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