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

Happy Thanksgiving

 

As Thanksgiving arrives, I find myself reflecting on the people who add meaning, encouragement, and connection to my life, and that includes you. Whether you’ve been reading my posts for years or you’ve just recently found your way here, I’m truly grateful for your presence.

Our area of blogging has grown into a space where we share ideas, stories, challenges, and victories. Your comments, your messages, and even your silent visits mean more to me than you may realize. You remind me that none of us are navigating life alone but rather learning and growing together.

Thanksgiving is all about taking a moment to appreciate what we often rush past, and today I want to pause and say thank you. Thank you for showing up. Thank you for reading. Thank you for supporting my work and allowing me to share a piece of my life with you.

I hope this season brings you warmth, rest, good food, and the company of people who make your heart feel full. No matter how you celebrate, or even if you don’t celebrate,  please know that I’m grateful for you.

Happy Thanksgiving, friends. 

Now  I will leave you with this funny meme. 😂 

Belinda

Homemaker at Heart

~ Living within our Means ~My Linktree~ She looketh well to the ways of her household ~Proverbs 31:27

Did Boomers Rig the System?

In this YouTube video Ramit Sethi poses the question, "why is it that Boomers were able to buy houses on a single income, but for young people, even saving for a down payment feels impossible?”

He says that Boomers built wealth in a system that no longer exists and claims that the worst part is, after they benefited from it, they changed the rules to make sure that other people couldn't do the same thing. 

Ramit says as soon as they bought houses, they rigged local city councils and local governments to make it literally impossible to build more houses, which limited supply. And we know that limited supply plus higher demand equals higher prices.

I’ve often thought for years there weren’t enough affordable starter homes for people with limited income. I don’t think Boomers rigged the system though as I know plenty of that generation who were not wealthy. I did find the video interesting to watch though and thought you might enjoy it too.

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 #4 November 2025

My Frugal Week

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

We had clementines that were sour and I noticed we were not eating them. So, rather than let them go to waste, I decided to dehydrate them in my air fryer. I also dehydrated some lemons and apples from the crisper drawer. I’ll be making some simmering potpourri with these items to give as Christmas gifts. 

There were also some plums on the counter not being eaten, so I made a concentrated effort to eat one with my breakfast each morning in order to use them. 

I had some yogurt, bought on markdown, that was expiring, so I put that into the freezer downstairs along with several bags of cranberries. That way I’ll have cranberries to use all year long. 

I didn’t buy a turkey this year since I have one in the downstairs freezer. I’ve already placed it in the refrigerator to be thawing for the holiday on Thursday. If you're interested, here is a link to my traditional Thanksgiving meal plan. I won't be making everything on the list this year, but keeping it simple instead. 

I spent some time straightening up my kitchen cabinets, putting like items together. I usually organize things as I put groceries away, but items still get misplaced from time to time and need to be tidied up again. While I was reorganizing, I noticed several ingredients that sparked ideas for a few meals I could make using what I already have.

It reminded me of a tuna noodle casserole my friend’s mom used to make when I was a teenager. I made it often back then, and today I realized I have everything I need to make it and can use either tuna or chicken, since I have both in my pantry. That gives us another easy, budget friendly meal using what’s already on hand.

Bailey picked up this Zojirushi rice cooker at the last People Helping People bag sale, and tried it out on Sunday. It's an expensive rice cooker ($167.96 on Amazon) and makes restaurant quality rice. It has multiple features, such as singing a melody when it is done cooking, and we can even make whole meals inside of it.  At $15 for the bag sale (13 gallon kitchen trash bag full of this and other stuff), this was a great deal.  

What’s for Dinner

Monday ~ Honey Baked Ham with 15 Bean Soup, Southern Spoon Bread. 

This was leftover from the weekend, so we were able to squeeze one more meal out of it along with a couple of lunches. 

Tuesday ~ Chicken Filets, Roasted Potatoes, and Steamed Broccoli. 

Wednesday & Thursday ~ Egg Roll in a Bowl, Green Beans with Onions, Baked Sweet Potato. 

I made this dish using some of the Italian turkey sausage I bought for 79 cents at UGO last weekend. I also used up a small head of cabbage, a bag of coleslaw mix, onions, and red and yellow peppers from the Mennonites. I doctored it up with fried rice seasoning, fresh garlic and ginger, soy sauce, and toasted sesame oil. 

Friday ~ Homemade Chicken Nuggets, Green Beans with Onions.

Bailey had book club this night, so we didn’t eat dinner together like we normally do each night. Green Beans & Onions were the ones left from Thursday’s dinner that I didn’t want to go to waste. I served the chicken with honey mustard sauce. 

Saturday & Sunday ~ Bean & Cheese Enchiladas,  Corn, and Salad. 

This dish is a tried and true family favorite. I really like green enchilada sauce and had a can in my pantry, so I decided to use it up and make this for our weekend dinners. I served it with corn, and salad with tomatoes for the sides. It is a real money saver being meatless and we still get plenty of protein from the beans, cheese, and cottage cheese, which I substituted for the sour cream. 

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

Third Frugal Friday of November 2025

 

Welcome to Frugal Friday
Quote of the Week

Freedom comes from owing nothing. 

My Frugal Week
On Saturday I measured and packaged fifty-three items for Bailey's online shops. 
On Sunday I woke up early and cleaned up in the kitchen putting things away, wiping down the cabinets, cleaned up the cat food area and washed out their food and water bowls, took the garbage out. It's so much easier to go in there and cook when the kitchen is all neat and tidy. 
Sunday was a liquids only day for me as I was scheduled for outpatient surgery to remove a hernia on Monday. There were no complications and I was back home by one o’clock Monday afternoon. Since then I’ve stayed home, not spending any money, and recuperated. 

A tip I learned from Grandma Donna’s website this week is if the headboard on your bed is next to an outside wall, add a quilt to the back of your headboard to make it warmer. I’ll definitely be doing this as it gets colder. 

Saving Money on Christmas
One thing that I do to save money at Christmas time is to look for bargains and second hand finds all year long. For example, last winter I found some brand new electric blankets on markdown, so I bought two of them to give as Christmas presents this year. 

I found a beautiful Proverbs 31 mug with a lid at a yard sale this summer. It’s the perfect hostess gift for a family member. 

I once read before about a family with a modest income that spent hundreds of dollars on Christmas gifts. Not long after they struggled financially because they did not expect car repair bills or an extra high heating bill. They got into trouble because they lived above their standard of living. 

Setting limits on gifts will help keep funds available for our needs and those unplanned expenses that come up in life. 

Buy Nothing Day
Buy Nothing Day is a day of protest against consumerism, and is held the day after the U.S.A. Thanksgiving holiday, concurrent with Black Friday. This year it will be held on Friday, November 28, 2025. 
Question of the Week
Are you ok with someone buying you a used Christmas gift?
My answer to this is, yes.  I have no problem with getting a present that was bought second hand, especially if it is something I wanted. I buy second hand items for myself regularly. And I’ve always let Bailey know I am ok with this too, so no pressure on her to spend more money getting something new. 
Freebies
The growing season is winding down here as evidenced by the small amount of produce from the Mennonites available from People Helping People on Saturday evening. Still we came home with tomatoes and peppers for which I am extremely grateful. 
The Great Cleanup
On Saturday I went downstairs and worked in the cabinet that is filled with stuff from our move here from Illinois in 1986. I cleaned one row of boxes of mostly mail and knife publications. They filled up my trunk, so I took them to the convenience center and dropped them in the dumpster. 
Saving on Electric
Our electric bill went from $229.17 last month to $160.53 this month in our all electric home, which is a savings of $68.64. I love it when we’re able to turn the air conditioner off at this time of year for this reason. 
Saving Money YouTube Videos 

An interesting YouTube video portraying the 1960s housewives who quietly saved $1.00 bills and created groups to share, trade, and barter to help with finances.  These were women who could make one dollar do the work of two dollars. 
Stretching budgets, turning leftovers into new meals, sewing clothes from patterns, and making their own cleaning solutions. What she practiced with her careful calculations, was a form of fiscal discipline that no business school taught, born out of necessity.
What I've been Reading This Week
 The Not Buying Anything blog has a blog post this week on Resisting the Holiday Hype.  It is a selection of holiday posts, which focus on anti-consumerism, waste reduction, and low cost or free alternatives to the holiday.
One of the things he mentions is that 80% of humanity lives on less than $10 dollars a day. That made me do the math and figure out how much I have to live on each day.
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