Saving Money in My Frugal Kitchen ~ Week #3 November 2025

 

Welcome

Welcome to Frugal Workshop where I post on Mondays about how we saved on food during the last week along with what we’ve had for dinner that week. 

My Frugal Week 

On Monday I grated up some of the cheese we recently bought on sale at Kroger. The rest of the cheese went into the freezer. 

The Honey Baked Ham company had a buy one get two free ham bones this week, so I bought one and have three of them to use now. There is so much meat left on one of their ham bones that it is enough for several meals for us. 

Food Lion has Betty Crocker cake mixes on sale this week for $1.00. I always make one for Thanksgiving and one for Christmas (chocolate) to take to my nieces home, so I went ahead and bought both of them this week. 

Savings of the Week

I was riding my bicycle pedals on Sunday afternoon when I happened across the UGO Facebook post that they had Jennie-O turkey sausage on sale for 99 cents for the one pound chubs. 

I’ve learned that when I see a sale at UGO I need to go and get it now! So, I left to go get some and by the time I got there the taco version was already gone, but I did manage to get both Italian and chorizo styles. 

Best of all, the Italian turkey sausage was only 79 cents each!

So, I bought five of the chorizo and twelve of the Italian. These will make some very inexpensive meals for us in the future. 

Recipe of the Week

This is a tried and true family favorite, which I’m including as we had it for dinner on Monday and Tuesday.

Easy Sausage Quiche

Ingredients:

2 - 9 inch  pie shells
1/2 to 1 pound sausage 
1 small onion, chopped
4 eggs, beaten

1 cup sour cream
1 cup  shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Brown sausage and onion together in skillet and drain. 

Poke bottom of pie crust with fork to prevent bubbling. 

Place 1/2 the sausage in the bottom of each pie crusts. 

Layer each one with 1/4 cup of cheese. 

Mix together eggs and sour cream and pour 1/2 over each pie crust.

Top both quiches with the remainder of the cheese.  

Bake 30 minutes at 375 degrees.

 

What’s for Dinner

Monday & Tuesday ~ Easy Sausage Quiche, Acorn Squash, and Steamed Broccoli. 

This is a recipe I’ve been making for years, but to change it up to the way we eat these days, I made it without the pie crust and substituted turkey sausage. I also replaced the sour cream with Greek yogurt. 

Also, I had more diced red peppers in the refrigerator I wanted to use up, so I added some when I sautéed the onions. Sides were acorn squash and steamed broccoli. This made eight servings, so there was plenty for Tuesday as well. 

Wednesday & Thursday ~ Baked Lasagna, Steamed Broccoli, Red Bell Peppers. 

The lasagne was one I had in the freezer, so no big deal to thaw and heat in the oven for dinner. Since there are only two of us, it’s more than enough for two meals and lunch. 

Friday ~ Baked Chicken Strips, Corn, Red Peppers, Orange Slices. 

I served the chicken with honey mustard and had the vegetables and oranges as the side dishes. 

Saturday & Sunday ~ 15 Bean Soup with Honey Baked Ham, and Southern Spoon Bread. 

This all went into my big crockpot on Saturday morning with onions, peppers, and seasonings to cook low and slow all day long. This is the perfect weather for a comforting hot bowl of ham bean soup and warm cornbread. 

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

Second Frugal Friday of November 2025

 

Welcome to Frugal Friday
My Frugal Week
Last Friday was the bag sale at People Helping People, which they have once per month. They let you fill a large white kitchen bag for $15, so we both went. It’s such a great sale and isn’t just limited to clothes, but hard goods as well. I picked up several items for the treasure box for students I tutor, some kitchen gadgets, artificial flowers, body wash and clothing items. 
On Saturday I measured and packaged over fifty items for Bailey’s online shops. Between that and cleaning up outside, I was able to get over 10,000 steps in each day. 
On Tuesday I had errands to run and went to Bealls as I had a rewards member coupon for $5.00 and $2.50 off, so I bought a couple of Christmas presents. One of them was free after the coupons. 
I also went to the thrift store and noticed the prices were a little bit higher. I didn’t find anything we needed so left empty handed. I did go to the Dollar Tree and bought several Christmas presents. They have the best prices on calendars for 2026 if you are gifting any this year. 
The Great Cleanup
Last Friday I worked outside cleaning up more items around here. I took three trunkloads of stuff to the convenience center and threw into the dumpster. I also took three tires and put them in the tire trailer. I am so grateful to have a place to take these items and they don't charge me for disposing of them. Of course we do pay our share of property taxes to support this.  
Dad had a glass window in this shed, which fell and broke, so I used my grabber stick and picked up the glass and disposed of it. I also emptied out a garbage can, which was too heavy to lift, full of nails, other broken glass, old parts, and metal tin. To have this garbage can emptied after so long gave me an extremely satisfying feeling of accomplishment. 
On Monday the weather was cold at thirty-two degrees and it was snowing! The ground was warm, so it melted as soon as it hit the ground. I did take two five gallon buckets and some other trash to the convenience center and drop off though. Afterwards I headed indoors to work on laundry as it was too cold to work outside. 
Christmas

On Sunday I made a large casserole hot pad, which I will be gifting at Christmas time along with a Pyrex deep dish 9x13 casserole pan, some spices and Christmas pot holders. 
On Wednesday I finished my Christmas shopping for one side of the family. And I did have the other side done, but something came up and I ended up needing that present myself. So, I need to finish up that one present and then I’ll just have Bailey to finish. 
Freebies
I stopped in at the electric company on Monday and picked up two free calendars for 2026, one for me and one tor Bailey. 
Saving on Electric
Top Tens Ways to Extreme Save on Electricity ~ A video from Prepper Princess on some free and cheap ways to save money on electricity. 
Photo & Savings of the Week

Walmart had their Silk unsweetened almond milk on clearance this week for $1.25 down from $4.67. It's sell by date is not until late January 2026, so I'm not sure why it was marked down, but I bought two half gallons. 

Saving Money YouTube Videos
I multitasked and listened to a Prepper Princess video while I was processing clothes for Bailey the other day. This video is a fictional tale of what a day in her life would look like during the next Great Depression. At first the video seemed rather doomsday, but I listened and gleaned some useful information. Like that old saying, “take what you can and leave the rest” fit here. 
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 #2 November 2025

  

What’s for Dinner

Monday ~ Grilled Chicken, Garden Salads, Red Grapes & Clementines. 

Tuesday ~ BLTs made with Turkey Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomatoes. 

Wednesday & Thursday ~ Egg Roll in a Bowl, Baked Potatoes, Acorn Squash. 

I’ve been reading on several blogs recently about the even higher increase in the price of beef. One solution to that dilemma is to use ground turkey, but add beef bouillon and some Worcestershire sauce (thanks to Cheryl for the tip) to make it have more of a beef taste. This is what I did with this recipe using ground turkey for the meat at a significant savings. 

Friday ~ Loaded Baked Potatoes & Salad

This was such a busy day, so I made something quick and simple for dinner. 

Saturday & Sunday ~ Lentil Loaf, Green Beans with Onions & Potatoes, and Carrots. 

Using what we have, I took a package of previously cooked lentils out of the freezer to thaw to make lentil loaf. I had some diced red pepper in the fridge I wanted to use, so I did add some to the loaf. I used one of the cans of tomato sauce I bought this summer at a yard sale for 25 cents, but only needed four ounces, so I saved the rest for later. 

The green beans, carrots, and potatoes were all free from the Mennonites and PHP. Even if I had to buy those items, potatoes and carrots are some of the cheapest vegetables to purchase (carrots 97c lb., potatoes 45c lb.), so we save money by incorporating them into our meals regularly. Using today’s prices I can make this lentil loaf for under $3.00 and the whole meal was less than $4.00 for me to make. 

Lentil Loaf Ingredients: 1 cup lentils (31 cents) 2 cups water (free) 1 teaspoon salt 1 small onion, diced (33 cents) 1 cup quick oats (28 cents) ¾ cup grated cheese ($1.12) 1 egg, beaten (18 cents) 4 ounces tomato sauce (25 cents) 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon basil ½ teaspoon seasoned salt ¼ teaspoon black pepper Directions: Add salt to water and boil. Add lentils and simmer, cook 30 minutes until soft. Mash lentils. Add onions, oats, and cheese until mixed, Add eggs, tomato sauce and spices. Spoon into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes.

The lentil loaf makes eight servings and I eat one with dinner, so that leaves enough to repeat this meal on Sunday and have leftovers for lunches this week. 

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

First Frugal Friday of November 2025

 

Welcome to Frugal Friday
My Frugal Week
Last Friday we went to a Halloween Party at my niece's home where we played games and had such a great time. My niece made polo loco chicken for dinner and it was delicious. 
On Saturday Bailey and I went to Georgia to UGO and Kroger to get groceries. 
I filled up my car with gas at Mapco on Saturday paying $2.44 per gallon using their reward app, which saved me 15 cents per gallon. The second time I use it I’ll save 25 cents per gallon and the third time I’ll save 35 cents per gallon. Having been to Chattanooga twice this week, I needed to fill up my gas tank again on Wednesday, which saved me 25 cents per gallon paying $2.25 a gallon. 
On Monday and Tuesday I stopped in at the Samaritan Center in Ooltewah because I was going to Chattanooga both days anyway. They give away free medical equipment and I wanted a shower chair for the downstairs shower.
I don’t know that I’ve ever shared this,  but my Dad only had one leg due to an auto accident in 1973. He had a plastic lawn chair in the shower, so I replaced it this week with a real shower chair. It’s just a small way of honoring him. 
At the Samaritan Center I also picked up four wide mouth Ball canning jars for 60 cents each, and a folding laundry drying rack for $2.00. 
I also stopped in at the Dollar Tree and bought four 64 ounce jugs of cleaning vinegar for $1.50 each, and a container of twenty bleach tablets for $1.00, which is much lighter than a gallon of bleach. I’ve done the math and this is the best price I can find on vinegar. 
I also stopped in at Aldi and picked up four bags of onions ($1.65) and six bags of cranberries (99 cents each). 
I stopped in at the new Hunt’s thrift store in East Brainerd, but was unimpressed with their prices and didn’t buy anything. 
I had an appointment with the dermatologist on Monday. I’ve had a flare up of psoriasis in recent weeks, so he is starting me on a biological medication called Taltz, which means another trip (my third this week) to Chattanooga for blood work. 
The Great Cleanup
The weather was warm enough on Wednesday to work in another shed outside. I hauled off a trunkful of trash plus three contractor bags of other trash. There are four more five gallon buckets of liquid I’ll have to dispose of as well. I plan on going out there today too and disposing of some larger items such as a glass window and wooden pallet. 
Freebies
We received our free copy of Good Housekeeping this week. 
Saving on Electric

Sunday & Monday are days when we do laundry and you can tell from our kWH usage on those days. The other days our energy consumption is much lower with no air or heat running, which is another reason I love this time of year. 
Saving Money on Entertainment

Emmy Russell pays tribute to her Grandmother Loretta Lynn in this performance at the Grand Old Opry during Opry 100 Honors: Loretta Lynn. The song was written by Mark Marchetti and released in 2016. The lyrics reflect on the struggles of life and express a longing for peace that will only come after death.

What I've been Reading This Week on Thanksgiving Meal Deals
Surviving Financial Hardship is a Facebook page run by a lady who chooses to be self sufficient. She is really into the Aldi $40 Thanksgiving meal for ten and has already bought two of the meals. She’s planning on buying one of the meals each week until the sale is over on December 24, 2025. She has plans on making this food last her and her husband for at least four months. I don’t know how successful she will be, but I hope she succeeds. 
The Aldi $40 Thanksgiving meal plan has twenty-one items and includes:

Whole turkey (14 pounds)

Chicken broth

Condensed cream of mushroom soup 

Evaporated milk 

Hawaiian sweet rolls

Miniature marshmallows

Cut green beans (x2)

100% pure canned pumpkin

Shells and cheese (x2) 

Brown gravy mix (x3)

Poultry spices & herbs 

French fried onions 

Pie crust 

Chicken or cornbread stuffing (x2)

Whipped dairy topping 

Yellow onions (3 pounds) 

Baby peeled carrots

Celery 

Cranberries

Sweet potatoes (3 pounds)

Russet potatoes (10 pounds)

Walmart is offering their version of a Thanksgiving meal, which states it will feed ten people for under $4.00 each and comes at a cost of $39.92. 
Walmart’s Thanksgiving meal plan has fifteen items and includes:
Butterball Turkey, 13.5 lb. (97 cents a pound)
Kinder’s Fried Onions, 4.5 oz.
Campbells Cream of Mushroom Soup, 10.5 oz. (1 can)
Stove Top Turkey Stuffing, Twin Pack 2 x 6 oz. 
Great Value Dinner Rolls, 12 ct. 
Fresh Russet Potatoes, 5 lb.
Fresh Cranberries, 12 oz.
Great Value Baby Carrots, 2 lb.
Great Value Corn, 15 oz. (3 cans)
Great Value Green Beans, 14.5 oz. (3 cans)
Great Value Artisan Macaroni & Cheese, 12 oz. (3 boxes)
Great Value Brown Gravy Mix, 0.87 oz. (2)
Great Value Pie Crusts
Great Value Evaporated Milk, 12 fl. oz.
Great Value 100% Pure Pumpkin, 15 oz

And finally, Target is also offering a Thanksgiving deal this year for $20 for four people. 
Target’s Thanksgiving meal plan has seven items and includes: 

Good & Gather Premium Basted Young Turkey (Frozen, up to 10 lb.)(79 cents pound)
Good & Gather Russet Potatoes (5 lb. bag) 
Ocean Spray Jellied Cranberry Sauce (14 oz.) 
Stove Top Stuffing Mix (6 oz.) 
Heinz Home Style Roasted Turkey Gravy (12 oz.) 
Favorite Day Soft French Bread 
Good & Gather Frozen Corn
With all these meal plans you will still need to use some items from your own pantry like butter and spices. You’ll also want to use your calculator to find the best deal for your family if money is tight this year and that it’s important to you. I can remember the days when Mom & I could easily drop $100 on a holiday meal plan, but these days priorities are different and I won’t spend that for one holiday meal. 

What I like about the deal at Aldi is you can buy each item separately and Aldi has marked them down through the holiday season. I’ve not been able to find three pound bags of onions for $1.65 in a long time, so I stocked up on those 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.

Belinda 🫶 💕 Homemaker at Heart 💕 ~ Living within our Means ~My Linktree
~ She looketh well to the ways of her household ~Proverbs 31:27