Menu Plan Monday ~ Saving Money in my Frugal Kitchen ~ Week #1 July 2025

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 My Frugal Week

On Thursday I cut up a golden honeydew melon and watermelon for the Fourth of July. I also made more gelatin/fruit cups to have on hand as needed. 

Bailey was invited to a friend’s home for the Fourth of July and wanted to bring a dish to share. I thought about it and what ingredients I had in my kitchen and decided on an apple cobbler with candied pineapple and walnuts. I also made deviled eggs, but she decided to keep those for here. 😂 

On Sunday I removed the produce drawers from the refrigerator and gave them and the inside on the fridge a good scrub down with hot soapy water. 

Recipe of the Week

This is a recipe I created for my daughter to take to her Fourth of July event. I had some candied pineapple from Paradise that I wanted to add to the cobbler and it really made it taste so good.

Pineapple Apple Cobbler

Ingredients:

4 ounces Paradise Candied Pineapple

3 tablespoons white sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 6 large Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and sliced 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup white sugar 1 large egg 1 teaspoon baking powder ¼ cup water

1/2 up walnuts

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine 3 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Layer apples in an ungreased 9x13-inch baking pan, sprinkling each layer with cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Layer on the candied pineapple. Combine flour, 1 cup sugar, egg, and baking powder with a fork. 

Sprinkle over apples in the baking pan. 

Lightly sprinkle water over top.

Sprinkle walnuts over the top. Bake in the preheated oven until topping is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

What’s for Dinner

Monday ~ BBQ Chicken, Hot Potato Salad, and Carrot Raisin Salad. 

Tuesday ~ Homemade Pizza, Garden Salad.  

Wednesday & Thursday ~ Chicken Parmesan, Corn on the Cob, Steamed Carrots & Cabbage, and Green Grapes. 

4th of July ~ Friday ~  Grilled Chicken Salad, Baked Potato, Golden Honeydew Melon, and Watermelon. 

Saturday & Sunday~ Chicken Tacos using marked down ground Chicken, choice of Corn or Flour Tortillas, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Red Onions, Jalapeños, Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Chipotle Sauce, Black Olives, and Taco Sauce. Served with Corn and Watermelon as the side dishes.

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 July 2025

Welcome to Frugal Friday! 
Today is Independence Day for the United States of America, which is the birthday of this nation. I hope and pray that all of you who celebrate a safe, happy, and healthy holiday. 
Each section of my blog posts are sorted by bold headings, so feel free to skip any topics you’re not interested in reading about this week. 
Quote of the Week

Make a better world through learning and doing good things rather than being angry at bad guys. ~ Paul Wheaton @ Permies.com

My Frugal Week
Monday and Thursday were laundry days, so I washed all my laundry including the new to me yard sale items, the kitchen laundry, the towels and wash clothes and folded and put it all away. As I was doing that, I measured and processed clothes for Bailey on both days. 
I went through my clothes this week to remove those items that don’t work for me. Rather than donating them to a place that will sell them, I’ll donate them to the Chattanooga Free Store, which is a mutual aid organization. 
At the Free Store, anyone can access things like clothing, food, and personal hygiene products, etc. all for free, no questions asked. The Free Store is funded by donations and was opened to create a space where anyone can get the things they need without feeling shamed. 
Yesterday was one of my childhood friend’s birthday, so we spoke on the phone and caught up with each other. It was so great to catch up on each other’s lives and see what she’s been up to lately. 
Bailey picked up a free bag of clothes the other day and one of the t shirt was stained, so I washed it, but the stain was permanent, so I cut it up for rags. 
Healthcare
On Tuesday I had a follow up visit regarding the kidney stone and stent with my primary care doctor. She ran some more tests and wrote me out two more prescriptions. 
I also spoke with the nurse at the Urologist office to schedule my stent removal surgery on July 11th. 
On Wednesday I had my routine yearly mammogram, which I’m glad to have done for another year. 
Helping Bailey
I helped Bailey in her office on Saturday & Sunday folding clothes and sorting them into bins. She found and bought a really nice desktop computer at the church yard sale for $10. She has only ever had a laptop in there, so she was excited to get the area all straightened. 
I also processed for her on Monday, so she had plenty of items to list during this week in her newly cleaned up office. 
Interesting Info from Jaspreet Singh Update 
It was pointed out to me last week that it is inaccurate to compare the median cost of goods to median income regarding the figures I posted last week from Jaspreet Singh. 

After some reading on the subject this week, it can be inaccurate to compare the median cost of goods to median income directly, as it can be 

overly simplistic and misleading, which I don’t want. 
Reasons for these include differences in spending for different income groups, such as lower income people spending more of their income on necessities, regional variations in prices (remember Amy D’s blueberries in Maine?), and higher quality of goods like older homes verses modern energy efficient homes. 
Yard Sales
I did not go to any yard sales last Friday as I still was not feeling well enough. 
On Saturday I decided to test my strength and went to an indoor church sale. I brought my rollator, so I could sit down if I got weak. It came in handy as I sat to go through multiple tables of clothes. 

Mostly I found clothes for myself, but I did find this Dining on a Dime cookbook in the hard back edition for $1.00. It's large print, which is great for me since I have low vision issues. 
The Budget & Money Spent 
Payday fell this week, so all the regular bills were paid like cell phones and electric. My budget was gone over carefully with a fine tooth comb, which I do every month. I am shoring up anything that could be considered wasteful. There is a sense of peace and contentment when I know all the bills are paid for the month. 
One thing I do, which I learned from Ramit Sethi, is to automate as many of my payments as I can. That way they are paid automatically from my bank account and I don’t have to worry about any late fees. 
I’ve changed the temperature in my room to be warmer because that is how I prefer it these days, which just happens to save money. I’m wearing clothing longer to avoid extra washing, mending clothing, redesigning some pieces, and buying second hand. 
In addition to regular bills, the following are areas we also spent money. 
Gasoline Fill Up $32.50Yard Sales $34Food Lion $15.99 for groceries Gilliland $6 for peaches
I don’t know why, but I actually had trouble buying gas on Saturday. I stopped at two stations, but both were out of gas. So, I went to the Gas & Go at Food City and was able to fill up there and paid $2.64 a gallon. 
Speaking of gas, getting older is not for the faint of heart. I’ve noticed lately that the gas pump handles are so heavy to me and it must have to do with getting older as I never noticed it before. I definitely noticed after making three attempts before I was successfully able to get gas in my car. 
Freebies
My niece has asked me to tutor her fourth grader this summer in math and reading, so I was able to pick up some books for her to read from the Little Free Library in town. 
Joy of the Week
Here is a picture of a cart my Dad had in his pole barn.

Bailey sold the cart in our efforts to clean up Dad’s areas and to make some yard sale money.
The lady who bought it sent her a picture of the makeover she did on it along with this note.

Here is a picture of the refinished cart.

I think it’s beautiful and my Dad would have loved it. 🥰 
Photo of the Week

I don’t know if you can see this accurately or not. This person took two wire coat hangers and made wings out of them and attached them to an umbrella, so he could be hands free while in the rain. 
You know how I'm always wanting to be hands free, so this would be perfect for me. I’ve went out in the rain before with no umbrella just so I can keep my hands free to carry groceries into the house, so this is a neat idea to me. 
You Can’t Make This Stuff Up Photo of the Week

Pictured above is a quart size mason jar full of pennies from Goodwill priced at $29.99. I did the math and 1,200 pennies will fit in a quart size mason jar, which equals $12.00. That means they are charging $17.99 for this mason jar. Sheesh! 
Saving Money YouTube Videos

Erin and her husband from My Frugal Home, who used to live in Tennessee, recently made a trip to the United States from their home in France. 
In this video she discusses items they bought while here in the US including several grocery items like powdered buttermilk. 
Saving Money on Entertainment
I did watch the first two seasons of Sneaky Pete on Amazon Prime. I enjoyed the first two seasons, but the third and final season was mostly monotonous, so I did not enjoy it like I did the first two seasons. 
What I've been Reading This Week
Permaculture and Homesteading Forums

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 ~ Final Week June 2025

 

My Frugal Week

We definitely and unfortunately had food waste here this week as I was in the hospital unexpectedly Sunday through Wednesday. Once I was home I cleaned out the fridge of anything older than three days such as leftover cooked cabbage, three strawberries, and a couple of tomatoes that went bad on the counter. It is what it is, which is OK as we don’t make a habit of this. 

We did do well however, with using up several things in our freezer over the weekend and I see valuable space opening up as a result, which is good. 

I opened my last number ten can of black olives from Gordon’s. I have the hardest time getting these cans open even with a newer can opener. I really had to pry this one open. I’m looking for a better can opener, so if you have any suggestions, please let me know. 

I’ve been out of any gelatin fruit cups for a few days now and I miss them. So, I made a batch them on Sunday afternoon for the week.

 

What’s for Dinner

Monday ~ Hospital Clear Liquid Diet ~ one night they were out of sugar free jello and gave me regular sweetened jello and it was delicious. It has been a long time since I’ve had that. 

Tuesday ~ Hospital Clear Liquid Diet

Wednesday ~ Chicken Bowls from Burrito Express picked up on our way home. 

Thursday ~ Turkey Bacon BLTs, Sliced Tomatoes, and Lima Beans. 

Friday ~ Bailey had book club, so I made Chicken Burgers for dinner using the marked down ones from Kroger we bought recently and had apples with yogurt on the side. 

Saturday ~ BBQ Chicken Tenders Hot Potato Salad, and Green Peas. 

Sunday & Monday ~ BBQ Chicken Sandwiches, Hot Potato Salad, Carrot Raisin Salad, and Baked Apples. 

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

Fourth and Final Frugal Friday of June 2025

Welcome to Frugal Friday! 
My Frugal Week
My week wasn’t the best health wise as I woke up Sunday night in excruciating pain. My first thought was a kidney stone, so I went to the ER and sure enough it was a 9mm kidney stone. 
After some medical care they sent me home, but I returned soon after with a high fever and chills, which turned out to be septic shock from an infection. This time they kept me and after antibiotics, IV fluids, and a ureteral stent, I made it home Wednesday evening. I’ll return in two weeks to have the stent and stone removed. 
So, this is reason I’ve not commented on your blogs this week like I usually do during the week.  
Yard Sales Last Week
We started out on Saturday morning with a list of over thirty yard sales. We started in North Chattanooga at a church yard sale and then worked our way back towards home. 
We went to so many not on our map that the other sales started to close down (due to time of day and the heat) before we got to all of the sales, which is fine with me as I started to get tired from the extra heat. 
My best deal of the day was another pair of Keen shoes for $5.00! These were one size smaller than the last pair I bought. But, I ended up selling them the very next day on Facebook Marketplace for $50. 
So, if I’m feeling up to yard sales this week, I’ll have more than enough money for this week along with some left from last week without dipping into my own funds. 
Interesting Info from Jaspreet Singh
Jaspreet Singh, who creates content on the Minority Mindset YouTube channel, created a chart to show the real reason Americans are poorer that the system does not want you to know. 
Median Income in 1971 went from $10,000 to $70,000 in 2023, which is a 600% increase.
Cars went from $5,000 in 1971 to $42,000 in 2023 which is a 700% increase. 
Median Homes went from $25,000 in 1971 to $484,000 in 2023, which is an increase of 1800%. 
College went from $400 a year in 1971 to $9,300 a year in 2023, which is an increase of 2200%. 
So, over the last fifty years household income went from one person working a job to two people working a job and only increased 600%, and as you can see from his numbers, growth in household income still has not kept up pace with the cost of many things people need, and these are just a few examples. 
You can find his video here if you're interested. 
Freebies
The church yard sale had free pillows they were giving away. I spied a Temper-Pedicure pillow in the stack and decided to get it. They are expensive in the retail world and very nice to sleep with. I steamed it very well once I brought it home. 
Photo of the Week

I saw these flowers last week at a yard sale and thought they were so pretty, so I used Google Lens and found out they are Chinese Bellflowers. The lady's yard was so neat and tidy and this was surrounding her mailbox, which was just beautiful. 
Avoiding Spending
We didn’t avoid spending money this week as we made multiple trips to Chattanooga to the hospital and had to buy more gas than usual, plus my prescriptions. And we picked up chicken burrito bowls from Burrito Express on our way home from the hospital. 
Saving Money on Entertainment
Have you ever watched the series Sneaky Pete? I stumbled across a trailer of it, so I thought I would ask all of my readers.  Turns out it’s free to watch for Amazon Prime members. 
That’s all I have for this week. I hope you’ve had a wonderful 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

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

My Frugal Week

I went to the community garden on Wednesday and picked one cucumber, three onions, and some dill. I went home afterwards and made a cucumber tomato salad for dinner. 

On Thursday, I sorted and broke green beans for dinner one night. I also cut up a watermelon, chopped up a cabbage for dinner, and shucked some corn that I picked up the day before. Of course, I added all the refuse to the compost pile in the woods. Looks like I have a few mushrooms growing in the compost pile now. 

Someone gave me a bag of BBQ sauce from Burger King, so I decided to decant the individual tubs into a mason jar. There were nineteen sauce packets and it ended up making two cups of BBQ sauce. I have some jackfruit that I'll add to this for dinner one night soon. 

Recipe of the Week

For this recipe, I used a one pound package of Butterball taco seasoned turkey meat I had in the freezer. I only bought one, so we could try it and see if we liked it and we did. So, I will definitely be buying this again in the future as it is much healthier and has better macros than ground beef.

Cheesy Taco Pasta

Ingredients:

One pound ground beef or turkey

1 package taco seasoning mix

2 cups water

2 cups uncooked pasta (I used protein pasta)

1 cup salsa

1 cup shredded cheese

Directions: 

Brown meat in a large skillet.

Drain the fat.

Add seasoning, water, pasta, and salsa.

Stir well.

Cover and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes.

Make sure pasta is tender.

Stir in cheese until melted.

 

What’s for Dinner

Monday ~ Cheesy Taco Pasta, Cole Slaw, Brussel Sprouts. 

Tuesday ~ Vegetable Plates ~ Corn on the Cob, Brussel Sprouts, Sliced Tomatoes, Strawberries.

Wednesday ~ Chicken Breast Filets, Cucumber Tomato Salad, and Cole Slaw. Just as I was finishing making dinner and washing the last of the pre-dinner dishes, the power went out. I had enough made at that point to feed us, but the power didn’t come back on until after ten p.m. So, I got up and washed the dinner dishes because I don’t like going to bed with a messy kitchen. 

Thursday ~ Sirloin Beef Tips with French Onion Gravy, Cabbage & Onions, and Cucumber & Tomato Salad.  

Friday ~ Baked Chicken, Cucumber Tomato Salad, Cabbage & Onions, Cucumbers, and Strawberries. 

Saturday ~ Chicken Tenders and Salads, and Watermelon.

Sunday ~ Chicken Tacos

Monday ~ Salmon Patties , Green Beans with Onions & Potatoes, Corn on the Cob, Roasted Carrots. 

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