Fifth & Final Frugal Friday of October 2025

 

Welcome to Frugal Friday
My Frugal Week
On Tuesday I had an appointment with my retina specialist to address the posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) in my left eye. He will be keeping a check on it and says it should disappear in six months time. 
Afterwards we went to Aldi where I bought vinegar and cheese and Bailey picked up the Friendly Farms Ultra-Filtered Milk, which is Aldi's alternative to Fairlife milk, which is $4.97 at Walmart verses $4.29 for the Aldi dupe. 
Other frugal things I did this week include...
- Used Fetch and NCP to enter my recipts for the week- Perused the groery store ads online- Called Hormel as the turkey pepperoni I bought had molded, they will be sending me coupons to replace the item. 
Homemade Cleaning Wipes

This week I decided to make my own disinfectant cleaning wipes, so I gathered some supplies and made my own wipes. The jar came from a church yard sale, but had no lid, but I knew there was a lid downstairs, so I used that for the lid and it fit perfectly. The cleaning cloths are a motley crew of washcloths, and free scrubby microfiber cloths. 

These will work well to keep germs at bay, by wiping down surfaces, with the oncoming cold and flu season approaching.

Ingredients:

1 cup water

1/2 cup of vinegar 

1/4 cup rubbing alcohol 

1 tablespoon dishwashing detergent like Dawn

Cleaning cloths or rags

Directions:

Fold and place cleaning cloths in the bottom of your storage jar. 

Add all liquid ingredients together.

Stir and pour over the cleaning cloths.

Allow the cloths to absorb the liquid by pressing them down. 

If you need more liquid add a tad bit more water. 

They should be fully damp but not soaking wet.

Make sure the lid is on tight, and store in a cool, dry, place.

The Great Cleanup
On Sunday I went outside and emptied a five gallon bucket of liquid into smaller containers with lids and disposed of them. It’s so nice to have that task checked off my to do list.
I took Dad’s suits and ties to People Helping People to donate. They will sell them and use the funds to help people in our community. I was going to work outside on Monday, but it was raining, so I concentrated my work indoors. 
Yard Sale Saturday 
We left the house around 8 a.m. to go to a church yard sale. They were accepting donations rather than charging for items individually. I picked up several useful things including a hoodie, sweater dress, and a jacket. 
I want warm clothing to bundle up during this time of year and I look on the second hand market year round to obtain these items as inexpensively as possible. I’ve picked up a couple of really nice thermal blankets this summer and have them washed and ready to use when needed. 
Freebies

Freebies this week include...
- The latest issue of Southern Living magazine. - four clothing racks ~ Bailey scored BIG with this free Facebook Marketplace find. A couple who had just moved was giving away four clothing racks for free. These will work perfectly in her business. 
Saving on Electric
We've not had to use the air conditioning or the heat this week, which will help to lower our electric bill this month. On Tuesday we only used 24.26 kWh, which is  lower than 47.93 kWh, we used on this day last month. 
Photo of the Week
The photo does not do this picture justice, but I awoke one morning this week and saw this spider web in the woods outside my bedroom window, which was wet with dew and brightened by the sunshine. I picked up my phone and took this photo before it disappeared.  

Savings of the Week
Aldi has onions this week in the three pound bag for $1.65, which is cheaper than the Walmart price of $2.49. I’ll be buying several bags as I’m down to just a few onions.
Saving Money on Entertainment
The YouTube channel, No Longer Here, is an interesting and nostalgic look into past generations of American livelihood. Some of my favorite videos were the ones on forgotten vegetables our grandparents grew to survive hard times, 25 meals our grandparents ate to survive, and 30 cheap meals our grandparents ate during hard times.
What I've been Reading This Week
 I just figured out this week that I can read Mother Earth News magazine for free using the Libby app. This is one of my favorite magazines, but I won’t pay for a subscription, but rather look for them second hand. 
American Consumers Are Getting Thrifty Again ~ an article from the Wall Street Journal about how Americans are embracing frugality in these hard times. 
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 October 2025

My Frugal Week

On Monday I stopped in at People Helping People and dropped off some clothing donations and picked up tomatoes, purple turnips, and yellow squash for free. 

Recipe of the Week

This recipe comes from the Hello Nutritarian website. Kristen is a huge fan of Dr. Joel Fuhrman and has created a lifestyle that follows his Nutritarian eating plan. Her website is filled with wonderful recipes devoted to plant based eating. I initially reversed my diabetes following the plant based diet outlined in Dr. Fuhrman’s End of Diabetes book, so I’m a firm believer in this way of eating. 

Split Pea & Sweet Potato Soup

Ingredients:

32 oz low-sodium veggie broth
2 1/4 cups dry split peas
2 cups water
2 sweet medium potatoes, peeled & diced (equals about 2 cups diced)
1 medium onion, diced (equals about 1 cup diced)
1 red bell pepper, diced (equals about 1 cups diced)
2 medium carrots, peeled & diced (equals about 1/2 cup diced)
2 to 3 celery stalks, diced (equals about 1/2 cup diced)
1 tsp liquid aminos
1/4 tsp garlic powder
black pepper (optional, to taste)

Directions: 

1. Set large pot or Dutch oven over medium-low heat.  Add diced onions and dry sauté for about 6 to 8 minutes, stirring every 1 to 2 minutes.  Continue to dry sauté until moisture is released and onions are tender.  Add in 1 tsp liquid aminos to "de-glaze" the onions. Mix well. 

2. Increase heat to medium and add in diced carrots and celery.  Add in 1/4 tsp. garlic powder and ground pepper to taste.  Dry sauté the ingredients until you see browning on the bottom of your pot (see pictures above for reference), about 10 minutes.  

3. Add 1 cup veggie broth to "de-glaze" the browning on your pot and mix the veggies well.  Add in the diced sweet potato and mix well.  Cover your pot with a tight-fitting lid and allow the sweet potatoes to "steam-cook" for about 5 minutes.  

4. Reduce heat to low and add in the rest of your veggie broth, 2 cups of water, the split peas and the diced red pepper.  Cook covered for 45 to 50 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the peas are tender. 

 

What’s for Dinner

Monday ~ Chicken Breast Filets, Corn on the Cob, and Carrots. 

I made the corn on the cob the other day, so today I cut it off the cob to get it used up for dinner. I served the chicken with honey mustard in case anyone wanted that with their chicken. 

Tuesday ~ Chicken, Steamed Broccoli, and Carrots. 

Bailey had homemade pizzas that I made for her movie night while I had leftovers of the above mentioned items. There is no need to make more food when I already have this cooked and in the refrigerator. I just need to heat up my portion. 

Wednesday ~ Apple Bourbon Pork Tenderloin, Baked Potatoes, and Broccoli. 

The tenderloin was one I had stashed in the freezer and I really like the flavor, but Bailey wasn’t crazy about it. I have plenty of potatoes on hand so made her a baked sweet potato while I had a russet potato. 

Thursday ~ Chicken Cacciatore, Carrots & Onions, Butternut Squash. 

The chicken was placed in the crockpot early in the morning along with spaghetti sauce, onions, carrots, celery, garlic, tomatoes, and spices. I baked the butternut squash later in the day. The squash was so delicious with just a sprinkle of cinnamon. 

Friday ~ Homemade Pizza

Bailey had book club, so we didn’t have dinner together as usual. I had made her a plate of chicken and vegetables from the night before for her dinner. Once I came home from tutoring, I finished processing clothes for her and made myself a tortilla pizza in the air fryer and called it a night. 

Saturday ~ Honey Mustard Chicken, Scalloped Potatoes, Green Peas.

After dinner Bailey went to a Halloween party where they had s’mores. We had dinner before she left. Chicken from the freezer, scalloped potatoes and green peas. 

Sunday ~ Salmon Patties, Green Beans with Onions & Potatoes. 

It had been a while since we had salmon patties, so I made it for Sunday dinner. I made the green beans, onions and potatoes in the same pan, seasoned with EVOO and spices. 

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 Frugal Friday of October 2025

Welcome to Frugal Friday
Quote of the Week

"Be guided by the rule: If you don't need it, don’t buy it” ~ WW2 Ration Book

My Frugal Week
I stayed home Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday this week and didn’t spend any money. I will be going out today, but that is due to a tutoring session I have scheduled. 
After cleaning so much in Dad’s shed recently, I realize even more than before that I don’t want to leave a mess like that for Bailey when my time comes. So, on Tuesday I went through my filing cabinet and desk tossing out anything that I didn’t need and also made a small bag of items to donate. 
On Wednesday I measured and packaged fifty-one items for Bailey’s shops and caught up on towels and kitchen laundry. She already has another seventy items steamed and photographed, so I’ll work on measuring and packing those today. 
Bailey’s Birthday Weekend 
We love to spread birthday celebrations over a couple of days and this birthday was no exception for my Harry Potter loving girl. I’m frugal year round, but Christmas and birthdays are an area where I’ll splurge because they are important to us. 
We started on Friday and picked up her free Starbucks drink and entree from a local restaurant, and then spent the day at home with an afternoon tea, sharing videos with each other, tacos for dinner, and a game night. 

Bailey in the Ruddle’s Courtyard

Saturday we went to Ruddle’s Bread & Book store for their Harry Potter Diagon Alley book reading festival. Bailey is dressed for the occasion in her Harry Potter themed dress and jewelry. She had so much fun here as they had Harry Potter books for people to read and bookmark for the next person. She enjoyed a Butterbeer Latte while I enjoyed the spiced apple cider. 

"We invite all Witches and Wizards to join us for a week long, fully immersive Wizarding World experience inspired by our favorite book series Harry Potter!"

Bailey & Historical Marker 

Afterwards we went to Chattanooga for the Rails, Wizards & Spells Train Ride at the Tennessee Valley Railroad. This was a fun train ride to their “academy”. 

Wizard School Headmaster 

"Step into a world of wizarding fun at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum. Enter the enchanted forest to Wizards Way to find handcrafted wands, spell-holding charms, seasonal sweets, and hay rides. Then board at Platform 4 ½ for a memorable ride with Professors and later deboard for a live potions demonstration, and to see the engine turned for the return to Grand Junction."

Bailey & Belinda on the Train

On Sunday we went to McKay’s Used Books to spend her birthday credits and I took her out to eat at her favorite Chinese buffet. She told me it was a great birthday, which made me happy to have done all of that with her. 
The Great Cleanup Continues 

Before

 

After

On Monday I worked in the shed and took two carloads full to the convenience center and threw them into the dumpster including the second seat from Dad’s old Chevy truck. 
Dad also had old computer monitors stacked in the corner and I managed to get two of those dinosaurs gone. I know there is at least one more in there, but could be more underneath that pile. I took five contractor bags full of trash/debris and dumped those and saved the bags to reuse. 
I was able to clean the floor enough on one side to walk up to the shelves in there and could place items we are keeping for now on the shelves. 

Before 

 

After

He had a lot of vintage soda pop bottles, so I’m placing those on the shelves. They are worth money to someone and I won’t throw those away. I’m also finding a lot of tools and am placing all of those in one bin. 
I worked until I was worn out and my shoulder started hurting, so I called it a day. I went back out there on Thursday and continued the task. There were two more computer monitors, which I got rid of as well as three more contractor bags full of trash, several boxes, bins, old paint, etc. 

Before

After

For some reason there were a lot of leaves and acorns in there that were turning into compost. I cleaned all of that out of there and can finally say I have all the trash out of there, yay! 
There is still stuff in there, but included are antiques, glass, metal, a huge rock polisher and garden tools. It’s not exactly how I want it, but looks so much better than it did and I’m glad all that trash is gone. 
Saving on Electric

I was able to completely turn off the air conditioner on this week as we woke up to a temperature of 38 degrees outside on Monday morning. I’ve been wearing sweat shirts this week, which feels wonderful to me. 
Saving Money on Entertainment
This week I was happy to see Dateline: Secrets Uncovered on my Facebook feed. I’ve always enjoyed this show, so it’s free entertainment to be catching up on some older episodes. 
What I've been Reading This Week
I found an old 1950 Betty Crocker cookbook in Dad’s shed, so I’ve been reading it this week. Before I lost the weight I used to really love reading cookbooks, but nowadays my love of reading them has waned.  

This week I’m grateful for the good weather and sunshine, the gentle rain, which we needed and the vibrant colors of autumn. In all seasons and through the trials of our lives, we trust in God that He will provide all our needs. Philippians 4:19

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 #3 October 2025

What was for Dinner Last Week…

Monday ~ Pork Roast, Potatoes & Carrots

I put all of this in the crockpot earlier in the day and then worked outside all day, so it was a welcome dinner after a long day of work. 

Tuesday ~ Homemade Pizzas

I made homemade pizzas for dinner using corn tortillas for the base, turkey pepperoni, mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce. Using the corn tortillas makes my pizza only nine grams of carbohydrates, which is gentle on my blood sugar. 

Wednesday ~ Chicken Smoked Sausage, Steamed Broccoli, Potatoes & Carrots. 

Thursday ~ Chicken Breast Filets, Baked Sweet Potatoes, and Corn on the Cob. 

Friday ~ Tacos, Corn or Flour Tortillas, Tomatoes, Red Onions, Green Onions, Lettuce, Homemade Chipotle Ranch, and Jalapeños. 

This is what Bailey wanted for her birthday dinner, homemade tacos. I also made her a half gallon of sweet iced tea to go with dinner. She’s not been drinking sweet tea all year, and considered this a treat. 

Saturday & Sunday ~ Different Versions of Tacos or Nachos to polish off the taco meat from Friday. 

Today’s blog post plan is a shorter version than usual as last week was a busy week for both of us. 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