Second Frugal Friday of September 2025

Welcome to Frugal Friday! 
My Frugal Week
This week I was able to tun off the air conditioning in the main part of the house at night, which will save on our electric bill. I also turned off any lights, and unplugged appliances not in use. 
As I mentioned last week, this is a month where I will be scrimping and saving more than usual due to an expensive car repair at the first of September, and not wanting to dip into my savings. 
Other than one doctor visit, I stayed home this week, which saves the gas in my car for necessary trips. When I'm home, I'm not spending money on anything. I also had my prescription mailed to me this week rather than drive to town and pick it up. I did not buy anything or spend any money this week. We simply made do with what is here.
I found out recently that my health insurance will reimburse me 70 cents per mile when I drive myself to the doctor. I wish I had known about this sooner as I could have saved a lot in gas expenses.  My Health News ~ (Feel free to skip)
Last Friday I went to the orthopedic surgeon who did my second knee replacement in March. He was happy with my progress and I told him he had changed my life and how grateful I was to him. He gave me a hug and said there was no need to come back for two years! Woo Hoo! I love that. A three year plus goal met and crossed off my list. 💕 Afterwards I went by CVS and got three vaccines. My flu shot for the year, a Covid booster shot, and a shot for RSV. I’m happy to have all of that done now as I’m a firm believer in vaccines. They also gave me a coupon for $10 off a $20 purchase, which is  good until the end of the year. 
On Wednesday I had my three month checkup with my primary care physician and received a good report. She does want me to see a vascular surgeon, however. 
Freebies
We were given multiple free acorn squash this week. We had our first one with dinner on Thursday and they are delicious. 
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.

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

Saving Money in My Frugal Kitchen ~ Week #2 September 2025

My Frugal Week

On Monday evening I made more gelatin cups sans fruit. We used up or froze all leftovers, so no food waste this week.

I made a small grocery order for pickup on Tuesday and restocked plain Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, cheese, chicken, salad stuff, and frozen fruit. 

On Thursday I went inside Walmart to pick up a few things such as garbage bags. I buy contractor bags as they are heavy duty, so when the young boys who pick up our garbage throw them down the stairs, they won’t break open. 

I brought the turkey from the downstairs refrigerator, where it had been thawing, upstairs and placed in the refrigerator up here to cook on Saturday for dinners over the weekend. We still have one turkey in the downstairs freezer, which I may save for Thanksgiving dinner. 

Recipe of the Week

A few years ago I used to have a green smoothie for breakfast and recently I watched a YouTube video from a doctor who still has a green smoothie for breakfast. Since I am out of cottage cheese and yogurt as my usual proteins, I decided on a green smoothie today. 

I've used different recipes and combinations for Green Smoothies, but this is the one I used on Monday. 

Green Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 cup almond milk (I used the Aldi brand)

1 cup spinach

1 cup frozen blackberries

1 scoop blueberry protein powder

1.5 tablespoons acai powder

1 tablespoon gooseberry powder

1 cup water

Directions: 

Add all ingredients to a blender.

Blend well. Enjoy.

 

What’s for Dinner

Monday ~ We had several days worth of leftovers, so that was what we had for dinner on Monday. Choices were Chicken Stir Fry, Salmon Patties, Ham, Soup or Green Beans, and fruit choices of Baked Apples, Grilled Peaches, or Watermelon. 

I had the last of the ham, soup beans, and half a grilled peach. I put the salmon patties into the freezer after dinner for another day. 

Tuesday ~ Bailey had her favorite BBQ Chicken and Pineapple pizza for her movie night. I had a Grilled Chicken Salad. 

Wednesday ~ Stuffed Cabbage Rolls, Soup Beans, Sliced Tomatoes, and Air Fried Peaches. It was all I could do after a long day of running errands. I really wanted to get something to bring home for dinner, but my desire to not spend money when I have food at home won out. Yay! 

Thursday ~ We finished the last of the soup beans for dinner along with…more air fried peaches, and I made some grilled chicken along side a salad. 

Friday ~ Turkey Meatballs in Brown Gravy, Mixed Vegetables, and Field Peas with Snaps. 😋 

Saturday & Sunday ~ Roasted Turkey, Green Beans with Onions, and Bean Salad. This was a Jennieo Whole Turkey weighing 13.45 pounds. I also made some homemade turkey gravy with the pan juices. 

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 September 2025

Welcome to Frugal Friday! 
My Frugal Week

Last Friday the weather was so nice that I went outside before the garbage men arrived to clean out more of Dad’s pole barn. I managed to pick up and toss out six bags of items, which were mostly trash. Some of the bottles that had fallen off the shelves into the pile of leaves had the labels fall off and I had no idea what they were, so into the trash they went.  

This is what the pole barn looks like right now and it's had quite a bit of work done in there. My Dad was a hoarder and this is part of that aftermath. This is a work in progress. 

This is just one side of a shed he has next to the pole barn. This was the first time I even ventured to open the door and look inside. It is a huge mess of stuff and will also be a work in progress now that the weather has turned cooler and it's easier to be outside. 
The weather was so nice in fact that I was able to turn the air conditioner off for a while and air out the house. 
On Saturday I processed and measured clothes for Bailey's resale shops. On Sunday I did the laundry and got ready for the busy week ahead.
This week I had three doctor appointments and one dentist appointment. 
On Tuesday I dropped my car off at the mechanic shop to have the brake system checked. Turns out I needed both front and rear brakes, so there will definitely be some belt tightening here this month to pay for that without dipping into the savings funds. 
After dropping off my car at the mechanic, Bailey drove me to the retina specialist for eye injections. He had me wait for eight weeks between injections this last time and my eyes were worse, so I’m going back in six weeks next time. 
My doctor’s goal for me is to need less injections and more time between visits. This is why it is so important to keep our blood sugars in check! Uncontrolled diabetes can lead to serious health complications. That is my public service announcement for today. 
Wednesday started out with my six month cleaning at the dentist office. Afterwards I picked up my car, and ran a few errands. Lastly, I dropped off some things at the community garden and picked a few tomatoes to go with dinner. 
Freebies
From the dentist office, a free toothbrush, toothpaste, and dental floss. 
Saving on Electric
Electricity Rates are Soaring ~ Here's How to Save Money ~ From Consumer Affairs, Kristen Dalli shares how consumers might be able to save money. 
What I've been Reading This Week
This week I pulled out my copy of Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s, The End of Diabetes, to read certain portions about carbohydrates and the glycemic index of certain foods. 
I first read this book in April 2013 and I successfully reversed my diabetes by eating the whole food plant based diet (WFPB) outlined in this book. Unfortunately, I did not stick with the plan over the years, but hindsight is 20/20, as my Dad always said, and I now wish I had continued to eat that way. 
On page 97 Dr Fuhrman states, “the major source of carbohydrates in the diabetic diet should be beans.” Imagine that as beans are also a great frugal food source. So, I’ve been incorporating them into our menus even more than usual this past week. 
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.

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

Goals September 2025

 July was a month where we spent more than usual, so I made a conscious effort to scale back in August, which we did accomplish. Many people are struggling with rising costs, including us, and so we have to try and do what we can to keep our expenses under control. 

This month as we've been running out of things we’re simply doing without the item or coming up with a substitution. For example, I ran out of large garbage bags, but had tall kitchen garbage bags, so I made do with those for the time being. By managing without these items I can put off additional expenditures until next month. So, I've been keeping a running list of items we need and making do for the time being.  

We will continue to monitor our spending and grocery store prices and make substitutions as we can in order to save where possible. This doesn't have to mean going without, but rather getting creative as I mentioned last week.

These were my simple goals for August:

Financial & Household

Plan several no spend days this month. ~ This was a success as I had multiple no spend days in August. 

Declutter for Consignment at end of the month. ~ This was a success, and we cleared out many items we no longer use. We’ve also opened up valuable real estate in several areas of the house such as my bedroom closet. 

Frugal Kitchen

Use one turkey from downstairs freezer ~ I have placed one turkey in the refrigerator downstairs, so it can be thawing, so I’m calling this a win. 

Fitness, Wellness & Exercise

Return to my regular exercise routine. ~ This was mostly successful as I did ride my bicycle pedals everyday and added more walking and exercises into each day. This goal could still use some tweaking though as I also want to get back to the physical therapy exercises I was doing before. 

Drink at least 6o ounces of water daily. Some days I fail on this goal, so this one needs to be worked on as well in September. 

Schedule daily medicines ~ I did much better on this goal in August and want to continue this in September. 

Personal Growth

Read at least one physical book ~ Done

Make and follow a daily to do list ~ Always a work in progress. 

Christmas Goals

Work on making some large casserole potholders as Christmas presents. 

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

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

Saving Money in my Frugal Kitchen ~ Week #1 September 2025

Labor Day

On June 28, 1894, Democratic President Grover Cleveland signed into law Congress’s bill making Labor Day a federal holiday. Celebrated on the first Monday in September, it  honors the many contributions workers have made to America's economic strength and marks the unofficial end of summer. 

My Frugal Week

This week I worked on making meals for myself that were no more than 20 grams in carbohydrates to regulate my blood sugar, which the dietician at my endocrinologist suggested. This isn’t always easy to do, so I’m making a list of them so I can refer back to them later. 

On Tuesday I made some chicken breast filets from the freezer, but they turned out to be spicy, which I don’t eat. So instead I heated up the frozen lasagna I had thawing in the refrigerator. It sort of thwarted my plans for the week, but I managed to come up with other meals for the week. 

On Friday I made Bailey some black cherry gelatin cups with mandarin oranges and some with pineapple that needed to be used up from the refrigerator.  I had used the first of it it in my Sticky Pineapple Chicken and this little bit needed using.

I made myself several strawberry banana ones with no fruit as the canned fruit, even though it was  in its own juice, was messing with my blood sugar. I'll still add a scoop of cottage cheese to mine occasionally when I do eat them. 

On Thursday I made some egg salad for Bailey to carry as sandwiches for after she dropped off items at the consignment sale. That egg salad was gone by Saturday m0rning, so I made more that afternoon as she still has two or three more trips to make.

I also cut up a watermelon she picked up from Aldi, which will be good to have on Monday on the Labor Day holiday. 

I also made an inventory of what foods we have in our pantry. This is very helpful in knowing what I have on hand and what meals I can make with the inventory. 

 

What’s for Dinner

Monday ~ Chicken Chili, Baked Apples, and Steamed Broccoli. 

Tuesday ~ Lasagna, Cheesy Corn, and Salad. 

Wednesday ~ Turkey Polish Sausage, Roasted Potatoes, and Broccoli. 

Thursday ~ Ham, Green Beans & Onions, Baked Apples & Peaches. 

Fish on Friday ~ Salmon Patties, Tartar Sauce, Green Beans & Onions, Baked Apples. 

Saturday ~ Chicken Nuggets with BBQ or Honey Mustard for dipping, Green Beans with Onions, and Watermelon. I also put on soup beans to soak for Sunday nights dinner. 

Sunday ~ Ham, Soup Beans, Beets, Carrots, and Watermelon. 

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

Final Frugal Friday of August 2025

 

Welcome to Frugal Friday! 
Quote of the Week

"I am in control of my cost of living. Everything I do is a decision, and it’s made by me, not the world around me"  ~ Pete Adeney (Mr. Money Mustache)  

My Frugal Week
I scanned all of my purchases into Fetch and NCP Mobile this week. 
I filled up my car on Saturday paying $2.75 a gallon, which is 25 cents more than last week. I should have shopped around as I did see it lower at other places during the day while going to yard sales. 
Last Friday I received $100 from Adsense for my blog for the last four months. $40 of that went into my gas tank, and $16.44 went to buy cat food, 
Yard Sale Saturday
There weren't very many yard sales last week, but we did go to six of them. I bought two things for myself at the same sale. 

One was this Style & Co. sweater coat with attached hood for $1.00 that will be perfect to wear around the house this winter when it's cold. I couldn't believe she sold it for only $1.00 as she could have gotten more money. I checked online and they are selling for $30 and up on the second hand markets. 

The other item I bought was a brand new pair of fleece lined Muk Luk leggings for $1.00, which sell for $22.99 on the website. I wanted a pair of them to keep warm last winter, so I'll be thrilled to have them this winter. 
I didn't find anything I needed at any of the other yard sales we went to that day. Two of them were estate sales, which usually have higher prices. One sale had a bar of Fels Naptha soap for $9.99, but it only costs $1.78 at Walmart. 
It is entertaining though to look at estate sales and see how people lived and the things they saved over the years. We saw a lot of old and original boxes to items that were interesting to see. Bailey picked up a Shark vacuum for $15, which needs to be cleaned up, but was a huge savings off the retail price of one.   
Bailey wanted to go thrift store shopping afterwards as she didn't get enough inventory at yard sales, so we went to two thrift stores. I found a LuLaRoe Erika Short Sleeve Swing top for $4.00. 
This is my favorite style of shirt as it's a swing style shirt flowing freely at the bottom instead of being fitted. I look for them whenever I'm shopping the second hand markets. This was my first time finding one in medium and it fit well, so now I'll look for them in the medium size. 
Health News
Tuesday I had an ultrasound and then saw the urologist on Wednesday for a follow up on my recent kidney stone issues. The kidney stone is gone and there are no other stones and my kidney is back to normal size. Yay!
I continue to ride my bicycle pedals for one hour each day as you know motion is lotion for our joints. 
Freebies

I've received this devotional from Still Waters Ministry for several years now. They publish a daily devotional book released in two month increments, which includes a small devotion, corresponding daily Bible readings, a one year Bible reading plan, and a maxim for each day. 
This ministry is under the direction of Cedar Springs Amish-Mennonite church in Kentucky. Still Waters Ministries also distributes pocket sermons, a cappella choral CDs, and sermon CDs. 
You can write to the address below if you're interested in a free subscription to this devotional.
Stillwaters Ministries Church 270 Antioch Road Clarkson, KY 42726

I also received a free copy of the September/October 2025 issue of Good Housekeeping magazine. 
From North Dakota State University: Pinching Pennies In The Kitchen: Make Your Own Snack Mixes
  Photo of the Week

We had a cold front come through over the weekend, which lowered the humidity, which feels wonderful. I walked outside several days this week as a result. I took pictures of some of the wildflowers growing on our property. I hope you enjoy them too. 
Savings of the Week

I went to our local apple orchard on Monday. This is the only time of year they have Honey Crisp Apples. I bought a bushel (40 pounds) of seconds for $27, which worked out to 28 cents each. 💕 
Saving Money on Entertainment
Eventbrite is an American event management and ticketing website. The service allows users to browse, create, and promote local events. I downloaded the app onto my phone and was surprised to see how many free events were being held right where I live such as a couple of free concerts, a book club, and a line dancing class. 
What I've been Reading This Week
Mr. Money Mustache writes about, How to Navigate the Tariff Circus. 
That’s all to report from here this week. 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.

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

Saving Money in my Frugal Kitchen ~ Week #4 August 2025

 My Frugal Week

According to an article over at Nerd Wallet, food prices have continued to rise so far this year and are 2.9% higher compared to last year, according to the consumer price index report released Aug. 12 from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

Here is another interesting article from the USDA on the outlook on food prices which states food at home prices are predicted to increase by 2.2 percent in 2025, unfortunately. 

Fortunately, Consumer Affairs is reporting that the price of school supplies and lunch cost a little less in 2025 in this article. 

The Hello Brownlow website shares their tips on, How to Spend Less Than $50 on Groceries a Month, which includes taking inventory of your pantry and meal planning. 

We will continue to monitor our spending and grocery store prices and make substitutions as we can in order to save where possible. This doesn't have to mean going without, but rather getting creative. 

What you can make, reuse, or repurpose instead of spending money? 

 

Recipe of the Week

This is the recipe Bailey made on Sunday, the day she does her breakfast meal preps for the first few days of the week, using Chat GPT and one of my recipes. I tasted it and it was really good and meaty. This was a great recipe to use up some of those eggs and cottage cheese we got for such good deals. 

Bailey's Breakfast Quiche

Ingredients:

12 eggs

1/2 cup Yellow Onion

1 cup Cottage Cheese

1/2 cup Fairlife Milk

12 Turkey Sausage Patties

1/2 cup Black Olives

Directions: 

She mixed everything together and baked in a 350 degree oven for about 35 minutes.

 

What’s for Dinner

Monday ~ Chicken Breast Filets, Baked Sweet Potatoes, Less Pasta Salad. 

Tuesday ~ Movie Night Pizza and Salads. 

Wednesday ~ Smoked Beef Brisket, Oven Roasted Potatoes & Onions, and Red Cabbage & Onions. 

Thursday ~ Sticky Pineapple Chicken, Green Beans with Onions, and Roasted Sweet Potatoes. 

Friday ~ Chicken Parmesan, Green Beans & Onions.

Saturday ~ Bailey took us out to eat at the Chinese Buffet. We had little portions of Sesame Chicken, Cajun Chicken, Beef & Broccoli, Crab Rangoon, Egg Rolls, and fresh Watermelon. It was delicious. 

Sunday ~ Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Chili from the Skinny Spatula website. I left out the buffalo wing sauce and cream cheese and substituted mozzarella cheese for the cream cheese. This recipe helped use up a can of cannellini beans I had in the pantry. 

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