Third Frugal Friday of January 2025

Welcome to Frugal Friday! 
Quote of the Week

The imperfect days do not define the journey, so keep moving forward despite the challenges, as they are simply part of the process and do not define your ultimate destination.

My Frugal Week

We had two inches of snow last Friday! It was enough to close schools and just about everything else on Friday & Saturday. Schools stayed closed all this week due to dangerous icy mountain roads. 
On Monday afternoon it got up to 50 degrees, which meant the snow outside, in direct sunlight, was melting quickly, which is good. It was warm enough to turn off all the heat in the house, which made me happy. 
Bailey went out on Monday and got her car stuck in the snow and ice in the driveway on her way back home. This is an area that stays shaded so the snow and ice doesn’t melt quickly when temperatures are this low, so continue to wait on the snow and ice to melt before she can get it unstuck. 
On Tuesday I started my car since it hadn't been started since my surgery and it had been so cold here. 
Frugal things we’ve done this week include:
- keeping an eye on daily electric use and also paid the electric bill this week- turning heat down at night- no food waste- used my crockpot several days instead of the oven to save on electric - left oven door open after I did use it though to get that heat in the house- rinsed a bottle of BBQ sauce with water to get the dregs out- used up all leftovers this week, so no food waste- asked for a refund of $7.55 from an order that didn't come in time for Christmas- returned for a refund two eyeglass necklaces that broke within days of using them- Received $5 after writing a review of a book on Amazon as a refund for the book- Wore two shirts including a sweater, hat, scarf, gloves, and triple socks to keep warm in the house. We don’t keep the heat at 70 degrees or higher as that would mean our electric bill would be higher. So, we heat enough to keep the chill off the house and wearing extra clothes/layers helps us stay warm. 
Bailey put the Christmas decorations away this year and happened to rearrange some towels that needed to be reorganized. I had a shelf in my room that was not being used and it fit perfectly in this spot, so I stuck it in there and ended up with another shelf for towels. 

Its hard to see in this photo, but the shelf is black. I love repurposing thing like this.
Each day I am feeling better and better with my new knee. In fact on Monday I stripped my bed and washed all the bed clothes. It felt right since it had warmed up enough to turn the heat off, this was the perfect time to take care of that task. 
We’ve been decluttering again and placing items we no longer need into a storage bin for the next consignment sale in March. I didn’t declutter much last time, so will have plenty to add to our bin this time around. 

One of the things we got for Christmas was this wireless, solar driveway alarm, which we both love. When I'm home alone, I like knowing when someone is coming up our driveway. If I'm expecting UPS, FedEx or the mailman, that's fine, but when I hear it and don't know who it is, I check to make sure someone isn't up to no good. It has a range of half a mile and since our driveway is 1/8th of a mile long and can't all be seen from the house, it's perfect for our needs. 
Bailey has been invited to one of her book club friends home on Saturday and needed to bring something food wise to share. I checked my pantry and looked up a recipe online and decided to make this applesauce cake. I have a yellow cake mix, applesauce, and powdered sugar for the topping, so no money spent on this item. 
Avoiding Spending
I didn’t avoid spending this week as I realized we were out of corn, so I bought a case of twelve cans at Walmart for $7.98. I don’t have to pay for shipping or order $35 for free shipping since we have a Walmart Plus membership. 
I like to keep corn on hand as a side dish to Mexican recipes. I’ve also laid out some money to replace my underwear, bras, and socks as mine were too big after my weight loss last year, so I considered that a necessary expense. 

While making dinner one night this week I ran out of this Weber Roasted Garlic & Herb seasoning that we enjoy on green beans, so I ordered another bottle from Amazon. It elevates green beans to the next level. It was actually $1.30 cheaper at Amazon than it was at Walmart. And, I didn't actually have to spend any money as I had a $5 credit on Amazon from NCP. 
Saving Money YouTube Videos
Thrifty Habits 2025 ~ If you’ve not made your 2025 budget yet, Bonita, who lives in rural Kansas as an early retiree, has some great tips to include that are worth watching. 
Saving Money on Entertainment

Bailey and I played games last Friday night. The first game we played was Tapple, which reminds me of the game, Scattegories. It's a fast paced game that combines quick thinking, vocabulary skills, and a dash of competitive spirit. She had just acquired the game recently and we had a lot of fun playing this one. 
What I've been Reading This Week
Savings Secrets of a 1940s Housewife- Unveiling the Art of Frugality
Twenty Old Fashioned Skills from my Great Grandmother
51 Extreme Frugality Tips for the Super Frugal
10 Tips to Live on Next to Nothing
The Best Cheapest Foods For Tight Budgets
37 Easy Ways to Save Money on your Grocery Budget This Year!

That’s all the news 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.

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