am, which I love as that allowed me the pleasure to read for an hour afterwards. 
I hung laundry inside the house to dry this week saving electricity by not running the dryer. 

My Frugal Kitchen

I'm including my normal Menu Plan Monday post into Frugal Friday for the time being as it's summertime and we are busy doing summer things. 

We picked up golden honeydew melon, watermelon, and cantaloupe this week. We also have have blueberries and blackberries to eat. All the fruit is prepped and ready to eat in the fridge, perfect for when a light snack is needed.

I turned my big bottle of Dawn dishwashing detergent upside down and set it on top of my smaller bottle for about an hour to let it drain completely. 

What’s for Dinner

Monday ~ A choice of Chicken Fajitas or Chicken Taco Salads. 

Taco Tuesday ~ Movie Night for Bailey, so I heated up some chicken from last night and added onions, peppers and spinach to it. 

Wednesday ~ Salmon Patties, Steamed Carrots & Broccoli, Corn on the Cob. 

Thursday ~ Grilled Chicken Salads

Friday ~ Salmon Patties, Green Beans & Onions, Sweet Potatoes.

Saturday ~ Hamburgers, Corn on the Cob, Sweet Potato Fries.

Sunday ~ Chicken Teriyaki, Fried Rice, Steamed Vegetables including Carrots, Cabbage, Onions, and Broccoli. 

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

What I've been Reading This Week
I finished reading Daisy Jones & The Six on Monday. Bailey recommended the book to me and we both read it at the same time and compared notes. Taylor Jenkins Reid wrote the book in an oral history style format as she interviewed the various characters for her book. The ending was not what I was expecting, but was really hard to put down towards the end of the book. 
Now I am reading Atomic Habits by James Clear. So many people have read this book and recommended it that I've been wanting to read it for a while now. Bailey saw it on my to be read list and mentioned she had a copy of the book. I'll let you know what I think of it when I'm done reading it. 
How was your week?

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

Second Frugal Friday of July 2024

                                                     

Welcome to Frugal Friday! 
My Frugal Week
On Tuesday we went to the theater to see Inside Out 2. We really enjoyed it, although not as much as the first one, but the message of "feel your feelings" really came through. Tuesday night is bargain night, so we were able to see the movie for only $5.50 and a free bag of popcorn.
I've been exercising st home more recently and have been riding my stationary bicycle pedals for one hour each day. I'm working to strengthen the muscles in my legs anticipating knee replacement surgery.
Stamps go up in price on Sunday, July 14th from 68 cents to 73 cents. 

My Frugal Kitchen

We've been using up what we have here this week and cleaning out what meats we have in the freezer. we also picked up blackberries at Aldi this week where they were on sale for $1.99 each. 

What’s for Dinner

Monday ~ Eggroll in a Bowl

Tuesday ~ Chicken and baked sweet potato. 

Wednesday ~ Salmon Patties, Steamed Broccoli, Baked Sweet Potatoes. 

Thursday ~ Grilled Chicken Taco Salads, Brussel Sprouts 

Friday ~ Hamburgers, Sweet Potato Fries, and Green Beans with Onions. 

What’s on the Menu for Next Week

I'm definitely planning on BBQ Pork, Salmon Patties, and Chicken next week. Be sure to come back next week to see what sides we serve with these main dishes.

How are things in your home this past week?

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

Meal Plan Monday ~ July 8, 2024

 

My Frugal Week

We've been using up what we have here this week and cleaning out what meats we have in the freezer. 

What’s for Dinner

Monday ~ Eggroll in a Bowl

Tuesday ~ Chicken and baked sweet potato. 

Wednesday ~ Chicken Salad. 

Thursday ~ For the 4th of July we had Hamburgers, Corn on the Cob, and Watermelon. 

Friday ~ Chicken Fajitas, Sweet Potatoes, and Green Beans with Onions. 

Saturday ~ Chicken Fajitas, Corn on the Cob, Steamed Broccoli. 

Sunday ~ Marinated Grilled Chicken, Carrots, and a Sunflower Salad Kit from Aldi. I marinated the chicken in Olive Garden's light Italian dressing and it turned out really well. 

What’s on the Menu for This Coming Week

I'm definitely planning on BBQ Pork, Salmon Patties, and Chicken this week. Be sure to come back next week to see what sides we serve with these main dishes.

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

Belinda

Homemaker at Heart

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

First Frugal Friday of July 2024

                                         

Welcome to Frugal Friday! 
My Frugal Week

My Lymphedema trunk pump came last Friday and I watched several videos on how to set it up and it has a lot of hoses! It is already helping to eliminate the excess lymph fluid in my trunk area. The representative came out on Wednesday to check and make sure I was using it correctly. 
It was quiet around here over the weekend then on Sunday we heard a lot of thunder, but never did get any rain out of the storm. We finally did get a little bit of rain later in the week though. 
This was bill paying week and I've gotten all my bills paid for the month. I like to have it behind me as early in the month as possible. 
Freebies
One of my favorite daily emails comes from the One Bird a Day website. In it they show a photo of the bird and then you can hear how the bird sounds, which I love. 
Here is a link if you're interested: One Bird a Day
Question of the Week
I saw this post today in my local Facebook group:

I feel his pain. Gone are the days, I think, when we could really stock up on groceries when there was a good sale. ???
What do you think?
Saving Money on Entertainment
I've been watching Leave it to Beaver on Facebook recently. My Dad always watched it in the mornings and it reminds me of him. I like that I'm able to watch shows like this for free on Facebook. 
What I've been Reading This Week
Our Money Blog ~ Carrie used to blog over at CreditCardFree's Personal Finance Blog. In fact if you look around that site, you'll find several other financial blogs to read. 
Bailey and I are currently reading Daisy Jones and the Six. It is supposed to be based on a true story and loosely based on Fleetwood Mac. When we are done reading the book we are going to watch the film. There are ten episodes, which are free to watch if you have Amazon Prime. 

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

Menu Plan Monday ~ July 1, 2024

                                                 

What’s for Dinner

Monday ~ Chicken Taco Salad

Tuesday ~ Hamburgers with all the fixings.

Wednesday ~ Chicken Fajita Bowls

Thursday ~ Salmon Patties, Green Beans with Onions, and Green Peas with Carrots. 

Friday ~ I made Cube Steaks for dinner using some that I bought on markdown. It has been way too long since we've had these and they were delicious. I served them with mashed potatoes, and peas and carrots. 

Saturday ~ Homemade Chicken Nuggets, Peas & Carrots, Cucumber Salad. 

Sunday ~ BBQ Chicken, Sweet Potatoes, Corn on the Cob. 

What’s on the Menu for This Coming Week

This week I need to do some grocery shopping as we are running low on some items.  Please come back next week to see what we had on our menu this week. 

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

Belinda

Homemaker at Heart

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

Fourth Frugal Friday June 2024

                                                     

Welcome to Frugal Friday! I hope you are doing well today and stay safe from the heat, 
My Frugal Week
I completed a survey and earned a $20 Amazon gift card this week. 
On Friday our garbage man came and picked up some styrofoam sheets Dad put  in the yard between two trees years ago. I'm not sure what he intended to do with them, but they are falling apart now and it's past time to get rid of them. He unearthed a snake when he was removing it. 
I received another $25 gift card for Walmart from my insurance company for getting my routine tests done this year. I'm sure I will spend it on groceries. 
On Monday evening I was the designated driver for Bailey to attend one of her book clubs on the North Shore in Chattanooga. I went to Whole Foods and looked around and then did some reading of my own while I waited. I did pick me up some delicious salted dark chocolate cashews (yum!) at Whole Foods. 
I earned a $5 Visa card for taking a survey offered by my bank. 
Freebies

This reusable shopping bag was a freebie that was going around on Facebook from The Navigators for the last few weeks. Mine came in the mail on Saturday. 
That is all the news to report from here this week. I had an errand to run on Monday, but other than that have stayed home. My trunk pump has been approved by my Insurance and is supposed to come via Fedex today, so I am anxiously awaiting it's arrival today. 
What are your plans for the weekend?

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