Fourth Frugal Friday of May 2025

Welcome to Frugal Friday! 
Quote of the Week

"Don't count us out, we're [...] old school where hard work and sacrifice are the name of the game".  ~ Mrs. Patsi from A Working Pantry

My Frugal Week
This week I've been reading more reporting about the tariffs and how the cost of goods are going to rise. 
Another item I read this week is that a growing number of Americans are financing groceries with buy now, pay later loans. And more and more people are paying those bills late. This tells me that some consumers are struggling to afford essential expenses like groceries and the reasons are varied, but include inflation, high interest rates, and economic uncertainty. 
There are always going to be hard times, so it's important for us to use our best frugal skills to weather this latest storm as well as other storms in good or hard financial times. 
In previous generations, it was very common to live a life of careful thrift, which included wise spending, careful use of resources, and a consistent habit of saving.  Those things need to be front and center in our lives today to see us through these latest hard economic times as uncertainty is here for everyone. 
We need to be looking for ways we can manage with what we have. One way that we can combat rising prices is to shop the second hand market for things we need. There are no tariffs on thrift store or yard sale clothes. And shopping the second hand market not only reduces our carbon footprint, but it keeps those items out of the landfills, and funnels money into our local economies. 
So, use some of your time this summer to go to yard sales and thrift stores. Trade and barter things you need with friends and family. Amy Dacyczyn used to yard sale during the summer months for things she needed all year long including school clothes and Christmas gifts. 
Good financial management means a cautious and orderly outlook when it comes to our finances. Waiting, careful thought and planning are essential when it comes to getting the most out of our money. Having a budget with plans for our income are very important considerations in planning for both spending and saving.   

"Say no to [...] things that you know are going to decimate your budget. Saying no is free and sometimes saves you a fortune".  ~ Annabel from The Bluebirds are Nesting on the Farm

Look around your home at the things you have and ask yourself how you can use those items, maybe even in a different way. Look outside the box. Working hard is something we can all do in order to survive these current hard times. 
Maintaining Our Driveway
Over the years we have put a lot of money and time into maintaining our driveway, which is 1/8 of a mile long and requires routine maintenance.  
My Dad was especially the one who maintained it while he was alive, and since his passing, it has become even more challenging. 
My neighbor came last weekend and worked on it after he cleared his land last summer, which caused it to wash out both of our driveways. 
He is ordering a culvert for both his driveway and ours and I'll pay him for ours, but he is doing the work for free. (A definite blessing)
There are some also some potholes that have developed that need work. The local rock quarry will let you come and get a five gallon bucket of rocks for free. There is no way I could carry a five gallon bucket of them, but I did go and get a small bag and put them in one of the bigger pot holes and will continue to do this until the issue is resolved. 
I'm so grateful for our neighbor who is willing to do the work for free and for the rock quarry willing to let us have some free rocks. 
Speaking of the driveway, we had bad storms here on Tuesday night and when I went out Wednesday morning for physical therapy I found a tree had fallen across the driveway. 
Part of the tree was rotten, so lucky for me, it broke into several pieces. I was able to get out of my car and move enough of the pieces to get my car out of the driveway, which is something I wouldn't have been able to do before my knee replacements. I would have had to call my BIL Jody to help me, so another blessing in disguise for sure. 
Savings of the Week

On Thursday I went to Circle K to save 40 cents per gallon on gas, which was a loyalty discount for being part of their rewards program. I paid $2.39 per gallon and it only cost me $24.26 to fill up my car with gasoline. Now I have a full tank in preparation for Yard Sale Saturday. 
Freebies

Freebies this week included a Southern Living magazine, lemonade Capri Sun, two applesauce, two bars of soap, and a roll of toilet paper, which came from the free box at the thrift store. 
Package From Sluggy 

A package from Sluggy after her recent giveaway arrived on Wednesday. 
I saved it for after dinner so Bailey and I could enjoy opening it together. It was a great selection of items, and we both picked out different things we wanted. 
There was a pair of headphones in the package and I've been wanting a pair to carry in my purse when I go places, so I won't disturb others. 
And right now the linen scented Febreze plug in is sending a beautiful scent throughout my bedroom. 
I was really tickled to win Sluggy's giveaway. Thank you again Sluggy!
Bailey
If you're interested in reading about Bailey's first craft fair, she has started writing on Substack and you can read about it here. She is an excellent writer and you’ll find her posts to be engaging and fun to read. You may even learn more about our life here as she tries to do things frugally just like her Mom. I’m very proud of her. 
Joy of the Week
My goodness this was such a great week. I got to see family on Sunday that I had not seen since Christmas and saw additional family on Wednesday that I had not seen since Thanksgiving 2023. 
They were all very happy to see me up and walking around with no assistance along with my weight loss, and gave me lots of hugs. This was the joy of my week for them to see me walking around unassisted after all the hard work I put in towards that goal.  
What I've been Listening & Reading This Week
Home Depot Pledges to Keep Lid on Prices
Lisa Romano  ~ An excellent resource for those who are working on healing. 
In Closing
There can be a satisfying type of joy found in the rhythm and puttering around in our homes. The smell of good food cooking, coffee brewing, the glimpse of the morning light, or seeing the sun's rays behind a cloud.  
This week I hope you will take some time to pause and reflect on the ordinary things in your life and find simplicity and grace in your every day tasks as you go about your days. 

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