Fourth Frugal Friday of November 2025

 

Welcome to Frugal Friday!
Welcome to Frugal Workshop where I post on Fridays about our frugal lifestyle during the past week. 
My Frugal Week
This week we finally emptied the peppermint foam soap dispenser bottle that was a Christmas gift last year. I took the lid off and filled the bottle with an inch or so of liquid soap from the refill soap bottle (50 ounces) I bought at a yard sale this summer for 50 cents. At this rate we won’t have to buy soap for a long time. 
I received two more payouts of $2.25 & $2.21 from the Google Opinion Rewards app. It’s such an easy app to use only taking a minute or so a few days each week and once I meet the $2.00 threshold, the money is sent automatically to my PayPal account. 
National Consumer Panel sent me a $10 Amazon gift card. I’m using it to get one of Bailey’s Christmas gifts checked off my list. 
My gas tank was filled up last Friday for $2.14 using the Mapco rewards program, which saved me 45 cents per gallon. 
We have an old chicken pen outside and as I was removing the leaves from the gutter I also pulled out a couple of elderberry plants. The dirt that came out of there was as rich and black as coal, and such beautiful compost.
My Dexcom G7 sensor didn't work when I applied it on Sunday, so I called Dexcom and they sent a replacement sensor. They are expensive and I don't want to have to replace one myself if I can avoid it. The new sensor was delivered by FedEx on Tuesday, which was such speedy customer service. 
On Monday I did laundry as usual and also washed my bedclothes. We're having our usual November invasion of Asian lady beetles, which we vacuum multiple times per day.
Wrapping up my November 2025 budget this month, I spent $131.18 on gas and $296.32 on groceries.
On Tuesday I had my six week eye injections and had zero swelling. Woo Hoo! So, we are going to try and go eight weeks between injections this next time. 
On Wednesday we attended the funeral of my ex’s cousin. I’ve known her and the family for over for 35 years. It was like being at a family reunion, seeing everyone and all the children who are grown up now with babies of their own making the cousins grandparents! It was a gentle reminder that the days are long, but the years are short. 
Buy Nothing Day
Today is Buy Nothing Day, which is a day of protest against consumerism, and is held the day after the U.S.A. Thanksgiving holiday, concurrent with Black Friday. My plans are to stay home and do no shopping whatsoever. 
Not Buying Anything Day/Week/Month/Year 2025 is a well written blog post from the author who writes the Not Buying Anything blog. 
Tomorrow is Small Business Saturday and while I don’t have plans to shop, I am supporting small businesses for several gifts this year. 
Freebies

We received our free copy of the December Holiday edition of Southern Living magazine this week. I also received a copy of Real Simple magazine too. 
Saving on Christmas 
I double checked my list of Christmas presents I still want to buy and even whittled the list down smaller. I’ll be having a debt free Christmas this year. Even all the food I’ll be making to take to other peoples homes has been carefully selected using ingredients I already have on hand, so there will be no need to overspend on food this year. 
What I've been Reading This Week
Bailey and I are both currently reading All the Light We Cannot See, written by Anthony Doerr. The story follows a blind French girl named Marie-Laure and a German soldier named Werner during World War II as their paths intersect. This is also available as a series to watch on Netflix, which we'll watch when we are done reading the book. 

Consumer Reports is relaunching their free 1940s newsletter, Bread & Butter, which was first published in 1941 to help cash-strapped Americans make smart decisions with limited resources. I even found a vintage issue from 1941 that you can read for free online here. 

Another place to get free ebooks is Free Booksy. 

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