Second Frugal Friday of March 2026 ~ Miserly March

 

Welcome to Frugal Friday
Each Friday here at Frugal Workshop, I love sharing the frugal wins, quiet savings, and simple strategies that helped us stretch our budget over the past seven days. It’s a gentle look back at the small things that make a big difference. 
My Frugal Week
Last Friday was another busy day here. I had another follow-up with my surgeon, went to two yard sales, stopped at Publix, Walmart, Sam’s Club, Staples, and the UPS store. 
At the yard sales I picked up twenty-two wash clothes for 25 cents each. The ones we have are becoming thin, so we have them on our yard sale list to buy this year. I also picked up a 100% wool jacket for $1.00, flannel blanket, leather money holder, an Instant Pot for $2.00, and one pair of cordless ear buds, which Bailey has already claimed. LOL

This week I watched a TikTok video where a lady used a pumice stone to clean a baked on spot in her oven.  I picked one up a Walmart for $1.98 this week and used it on my stovetop to clean a couple of rusty spots on the stainless steel. It worked so well, and much better than any of the cleaners I've tried before. I'll definitely add this to my frugal cleaning arsenal.
On Sunday we went to Kroger for our main monthly grocery haul. Kroger sent both of us coupons this month, so we picked up one carton of eggs and one box of microwave popcorn both for free, and saved $5.50 in additional coupons for items we normally purchase. We also used the $20 gift card I earned from a survey this month.
I'm feeling much better these days and was able to do laundry by myself on Monday. There are still some things I'm not doing such as lifting more than 10 pounds, until I get my surgeon's clearance, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. 
I had some paperwork for the church that needed to be notarized, so I did some checking around and found one in the county courthouse here that will do this for free. I was going to pay $16 for this service, but free is better. Afterwards I visited with a neighbor for a few minutes before heading home for the day. 
We had more errands to run on Thursday and stopped in at McKay’s Used Books. We traded books for store credit and both picked up a couple of new to us books. 
I actually found a copy of Dr. Nowzaradan’s, of My 600 Pound Life fame, book! I’ve always wanted a copy and even have it on my wishlist at Amazon, so I was tickled to find a copy there for only $3.00. 
I love reading weight loss, recovery, success stories, etc about healthy living and weight loss and you’ll see a lot of those types of books in what I read. Immersing myself in this topic helps keep me and my own weight loss journey on track.  Blog News

In exciting news this week, Frugal Workshop has been selected by the panelists at FeedSpot as one of the top 90 frugal blogs on the internet this year. If you’re looking for more frugal content to read I’d suggest checking out this comprehensive list.

Saving Money in my Frugal Kitchen
On Saturday I made orange chicken using a rotisserie chicken I picked up from Sam’s Club. The sauce is made from one cup of orange marmalade, half a cup of bbq sauce, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, and two teaspoons of toasted sesame oil. I pulled the chicken off the bones, poured the sauce over, and heated through. We really liked it and will make this again. 
I tried a new recipe for walking taco casserole on Monday and wanted to share it with you. I substituted cottage cheese for the sour cream as a healthy alternative. Lettuce and tomatoes would have been good on top, but I was out of both of those items. 

DIY Goo Gone

This Old Baker has a recipe for homemade Goo Gone in their newsletter this week. I’ve always liked Goo Gone and keep it on hand, but I’m going to try this homemade version. 

Goo Gone

Ingredients:

1 cup coconut oil, solid or melted. 

1 cup baking soda

Directions:

Mix together in a small bowl until it forms a paste.

Store in a sealed jar (a half-pint mason works perfectly).

To use, scoop with a cloth and rub onto sticky residue. 

Let sit for 1 to 2 minutes, then wipe clean.

Walking Taco Casserole
Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef1 onion, diced10 ounce can tomatoes and green chilies
1 can chili beans16 ounce can refried beans1 cup shredded cheddar cheese1 cup sour cream 2 cups tortilla chips, crushed
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Spray baking dish to prevent sticking.Cook ground beef and onions until browned and drain.Stir in taco seasoning and cook according to the packet instructions. Add a can of diced tomatoes and green chilies to the skillet. Mix well to combine.Spread 1 can refried beans in an even layer at the bottom of the baking dish. Layer the seasoned beef mixture over the refried beans.Add cheese on top of beef then top with sour cream, spreading it evenly.Generously sprinkle 2 cups of crushed tortilla chips over the sour cream. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
What’s for Dinner

Monday & Tuesday ~ Walking Taco Casserole, Corn. 

Wednesday & Thursday ~ Sub in a Tub 

Friday ~ Chicken Meatballs, Sweet Potatoes, Grape Tomatoes. 

Saturday & Sunday ~ Orange Rotisserie Chicken, Mixed Vegetables, Grape Tomatoes. On Sunday I served a salad with the Orange Chicken. 

Freebies
Free eggs and microwave popcorn thanks to Kroger. 
Savings of the Week
Last week I mentioned that cheese was on sale. When I went to Sam’s Club this week I noticed they have their 32 ounce blocks of cheddar cheese marked down to $4.96, so I bought two of those and put them in the freezer. That is a fantastic stock up price!
The Reading Nook ~ Things That Caught My Attention This Week ~
From the Consumer Affairs website, "If the U.S. is one of the world’s largest oil producers, why are gas prices surging?". Gas is up to $3.19 a gallon around here, which is an increase of about 75 cents per gallon. It definitely cost me more to fill up this week. I hope the price will come back down sooner rather than later. 
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