First Frugal Friday of August 2026

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 Bailey and I went to a church yard sale and I ended up buying a NordicTrack GX 7.0 Recumbent Bike and a Schwinn 431 Ergonomic Elliptical machine.  Both pieces have now been set up in our home gym downstairs. I go down there each morning and use them along with the walking track and get my exercise in for the day. 
On Saturday it was raining, so rather than yard sale, we went to the anniversary sale of a thrift store where they were having a “fill a bag with clothes for $1.00” sale. 
OMG! The timing was perfect as I’ve realized I needed to switch to a medium (size 10) in pants as the large (size 12) I’ve been wearing are getting too big. I also picked up several shirts in small and medium sizes. I ended up with thirty-five pieces, which fit into five bags and I paid $5 for the lot or right at 15 cents each! Score! 
The thrift store even had free food for customers. We had popcorn, lemonade, bottled water, and brownies. They also had cookies and cupcakes for those who wanted them. 
One thing I noticed this week when I was putting vegetable peelings in the compost pile was how many butterflies there were. I hadn’t realized they would be attracted to the compost, but they sure have been. 
On Monday I had an appointment in Chattanooga for a mammogram. Taking advantage of that, I combined it with other errands to save on fuel costs. I went to Gordon’s for black olives, Sam’s Club for gas and toilet paper, Dollar Tree for vinegar, and Ollie’s for spices. 
Thursday Bailey and I went out to vote. 
The library called me on Wednesday evening because I won the grand prize drawing for the summer reading program! I picked my prize up on Friday which included a reusable shopping bag, button, blanket, stickers, squishy toy, dinosaur statue, stuffed dinosaur, magnet, all in the dinosaur theme, which was the theme of the summer reading program. 
Earning Money 
This week I tutored on Tuesday & Thursday, but my students start school on Friday, so tutoring will be scheduled around their time spent at school. 
Avoiding Spending 
Payday fell this week, so it was hard to avoid spending money as I paid all the bills. 
Saving Money on Entertainment
This week I watched the film, Still Mine on Amazon Prime. The film is based on a true story where a farmer fights back when local authorities in rural New Brunswick hamper his efforts to build a cottage for his dementia-stricken wife. It was very good. 
My Reading Nook ~ What I've been Reading This Week
 This week I finished reading Gary Harper’s book titled, A Man of Rubber: A True Story of Love, Adventure & The Fine Art of Staying Flexible, which was this month’s selection for book club at the library. We had a good time discussing the book and are going to be reading The Book Club for Troublesome Women, written by Marie Bostwick, for our September book club. 
After book club I started reading Granny’s Healing Ways, found here on Goodreads. This book is a return to the knowledge that once lived in every mountain home. The remedies reflect the resourcefulness of mountain folk who used whatever was at hand. 

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

Menu Plan Monday ~ Saving Money in my Frugal Kitchen ~ First Week August 2026

Welcome to Frugal Workshop where every Monday I share the simple strategies used to save money in my kitchen over the past week, along with the meals that made it to our dinner table. You'll find practical tips on how we saved money on food hopefully to inspire your own meal planning using the foods you have in your own pantry.

My Frugal Week

This week I used up multiple cans from my pantry since I've not done any grocery shopping lately. We've been in use it up mode, but we will be going grocery shopping one day this week. 

Recipe of the Week

This is a recipe from Hannah Cooks Healthy-ish on her Facebook reels. I used a package of ground turkey to make it more healthy and one serving had forty-one grams of protein, which is good. We both really liked it and I’ll definitely make it again. 

Philly Cheesesteak Casserole

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground turkey, chicken or beef 1 large white onion, diced 2-3 bell peppers, diced 4 oz low-fat cream cheese 1/2 cup non-fat, plain Greek yogurt 6 slices of provolone cheese 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp onion powder 1/2 tsp chili powder Salt & pepper, to taste Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Brown ground turkey, beef, or ground chicken.

Add in onions and peppers and cook until fork tender.

Add in spices and seasonings, stir.

Reduce heat to low/medium.

Cube your cream cheese and add it in to the meat mixture.

Stir and let it melt and fully incorporate.

Remove from heat and add in Greek yogurt and stir.

Transfer to a 9x13 casserole dish if not using an oven safe skillet.

Cover with provolone slices and bake for 10 minutes.

Broil for 2-3 minutes to crisp up the cheese.

What’s for Dinner

Monday ~ Grilled Chicken, Cucumber Salad, Bean Salad, Roasted Beets. 

Tuesday ~ Homemade Pizza

Wednesday& Thursday ~ Stuffed Bell Peppers, Cucumber Salad, and Bean Salad. 

We picked up so any colored bell peppers on Saturday that I wanted to use them in al our meals this week and this night was no exception.

Friday & Saturday ~  Almost Spaghetti, Steamed Broccoli. 

I love this recipe because it is low carb, which is important to me to keep my blood sugar under control. Since losing weight, these days my blood sugar will go high and then crash to very low levels if I eat things like pasta, flour, or bread products. So, food like bean sprouts or spaghetti squash are a good replacements for the pasta and don't cause my blood sugar to crash. 

Sunday ~ Philly Cheesesteak Casserole, Steamed Broccoli, and Pickled Beets. 

Another delicious low-carb recipe to add to our menu rotation. 

What’s been on the menu in your home this past week?

Belinda

Homemaker at Heart

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

Image Credit

Final Frugal Friday of July 2026

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
This was a quiet week here mostly spent at home except for Tuesday when I had a tutoring session and spent the evening at the theater. 
I made myself a walking track in Dad's workshop downstairs. I spent an hour and forty-five minutes walking on Wednesday morning and had my 10,000 steps in before 10:30 in the morning. It will be a great place to walk when it’s too hot, too cold, or rainy to walk outside. He has other exercise equipment down there, so this makes a good addition. 
Other Frugal Things
- Ate all meals at home using what’s here ~ no grocery shopping.- I cut my own hair this week & even got a compliment on it.
Cleaning
- I took all of our Skinny Syrups off the risers in our kitchen and washed each bottle, the risers, and the counter top underneath. 
Yard Sale Saturday
I wasn’t going to yard sale last weekend, but when Bailey woke up she wanted to go and asked me to come along. I came back with a free stool, free notebook, and five sets of divider tabs for the notebook for only 25 cents. Tomorrow we are going to a thrift store going out of business sale where clothes will be selling for "all you can fit in a Walmart bag" for $1.00. 
Saving Money on Entertainment
Bailey & I went to see Toy Store 5 in the theater on $6 Tuesday and picked up our two free bags of popcorn. The writing was as good as all the other Toy Story films and kept with the original storyline. We will definitely watch it again someday.
My Reading Nook ~ What I've been Reading This Week
Bailey and I went by the library to have our summer reading form stamped and picked up a plant for reading fifteen books this summer. We turned in our forms to be entered into the drawing since today was the last 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

Menu Plan Monday ~ Saving Money in my Frugal Kitchen ~ Fourth & Final Week of July 2026

Welcome to Frugal Workshop where every Monday I share the simple strategies used to save money in my kitchen over the past week, along with the meals that made it to our dinner table. You'll find practical tips on how we saved money on food hopefully to inspire your own meal planning using the foods you have in your own pantry.

My Frugal Week

Last Monday I peeled and chopped one of the white cucumbers from the Mennonites and stored in a wide mouth mason jar to add to salads and cottage cheese throughout the week. 

Having produce cut up and ready to go ensures we use it up, which ensures less food waste. Also, storing fresh fruits and vegetables in mason jars helps them last longer than plastic storage containers.  

We are definitely getting in our fruits and vegetables in each day. Last Monday I had blueberries, watermelon, apple, orange, carrots, brussel sprouts and a vegetable based soup at lunchtime. 

On Saturday evening Bailey and I went to People Helping People and picked up free vegetables including yellow squash, tomatoes, assorted colored bell peppers, and cucumbers. We also picked up several melons earlier in the day. 

On Sunday I chopped up the red onions and bell peppers and stored them in glass jars to be used in meals this week. I cut up the cantaloupes and one watermelon and disposed of all the garden waste in the compost pile. 

Afterwards I made cucumber tomato salad and a bean salad to have with meals this week. It was so easy to make those with all the vegetables already prepped. 

What’s for Dinner

Monday ~ Grilled Chicken, Bean Salad, and Baby Carrots. 

Tuesday ~ Chicken Breast Filets, And Watermelon. 

Wednesday ~ Blackened Chicken, Bean Salad, and Steamed Broccoli. 

Thursday ~ Beefy Baked Beans, and Steamed Broccoli. 

Friday ~ Fajita Grilled Chicken, and Steamed Broccoli. 

Saturday ~ Beefy Baked Beans, Carrots, and Broccoli. 

Sunday ~ Adobo Chicken Thighs, Cucumber Tomato Salad, and Bean Salad. 

What’s been on the menu in your home this past week? 

Belinda

Homemaker at Heart

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

Image Credit

Forth Frugal Friday of July 2026

 

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 I went downstairs and using the ladder replaced two lightbulbs in the bathroom ceiling and also replaced the toilet seat with a new, still in the shrink wrap, one I found second hand for $1.00. It was missing the hardware though, so I replaced that with a new set from Lowe's for $5.00. 
Afterwards I went over to my neighbor's yard and filled up a five gallon bucket with rocks from his rock pile and brought them over to our driveway to fill in a pothole. I had his permission to do that as he clear cut his land last summer and washed our driveway out in a couple spots. 
Afterwards I used the weed eater around the yard until the cordless battery died and then I went inside to work as the temperature outdoor was rising quickly. 
I dropped off some clothing donations to People Helping People, picked up some free tomatoes, and dropped off some donations to our local church blessing box.
On Monday I processed, measured, and packaged 83 items for Bailey's shops, and I did my laundry along with all the towels and kitchen laundry. It was a very busy day. 
On Tuesday and Wednesday I woke up early and worked in the yard before it got too hot. I used the weed eater in several areas, cut down some tiny trees that were sprouting,  and sprinkled some tick and ant granules in areas that I've seen a lot of tick and ant activity. 
Afterwards on Tuesday I was off to my retina specialist for eye injections and then off to the library for tutoring.  
Wednesday and Thursday were spent at home reading along with tutoring on Thursday afternoon. 
Other Things We Did to Save Money This Week...
- All errands were combined to save money on gas.- all meals eaten at home- Receipts were entered into Fetch and NPC to earn points. - Did Microsoft Rewards each day for points. 
Yard Sale Saturday & Freebies
Last Saturday was the annual giveaway at one of the high schools here. People drop off donations on Thursday and Friday and then people can shop on Saturday and everything is free. I feel like we made out like bandits last year and have looked forward to this event all summer long. 
People were lined up really far to get into the event, which allowed me to get over 1,000 steps in just to get at the back of the line. The majority of people line up for the free backpacks with school supplies and free haircuts, while others start in on the clothes. Me? I start in the hard goods section because I can get clothes inexpensively regularly and am afraid of falling in such a crowd, so I steer clear of that section until it’s less crowded. 
This year I found multiple storage bins for both the refrigerator and drawers, several plastic bins for storage, shower curtain hooks (which was on my yard sale list), several books, a snowball fight game, a magnetic pen holder for the refrigerator, several items for the treasure box, two dish clothes, pastel wooden easter eggs, eye glass case, along with various other items. 
It was fun for me to get all of those things for free, but it was very crowded this year, more so than last year. 
Money Saving YouTube Videos
Prepper Princess discusses, "25 things Everyone Else Buys, But I Don't!" 
Saving Money on Entertainment
We finished watching all four Toy Story films in order to see Toy Story 5 in theaters on $5 Tuesday next week. 
My Reading Nook ~ What I've been Reading This Week
I’m currently reading a book by Dr. Kathrine Ubell, titled, How to Lose Weight for the Last Time. She also has a podcast on the subject if you’re interested.  
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