Second Frugal Friday of August 2025

Welcome to Frugal Friday! 
My Frugal Week
On Monday I took a bag of garbage off to the sanitation center, so the raccoon wouldn’t get into it before Friday when our regular garbage men come. I also stopped in at Food City and filled up my car at their gas station. 
My sister called me on Monday afternoon and we had a nice long chat catching up on each other’s lives. 

On Tuesday I needed to make a return at Target ($23) and decided to go by Pizza Hut to get Bailey their $2.00 personal pan pizza special for her movie night. The manager told me they had sold over 500 of them that day! 
Home Maintenance 
On Wednesday I poured some Liquid Plumber down our bathtub drain as it has been slow draining lately. I had cleaned the drain out and followed that with boiling water, which helped immensely. 
Yard Sale Saturday 
Saturday was a good weather day for yard sales as it had rain during the night, which lowered the humidity and temperature, which didn’t get above 80 degrees due to being cloudy all day. I walked over 6,000 steps during the sales and even more once I got home and made several trips up the stairs to bring it all inside. 
One item I bought was a rolling table for $10 that you see in hospitals that slide under a bed. I’ve been wanting a small table near me when I ride my bike pedals every day and this will work well. I also picked up a beautiful quilt with pillow shams for $10. 
Saving Money on Entertainment
I’ve been enjoying playing Wordle on the New York Times website again. Some days it’s easy for me to solve the puzzle, but other days it can be a challenge. 
What I've been Reading This Week
Cottage by the Sea

That's all I have to report for this week. I can't believe how fast this week went by and that it is already Friday again. I hope you've had a very good 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.

Belinda 🫶 💕 Homemaker at Heart 💕 ~ Living within our Means ~My Linktree
~ She looketh well to the ways of her household ~Proverbs 31:27

August 2025 Goals

Image Credit

Borrowing a page from The Hawaii Planner, here are my very simple goals for August.

Financial & Household

Plan several no spend days this month.
Declutter for Consignment at end of the month

Frugal Kitchen

Use one turkey from downstairs freezer.

Fitness, Wellness & Exercise

Return to my regular exercise routine   

Drink at least 6o ounces of water daily 
Schedule daily medicines 

Personal Growth

Read at least one physical book
Make and follow a daily to do list

How about you? Any goals you would like to accomplish in August? We will revisit these at the beginning of September. 

Belinda 🫶 💕 Homemaker at Heart 💕 ~ Living within our Means ~My Linktree
~ She looketh well to the ways of her household ~Proverbs 31:27

Menu Plan Monday ~ Saving Money in my Frugal Kitchen ~ First Week of August 2025

 

My Frugal Week

On Friday we went to an estate sale and one of the items they had for sale was canned foods for 50 cents each. We checked the sell by date and they were very good, so I bought five cans of crushed pineapple, five cans of mandarin oranges, and two jars of pickled beets. I had just paid $1.88 for a can of pineapple the day before, so this was a very good deal. 

Breakfast this past week has consisted of plain Greek yogurt, blueberries, and some protein powder to boost the protein. I used a blueberry protein powder, which made it very tasty. 

There are some things we do not buy here on a regular basis due to the cost such as beef, for example. However, if I were able to find a good deal on the item I would purchase and most likely stock up on the item. This is just one way we reduce our grocery budget by delaying the purchase of such items until I find them on markdown or sale.   

 

What’s for Dinner

Monday ~ BBQ Chicken Sandwiches, Broccoli, Corn on the Cob. 

Tuesday ~ Spicy Chicken Sandwiches, Brussel Sprouts, Pineapple Fluff. 

Wednesday ~ Chicken Burgers, Sliced Tomatoes & Onions, and Cucumber Tomato Salad. 

Thursday ~ Bourbon Street Chicken, Salad. 

Friday & Saturday ~ Chicken Tacos, Corn or Flour Tortillas, Onions, Tomatoes, Jalapenos, Black Olives, Corn. On Saturday evening I pulled out all the leftovers from the week and had a smorgasbord of sorts using up little bits of this and that. I didn’t think I had enough chicken from Friday for Saturday dinner, but it worked out and was more than enough. 

Sunday ~ Cottage Cheese Crustless Quiche, Corn on the Cob, Cucumber Tomato Salad.

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

Belinda

Homemaker at Heart

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

Image Credit

First Frugal Friday of August 2025

 Welcome to Frugal Friday! 

Quote of the Week

Do not let anyone diminish your worth by making you feel too small, too quiet, too big, or too loud. Have faith in your dreams and pursue them with a bold, powerful passion! With hard work, commitment, and resilience, anything can happen, so embrace the idea of starting over and become someone new at any stage of your life. ~ Kathryn B. 

My Frugal Week
Last Friday, I managed to sell two things on Facebook Marketplace, a book and a set of hubcaps I came across in Dad’s pole barn. The extra cash was a nice bonus. It was super hot out, so instead of splurging, I treated myself to an unsweetened blackberry tea from Sonic with no calories and easy on the wallet. A small, satisfying reward without breaking the budget.

Another raccoon has been showing up on our porch at night, scavenging for food. He even dug up the potted herbs I keep out back. Looks like I’ll have to put those away for now, just like I did with the hummingbird feeders.

One way I've started to save more money here is by taking shorter showers. This has been made much easier with my new knees, but I have it down to under five minutes now. We also have a low flow shower head in our bathroom, which helps save money too. 

It’s been a while since I visited Target, but I stopped in the last week just to look around, and I was genuinely surprised by how much more they’re carrying now. The shelves were packed with products that didn’t exist just a few years ago, especially in categories like supplements.

There were so many options, it was almost overwhelming. But instead of feeling impressed, I found myself skeptical. It’s clear that many of these products aren’t really about improving our health, they’re about turning a profit. Much like fast food chains, these companies often prioritize marketing, peer pressure and addiction over actual well-being.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of buying things we don’t truly need, thinking they’ll be the next big solution. But this kind of spending can quickly spiral into consumerism and even debt. A wise person takes the time to research, weigh the real benefits, and separate what’s genuinely helpful from what’s just clever packaging.

Deal of the Week

Ingle’s had these fancy eggs marked down from $6.18 to 99 cents! We bought six of them and will be eating many eggs in the next week. 
Saving Money on Entertainment

Any time we’ve eaten at a place like Waffle House, where the cook prepares food right in front of everyone, I always find myself watching them. I really enjoy seeing the process, the rhythm, the skill, the little details.

I’ve noticed I enjoy watching other everyday tasks too, like someone getting a haircut or the garbage truck making its rounds. There’s something oddly satisfying about it. And apparently, I’m not the only one, as there are entire YouTube and TikTok channels dedicated to this kind of thing. If that sounds interesting to you, you might enjoy checking them out.

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 🫶 💕 Homemaker at Heart 💕 ~ Living within our Means ~My Linktree
~ She looketh well to the ways of her household ~Proverbs 31:27

Menu Plan Monday ~ Saving Money in my Frugal Kitchen ~ Week #4 July 2025

My Frugal Week

This week I was still working on using up what we have here and our freezer is really emptying out. It's such a good feeling to use up those items and not let them go to waste. I've been using up a lot of our canned food items in the pantry as well. 

I made a grocery list over the weekend and will have a Walmart delivery this morning to replenish a few things and get some fresh produce. 

 

What’s for Dinner

Monday ~ Leftovers of Turkey Italian Sausage & Penne Pasta, and Cauliflower. 

Tuesday ~ Movie Night usually means pizza here, which is what we had. 

Wednesday ~ Chicken Burgers, Watermelon, and for dessert I picked up an 

individual bundtlet from Nothing But Bundt's in the s’mores flavor. It was more

than enough for the both of us and delicious.

Thursday ~ Leftovers of Chicken Burgers, Tuna Salad, and Bean Salad. No need to cook anything for dinner this night. 

Friday ~ Bailey had book club, so I was on my own for dinner. I ended up making two individual pizza bowls, one for me and one for her to eat whenever she was ready. I made them with cottage cheese, turkey pepperoni, pizza sauce, oregano, black olives, Parmesan, and mozzarella cheese. I mix all that up and bake them for 15 minutes. 

Saturday ~ Salmon Patties, Green Beans with Onions & Potatoes, and Carrots. 

Sunday ~ Chicken Burrito Bowls. 

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

Belinda

Homemaker at Heart

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

Image Credit

Before & After Weight Loss ~ Second Act Success

Image Credit

Disclaimer: This blog post doesn't have much to do with being frugal, but is more geared towards my weight loss over the years. So, if you aren't interested in that context, please feel free to skip this blog post. You won't hurt my feelings in the least. 

I'll start with this photo, which is a picture of me in the beauty salon getting my hair colored right after my Mom died. You can clearly see the Lymphedema load between my legs here. It had gotten so big that I was having trouble walking and I was determined that I was not going to live like this, this was my catalyst for change. 

The orthopedic doctor put me in a wheelchair in the summer of 2022 and didn't want me walking on my knees as the shinbone in my left leg was grinding down and you can't replace those. He also would not do the knee replacements until my BMI was 40 or less. So, I had to make a choice and I chose to change my life for the better. 

Here is a photo of me and Bailey in the cafeteria of her elementary school in 2007 back when she was in kindergarten. This is a photo of me at my highest weight. 

I know in my heart that God has been working on me for many years. My first weight loss attempts began was I was fourteen years old. I've had people pray for me to lose this weight for many years. I've attended countless seminars and went to specialists who have given me multiple tools down through the years to assist me. 

Finally something clicked in me and I took all of those tools and figured it out. 

This is what I look like today:

Belinda

Fourth Frugal Friday of July 2025

Welcome to Frugal Friday! 

My Frugal Week
Last Friday I stayed home while Bailey went to yard sales. I played catch up from the week and worked on kitchen laundry, folding and putting all our napkins, dish clothes, and dish towels away. Gathering the garbage together for the garbage men to pick up, vacuuming, and doing all the usual things that keep our home running smoothly. 
On Monday I measured clothes for Bailey and then I had an urge to clean and organize. So, I washed all the new to me yard sale clothes and folded and put those away, I decluttered and rearranged the big shelf in my bedroom, I gathered up items for the consignment sale and put them in an area of my closet designated for that. 
On Tuesday Bailey and I went to McKay Used Books to trade as the decluttering from Monday left me with a lot of books to trade.  We ended up with over $80 in trade credit. I didn't even have to use the $13 trade credit I saved from last time and we still didn't spend all of this credit either. 
On Wednesday I had errands to run and went to Gordon’s for black olives, CVS for an RX, Flowers Bakery Outlet for Keto buns, Super Cuts for Bailey to get a haircut, and Beall’s Outlet for Skinny Syrup. I bought the sugar free pistachio flavor and it is really good to ad to plain yogurt or drinks to flavor it with no added calories. 

Isn't this opened can a thing of beauty? Thanks to Carol in NC, who suggested this can opener, I can now open number ten cans in less than one minute. Woo Hoo!
Savings of the Week
Publix ~ Hellman’s Mayonnaise 

Publix had Hellman's mayonnaise on sale for buy one get one free this week and I had two $2.00 off one coupons. I also had a freebie on my account for the Ocean Spray drink mix and a $2.00 perk on my Publix account. I ended up paying $1.08 for the items in the picture. Score!

  Hellman's LIGHT MAYO                7.09 t F     Promotion                 -3.55 t F  Hellman's LIGHT MAYO                7.09 t F     Promotion                 -3.54 t F  DC Ocean Spray               -3.49   F  Club Publix Perk             -2.00 t F  VENDOR COUPON                -2.00   F  VENDOR COUPON                -2.00   F

       Adding Funds
I entered all my receipts into Fetch and NCP. 
On Sunday I sold an old trailer for $65 that had belonged to my Dad and had been sitting in the pole barn. That will give me yard sale cash for the next few weekends. 
Freebies
I already wrote a separate blog post about the free yard sale we went to on Saturday. 
Saving Money on Entertainment
Bailey really wanted to see How to Train Your Dragon at the theater before it leaves for the summer, so we went on $6 day on Tuesday. This film tells the story of Hiccup, a young Viking who befriends a young dragon, Toothless, challenging his tribe's traditions and revealing a different side to the creatures they've always fought. It was a cute movie and the theater was sold out, which surprised both of us as we went to the 1:00 matinee. 
What I've been Reading This Week
Not Buying Anything: Natural Silence ~ In this blog post the writer quotes Edith Sitwell where she says, “My personal hobbies are reading, listening to music, and silence.”  I get that as I enjoy silence sometimes too.  
That is all the news I have from here this week. How has your week been?

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 🫶 💕 Homemaker at Heart 💕 ~ Living within our Means ~My Linktree
~ She looketh well to the ways of her household ~Proverbs 31:27

Menu Plan Monday ~ Saving Money in my Frugal Kitchen ~ Week #3 July 2025

 My Frugal Week

I avoided most of the food waste the second time in the hospital unlike the first time I was there. But, I’ve been vigilant this week to use up anything that needed using. Things have settled down a little bit this week and I’m hoping this week will be even better. 

I made more gelatin fruit cups on Thursday as we had eaten all the ones I made before  and they are perfect especially when you’re not feeling well. 

I cut up a cabbage, broccoli, and onions for Thursday night dinner. And also air fried peaches and bananas for dinner the last few nights. One of my friends said they air fry pineapple, so I’m going to try that soon too. 

I was really in use it up mode this past week or so and used up several food items from the freezer that had been hanging around such as a package of hot dogs among other things.  

It's such a good feeling to use up these items and not let them go to waste. As a result of using up what's in the freezer, we had plenty of room in the freezer for our turkey sausage deal we got in on last week. 

Recipe of the Week

I made this quiche recipe for dinner on Friday since we have a lot of cottage cheese on hand, lower amounts of meat, and it only calls for four eggs, a win-win in our situation. 

Cottage Cheese Crustless Quiche

Ingredients:

1 & ½ cups cottage cheese

4 eggs

1 cup spinach, sauteed

1 cup onions, sauteed

½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

¼ cup parmesan cheese

One pinch nutmeg

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon onion powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

Grease a small casserole dish. 

Crack eggs into a bowl. 

Add cottage cheese, and spices.  

Whisk until smooth. 

Add in and stir other cheese, spinach, and onions. 

Pour into a casserole dish. 

Sprinkle with a little extra parmesan if desired. 

Place into the oven and bake for 40 to 50 minutes until golden and set.

Let cool slightly before cutting. 

Can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three days.

What’s for Dinner

Monday ~ Grilled Chicken Salads, Cantaloupe. 

Tuesday ~ Pizzas we picked up on the way home.

Wednesday ~ Grilled Chicken Salads, Queso & Chips, and Watermelon 

Thursday ~ Chicken Sausages, Fried Cabbage, Onions and Broccoli. 

Friday ~ Homemade Quiche, and the Fried Cabbage Stir Fry from Thursday. I also made a bean salad to go with dinner for the next few days too. Air fried peaches and bananas (400 degrees for 15 minutes), so delicious! 

Saturday ~ Beenie Weenies, Bean Salad , and Air Fried Peaches & Bananas. 

Sunday ~ Ground Turkey, which I turned into Italian Sausage. I served this with Penne Pasta in a Homemade Meat Sauce, and served Cauliflower as the vegetable. 

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

Belinda

Homemaker at Heart

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

Image Credit