Frugal Workshop

Menu Plan Monday ~ Saving Money in My Frugal Kitchen ~ Second Week of June 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Belinda) — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 11:46:04 +0000

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

Sine I wasn't feeling up to going last Saturday, I went to People Helping People on Monday to pick up free vegetables and came home with beets, Swiss chard, zucchini, yellow patty pan squash, English cucumbers, pickling cucumbers, and yellow squash.

On Saturday I returned to People Helping People to get more fresh vegetables. I came home with cucumbers, beets, squash, three types of cucumbers, broccoli, salad greens, and carrots.

The vegetables have been such a blessing ensuring that we have fresh produce almost everyday with dinner.

What’s for Dinner

Monday ~ Leftovers, Cucumber Tomato Salad, and Swiss Chard.

I had leftovers of two salmon patties and BBQ chicken from the weekend, so I used both of those for dinner to avoid any food waste. I had been to People Helping People to get free vegetables from the Mennonites that morning and picked up some fresh Swiss chard, so I made that for dinner along with a cucumber tomato salad.

Tuesday ~ Spicy Chicken Sandwiches for Bailey’s movie night, I had non-spicy chicken and cucumber salad.

Wednesday ~ Chicken Tacos

Thursday ~ Charcuterie Board

Friday ~ Grilled Chicken Wraps

Saturday ~ Cheeseburgers

Sunday ~ Grilled Chicken Salas and Baked Potatoes

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

Did you build up or organize your pantry this week?

How are you managing food prices?

We would love to hear all about it in the comment section.

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

First Frugal Friday of June 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Belinda) — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 08:28:40 +0000

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
Bailey had a sweater she wanted to sell, but it was missing four buttons on the left shoulder. No worries though, she had four buttons to replace them, so I sewed those on for her and now the item is listed for sale.
On Tuesday I dropped my car off to get new tires and they found the rack and pinion steering system was leaking and damaged, so I pulled money from savings to pay for that. They let me use one of their courtesy cars, a Ford Eccosport, in the interim. It was fun to drive a different car for two days.
I stopped in at Great Clips for a haircut, now priced at $22 (yikes!). She charged me for a senior haircut, which is for people 65 and older and cost only $13.99. I’m not even 60 yet, but will gladly take a senior discount. My silver hair may have helped. lol I made sure to tip her generously.
Later that evening we went to Kroger and UGO in NW Georgia for our monthly run to stock up on groceries.
On Thursday I gathered all my receipts from the day before and reconciled my checking account and paid all the bills for the month.
Price of Gas
Gas has been fluctuating here this week and was $3.99 at one point. I used my fuel rewards from Food City and filled up there on Wednesday for $3.60 a gallon. I did see it cheaper than that as we were driving around in Chattanooga and NW Georgia this week.
$201.68 is the amount I spent on gas for my car in May 2026. Ouch. I've not spent that much in gas in one month before, but we do live rurally and have to drive a ways to get anywhere. So, when the price of gas goes up we spend more than usual like everyone else.
And this was with me curtailing my driving and not going to yard sales every weekend. Normally I do all the driving at yard sales, but Bailey drove her car once or twice in May and I still spent this much.
Even when I was subbing and driving everyday I would only spend around $150 per month. So, I’ve really felt the pinch in my budget this month due to the increase in the price of gas.
Yard Sale Saturday
We did go to a few yard sales last Saturday even though the overnight rain had some people not set up their yard sales. There was at least one church yard sale indoors we wanted to attend. I came home with a Winnie-the-Pooh hoodie, a produce container for the fridge, and some reusable bags.
Freebies

I picked up five free cookbooks from the Little Free Library located at People Helping People on Monday.
Health Updates
My doctor's office called about my osteoporosis results and wanted me to do the infusions, but I said no, as I did one in 2024 and it was too hard on me. So, she suggested Prolia, which is supposed to help strengthen and protect your bones from fractures, but the side effects look rough. Have you ever used this drug?
Savings of the Week
UGO had Great Value Greek yogurt for $2.00 a quart, which Walmart sells for $3.28, so a savings of $1.28, so I bought three of them to last the month. It’s been rare for me to find Great Value products at UGO, so this was a nice surprise.
Saving Money on Entertainment
Bailey and I had a game night on Thursday and played several of our favorite game boards.
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 of June 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Belinda) — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 06:12:11 +0000

Use It Up Item Of The Week

I made chili this past week, so I was able to use up two cans of tomatoes and two cans of beans from my pantry.

What’s for Dinner

Monday ~ Leftovers

We have a choice of Beefy Baked Beans or Egg Roll in a Bowl from the weekend, so we will use those up, get a "free" dinner out of them and not waste any food. This was served this with roasted sweet potatoes and steamed broccoli.

Tuesday ~ Movie Night for Bailey who had a spicy chickens sandwich while I had macaroni and cheese.

Wednesday & Friday ~ Homemade Chili

Using another pound of ground turkey (79 cents/pound) from the freezer, I made chili for dinner. I grated up three onions, garlic, and a zucchini, so it had a lot of vegetables and fiber in it, making it a healthy option. The zucchini made it taste sweet, which we really liked.

Thursday ~ Spicy Chicken Sandwiches

It was a long day with a trip to Chattanooga and the aquarium and then coming home to the neighbors working on the tree, so I jumped into help with what I could do too. So dinner was easy with spicy chicken sandwiches for Bailey and just regular chicken for me.

Saturday ~ BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

My blood sugar was all over the place this day, so I made an easy dinner and didn't go get free vegetables because I was unsteady. I'll go on Monday when they're open again.

Sunday ~ Salmon Patties, Caramelized Sweet Potatoes, and Steamed Broccoli.

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

Did you build up or organize your pantry this week?

How are you managing food prices?

We would love to hear all about it in the comment section.

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

Fifth & Final Frugal Friday of May 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Belinda) — Fri, 29 May 2026 13:24:57 +0000

This is me in my hot pink compression socks helping to clear up the brush, so Bailey could get to book club on time.
Than, the very next day, Saturday, another tree fell further down the driveway! We warned the people coming on Sunday to be careful.

On Thursday another neighbor and friends came to cut the tree down and move it out of the driveway.

Last Sunday we had a relator come and look at the house, Spectrum came and installed fiber internet, and I was expecting my neighbor to come and help with the tree, but then it started to rain again, so that had to wait. Instead I measured and packaged over fifty items for Bailey's online shops.

The realtor made us an offer on the house, which I immediately turned down as it was well below our agreed upon initial offer. My brother and sister were disappointed and tried negotiating with him, but they are also in agreement with me over the realtor’s low ball offer.

One day I was walking in the yard picking up fallen tree branches and throwing them into the woods when I picked up one and this snake was hiding under it. This is a small, harmless gray snake, but I won't be doing this again until the cold winter weather comes again because we have poisonous snakes here too.
I was able to get a big majority of the yard weed eating this week. I also moved the picnic table to a better spot in the jar. I took all my canning jars from upstairs and put them in the cabinet downstairs. I think in the future I will fill some of them with water to store downstairs.
With rain on both yard sales days last weekend we decided to stay home. Being a holiday weekend also has an impact on the number of sales we've noticed over the years.
Other frugal things this week include...
- Received a check from Adsense for $119.56 for four months of blog revenue- I made a deal with my garbage man to barter some of Dad's machinery in exchange for garbage service, lawn mowing, and repairing some things around here.- I made my own hummingbird nectar using 1 cup water to 1/4 cup of sugar.
The Great Cleanup
Last Friday before the garbage men came, I went downstairs and filled a contractor bag with trash for them to haul off with our household garbage. If someone asks me how I got rid of my Dad's hoard, I can tell them "one bag at a time". LOL
Freebies
- Free vegetables on Saturday from PHO & Mennonites- Ten pound bag of King Arthur bread flower from my friend
Saving on Electric
I’ve been running my bedroom air conditioner on the eco setting to save on electric when I do have it turned on.
Photo of the Week
With the higher costs these days I find myself having to make changes, learn new skills, think of things in a different way, and sometimes learn to make do because of the cost of items these days.

This week I began saving the cans from when I open a can from our pantry. I used to do this and can’t recall why I quit doing this, but the scrap yard will pay me for the metal. And since we are recycling the metal downstairs I might as well add this into the mix. Throwing these away would be like throwing money away.
Savings of the Week
On Tuesday I had some errands to run in town and went to a new thrift store that opened recently. I feel like I hit the motherload as the "pantry" items were 50% off.
They had Swanson's wonton broth priced at $1.50, so 75 cents for those and I bought ten of them.

Then they had cans of pasta sauce priced at 25 cents each or four for $1.00, or twelve for $2.00, so after the 50% off, so I bought 24 cans for $2.00. I love finding new sources of inexpensive food for our pantry.

I bought these boots in my size there for $5.00. They were marked $20, but everything was 50% off, but when I went to pay them for them she said she was only going to charge me $5.00, which was great!
Saving Money YouTube Videos
Roll Into Retirement is the YouTube channel of a middle class Gen X husband and dad over 55 waiting on his wife to retire. His mother is a 92-year-old grandma named Joan who shares frugal tips and budget meal preps. I've watched several of her videos and it is hard to believe she is 92. I hope to get around that well when I am lucky enough to make it 92.
She lives on social security in a small house in her son's backyard. Her story is sad as she used to live in an upscale retirement home, but was evicted when she was 80 because her other son, who was an investment counselor, invested all her resources and lost everything. She didn't find out until after he died that everything was gone.
Saving Money on Entertainment

On Thursday we went to the Tennessee aquarium in Chattanooga to use the free tickets I won a few months ago. Here is a picture of Bailey and the alligators and her with the penguins.

We had the best time! I think my favorite spot was the butterfly garden and I even had a big butterfly land on me there. It was so neat.
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 May 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Belinda) — Mon, 25 May 2026 09:55:03 +0000

Today is Memorial Day, when we pause and honor the brave men and women who gave their lives while serving our country. We remember those who never made it home, and we hold close the families who continue to carry that loss every day. The freedoms we enjoy today were made possible through their sacrifice, and on this day, we gratefully remember those who gave everything for our nation.

My Frugal Week

Monday I was walking through the yard in Dad's old garden spot and and found two strawberries and about a cupful of sugar snap peas. I washed them and served them with our dinner that night.

On Friday I boiled two and a half dozen eggs to have in the fridge for lunches, snacks, and deviled eggs.

I peeled and sectioned the last five oranges in the refrigerator and put them back in a container for eating as well. Remember I bought five bags at the beginning of the month? They've been great to have on hand to eat this month.

I took inventory of the meat I have in the freezer and made notes about meals for the upcoming week.

I've been reading online about how expensive it is to eat out these days and read a comment from someone who bought three burgers, one fry, and a drink from Five Guys and spent $46.75 on the meal. Yikes!

And I've been reading articles like this one about groceries just had the biggest hike in years, rising 2.9% in April. Bad growing weather, tariffs, and rising fuel prices have all contributed to the huge changes.

One thing we can do to combat the high grocery prices is to eat healthy foods that are less expensive than others such as eggs and cottage cheese to make meals. Quiche, with no crust for those who are low carb, is a good meal and can be made inexpensively.

Pictured above is a photo of the vegetables I picked up for free on Saturday night.

Choices included:

Greens

Lettuce

Beets, red and golden

Zucchini

Cauliflower

Broccoli

Squash

Cucumbers

This is such a great resource and really helps lower my grocery budget through the week.

Recipe of the Week

I was reading the other day about Julia Child's Magic Quiche ratio. You can read about it here or do a Google search.

Magic Quiche Equation

Crack 3 eggs into a measuring cup.

Add enough milk to reach 1 ½ cups of liquid total.

(eggs vary in size, so adjust as needed).

Add whatever fillings you like such as cheese, veggies, ham, or whatever else you have on hand.

I've been wanting a hamburger lately, so I stopped at Food City while I was out running errands the other day and found this package on markdown:

The package was just over one pound for $5.77, which is so much cheaper than eating out and why we refrain from eating out as much as we do. I also used my new bottle of Weber's Gourmet Burger seasoning, which I picked up brand new in bulk at a yard sale recently.

Use It Up Item Of The Week

This would be the package of fish my friend gave me. I don’t like to keep fish in my freezer, so using it up gave us a free dinner this week.

Savings of the Week

Walmart has raised the price of their three pound bag of Gala apples from $2.97 to $4.27, which is an increase of $1.30! Aldi has the three pound bag of Galas for $2.99, so I will get them from Aldi for the time being.

Photo of the Week

This is a jar of the fennel and dill that I dehydrated after picking these up from PHP & Mennonites for free. Those are my birthday flowers from Publix in the photo too.

What’s for Dinner

Monday ~ Grilled Chicken, Brussel Sprouts, Kale Salad.

Tuesday ~ Movie Night for Bailey who had the last of the BBQ Chicken, and I had a serving of chicken salad on top of a bed of lettuce and tomatoes, which was refreshing.

Wednesday ~ Mediterranean Baked Fish, Steamed Carrots, and Radishes.

A friend of ours gave us a bag of frozen fish because they don't eat fish, so I made it for dinner on Wednesday. I marinated the fish in a little bit of EVOO, lemon juice, and spices before baking. I also included the last of the brussel sprouts from Tuesday on my plate along with a few grape tomatoes.

Thursday ~ Grilled Chicken, Steamed Carrots, Roasted Broccoli.

Friday ~ Bailey had book club, so it was every man for his self for dinner. I made Bailey an egg salad since I’d boiled all those eggs, using blended cottage cheese instead of mayonnaise. She had orange slices to go with it.

I made an individual enchilada bake for myself. But, when I went to make it, I realized I was out of canned enchilada sauce in my pantry. No worries though, I took one of the cans of tomato sauce, bought at a yard sale last summer for 25 cents, and added a packet of chili season, which worked. Necessity being the Mother of invention and all that.

Saturday ~ Egg Roll in a Bowl

I used the Napa cabbage from the Mennonites and chopped it up with an onion for this dinner. I like this type of dinner because I can also use it to "clean out the fridge", so I added some chopped peppers, onions, a bag of frozen stir fry, a package of stir fry rice seasoning, toasted sesame oil, and soy sauce.

Sunday ~ Beefy Baked Beans, Roasted Sweet Potatoes, and Steamed Broccoli.

This was such an inexpensive meal since the sweet potatoes and broccoli were free, and the beef was actually ground turkey bought at UGO when it was $1.00 per pound.

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

Did you build up or organize your pantry this week?

How are you managing food prices?

We would love to hear all about it 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

Image Credit

Fourth Frugal Friday of May 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Belinda) — Fri, 22 May 2026 11:30:22 +0000

Welcome to Frugal Friday

Making good use of our resources, making do and being content with what we have, hanging up laundry to dry, planning meals in our own kitchen, none of these things are huge on their own. But together, they can make a big difference. These small, steady, thoughtful habits help us fight inflation, stretch our budget, live well, spend less, and stay debt free, which is the frugal way we live our lives.

My Frugal Week
This week on Monday I went for my two year DEXA scan to check the status of my osteoporosis. My left femur stayed the same since my last scan two years ago while my right femur increased from -2.1 to -4.3, which represents a severe and significant progression from mildly low bone mass (osteopenia) to severe osteoporosis.
On Monday evening UPS brought me a package, which turned out to be a new box of Advantage to replace the one I bought that was dried out. I also received a coupon for a free Eden product to replace the can of beans that went bad in our pantry.
The Great Cleanup
On Wednesday I went downstairs to fill a contractor bag with trash since it was garbage day. This is an easier way for me to declutter the downstairs without spending all day going back and forth in my car to the convenience center to haul off trash. Both ways work for me, but it depends on how I’m feeling that day.
There are two filing cabinets in the office that I cleaned out last year. On Wednesday I took a photo of them and listed them for free on Facebook Marketplace and those are both gone now.
I realized there are more cabinets lining the ceiling that have stuff in them. ::sigh:: From my view on the ground it looks like there is much less stuff in those cabinets since they weren’t easily accessible. I will have to use a very tall ladder to clean them out if I do.
My brother and sister still want this house sold and are now willing to let everything downstairs sell with the house. I’m not there yet, but we may be selling and buying another home sooner rather than later to get out of this one with my brother and sister. I’ll keep you updated.
Yard Sale Saturday
Some of the items I picked up at yard sales last week include a Chicago Hoodie $1.00,

7 Pioneer Woman dish towels 50 cents each, 5 washcloths $1.00, and several cleaning supplies from an estate sale including Clean Freak, Nature’s Miracle, and a carpet cleaner.
Freebies

This isn't the best photo but does show the ice cream and flowers I picked up from Publix for my birthday freebies on Monday. I picked up the cherry ice cream, which is delicious.
Savings of the Week
This week I took advantage of a birthday gift from Bealls for 20% off any purchase. I buy Skinny Syrups there to flavor our drinks. I picked up one cotton candy, two orange soda, and one cherry flavored, all sugar free.
The cotton candy and cherry flavors were ones I’ve been wanting to try for a long time. The orange soda is one of Bailey’s favorite flavors, which is why I got two of them.
When I went to check out, I had a $5 reward on my account and was able to use both discounts, so I ended up only paying $12.78 for the four bottles. These are $7.99 each on the Skinny Syrup website, so this was a great deal.
Turns out I LOVE the cotton candy flavor, so I’ll definitely be keeping this flavor in my pantry.
Saving Money on Entertainment
My Netflix subscription has increased from $8.75 to $9.84 this month. I would let it go except Bailey watches it and we made a deal at the beginning of the year that she pays for Disney and Hulu and I pay for Netflix.
My Reading Nook ~ What I've been Reading This Week
I’m taking a free course from the Fannie Mae website on the home buying process, reading up on osteoporosis, and reading for pleasure also.
How was your week?Have you done any decluttering?Saved money? Gone to any yard sales?We’d love to hear about it in the comments.

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

Menu Plan Monday ~ Saving Money in My Frugal Kitchen ~ Third Week of May 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Belinda) — Mon, 18 May 2026 12:08:47 +0000

My Frugal Week

On Tuesday I went to Aldi to pick up some red peppers, and blueberries, both fresh and frozen. I also went to Gordon's to pick up a number ten can of black olives on sale for $9.99.

On Saturday evening I went to People Helping People for free vegetables. This week's selection included more Napa cabbage, lettuce, kale, yellow squash, radishes, and fennel. Some of these things will be dehydrated like the dill and fennel, which is already in the dehydrator.

Before coming home I stopped in at Food City as they had their 32 ounce bags of cheese on sale for $5 with a limit of two. I also picked up some bananas from the reduced produce rack.

On Sunday I prepped the free produce to have with dinners this week. Washed and cut everything up and worked on dehydrating the dill and fennel to use later.

Recipe Of The Week

Since I had the kale from the Mennonites, I decided to use it to make this massaged kale salad, ,which was a big hit with Bailey.

Kale Salad

Ingredients:

1 to 2 bunches of kale

Dressing Ingredients:

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup water

1/8 cup lime juice

2 cloves garlic

1 inch fresh ginger

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons tamari

6 pitted dates, soaked in water if not soft

kale, about two bunches

Directions:

In a high-powered blender, combine all the dressing ingredients.

Process until smooth and creamy.

Remove the large, thick stems from the kale.

Chop the kale leaves and place in a large bowl.

Pour dressing over the kale.

Massage dressing into the kale with your hands. (I used gloves)

Refrigerate any unused dressing

What’s for Dinner

Monday ~ Cheeseburgers

Tuesday ~ Grilled Chicken Salads

Wednesday & Thursday ~ Chicken Tacos

Friday ~ Chicken Enchiladas

Saturday & Sunday ~ BBQ Chicken, Savoy Cabbage & Onions, and Caramelized Sweet Potatoes.

We finished the savoy cabbage and onions on Saturday night, so on Sunday I made the kale salad posted above as our vegetable. It’s a very different dish from what I grew up eating, but it’s pretty tasty. Bailey really liked it.

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

Did you build up or organize your pantry this week?

How are you managing food prices?

We would love to hear all about it 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

Image Credit

Third Frugal Friday of May 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Belinda) — Fri, 15 May 2026 10:20:25 +0000

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 a busy day here. The first thing I did was go to the People Helping People bag sale as they had some stools I wanted to price as items are half off on bag sale day. I ended up not buying them as they were too tall for me and they swiveled.
I did pick up two free stepping stools for my cat, so he can use them as a step to get up on the desk easier. I put it down and that is exactly what he used it for.
Afterwards I came home and worked on getting some more junk out of one of the sheds here and I'm happy to report that shed is now empty! I took the trunk full of garbage and took it to the convenience center and trashed it. I vacuumed out my trunk afterwards since it was messy after that task.
We had a lot of fun for my birthday last Saturday doing one of my favorite things ~ yard sales and thrift stores. I spent $36 the entire day and we had the best time! That is such a cheap source of fun entertainment for me. Freebies for the day included a free dinner buffet from Golden Corral and a free shake from Sonic.
On Thursday I took some more metal from downstairs to the recycling center and had over 200 pounds of scrap metal, which made another $23 plus change. Afterwards I took some paperwork to the courthouse before returning home. I came home and cut some of the grass in the yard and then measured and packaged sixty items for Bailey’s online shops. I definitely kept busy this week.
Other Frugal Things This Week Include...
- I entered all my receipts into Fetch and NCP. There were a lot of them since we went to several thrift stores on Saturday.- I paid $3.85 per gallon for gas using a discount. - Ate all food and dinners at home with no eating out.
Today we will be headed out to yard sale one of those highway long sales, so we are getting an early start. What are your plans for today and 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 ~ Second Week of May 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Belinda) — Mon, 11 May 2026 12:19:00 +0000

My Frugal Week

Last Sunday I took the last bag of chicken breasts from Gordons and put it into the refrigerator to thaw. I based our meals around chicken last week for this reason.

Last Monday I went to People Helping People as they've started getting free vegetables from the Mennonites again for the summer.

We had some food waste here this week. I smelled something off in the kitchen this week and checked everything until I figured it out. There was a can of Eden garbanzo beans within date that had been leaking at the seal, so I discarded it and cleaned up the mess. I’ll be calling them today to discuss this issue.

What’s for Dinner

Monday ~ Chipotle Chicken Sausage or Grilled Chicken, Kohlrabi, White Radishes, Steamed Kale with Fig Dressing, Steamed Broccoli, Red Peppers.

Can you tell I'd been to People Helping People to get free vegetables on this day? I came home and washed up all the good vegetables and served several of them for dinner.

Tuesday ~ Movie Night ~ Every man for his self.

Wednesday ~ Chicken, Broccoli & Cauliflower.

I cooked the Gordon's chicken in the crockpot today as it was finally thawed out enough to cook. What we didn’t eat this week went into the freezer, so I’ll have cooked chicken to use as needed.

Thursday & Friday ~Chicken Stir Fry, Caramelized Sweet Potatoes, and Sliced Oranges.

I took some of the Gordon's chicken and made a stir fry with it using onions, red and orange peppers, stir fry vegetables from the freezer, and a cole slaw mix.

Saturday ~ Free Golden Corral Birthday Dinner! And a free strawberry shake from Sonic.

Sunday ~ Grilled Chicken Salads

The salads were so good with more free vegetables from People Helping People and the Mennonites that we picked up on Saturday evening. We got a huge head of Napa cabbage, purple kohlrabi, radishes, butter lettuce, fresh eggs and dill.

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

How did you build up or organize your pantry this week?

How are you managing food prices?

We would love to hear all about it 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

Image Credit

Second Frugal Friday of May 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Belinda) — Fri, 08 May 2026 08:36:00 +0000

Welcome to Frugal Friday

On Thursday I took the clothes I no longer wanted to People Helping People, which helps them continue to do free things for our community. They had free bread for the taking, so I got two loaves and put them in the freezer when I got home.

Cash Express here is always giving away free pens and post it notes. They give them out to the teachers at school like candy. The cashier at People Helping People told me they have tons of them. So, I took these and put them in the little free pantry closet to my house. I'm sure someone will be able to use them.
Price of Gas
On Monday our local gas station was charging $4.29 per gallon for the cheapest gas. I filled up across the street at Food City where it was still offered for $3.89 per gallon.
When I went out on Thursday the gas had climbed to $4.29 at Food City, but I filled up at another station at $4.14 a gallon. We had special plans for this weekend but decided against them due to the price of gas.
Yard Sale Saturday
We went to multiple yard sales last Saturday. Several of them were church yard sales and one of them was an estate sale. I found some very nice washcloths at the estate sale, so I picked those up to add to our collection. They were priced at $1.00 each, but they only charged me fifty cents each when I went to pay for them.
Freebies

On Monday I went to People Helping People as they've started getting free vegetables from the Mennonites again for the summer. I brought home white radishes, lettuce, sweet potatoes, onions, dinosaur kale, broccoli, kohlrabi, and purple kale.

Bailey ended up with some really nice freebies this week too.

She mentioned to a lady holding a yard sale that the flowers in her yard were pretty. The lady ended up giving Bailey several bulbs and plants as a result. Wasn't that sweet of her?

My Reseller Genie recently hosted a giveaway where participants needed to record a short video on what they love about MRG. Bailey entered mostly because everyone who participated received a tote bag, but she won the grand prize of a $200 gift card!
With the $200 gift card she bought a Ninja Creami, which had been on her thrift bucket list for a couple of years. She’s already made three pints of ice cream including chocolate, peanut butter chocolate, and cinnamon.
How was your week? Do you have big plans for the weekend? Happy Mother’s Day to all the ladies who have been blessed to become Mothers, puppies and kitties included. I hope you have a lovely day.

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 ~ First Week of May 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Belinda) — Mon, 04 May 2026 11:24:00 +0000

My Frugal Week

The other day I walked into Walmart and saw this display of oranges marked down to $1.00 per bag that had been marked down from $4.97. There were approximately seven in each bag that I bought. So, we now have 35 oranges to add to our fruit for this month. We've already eaten several of them and they are delicious.

The cashier asked me how I was going to eat all those oranges before they spoiled. I laughed inside thinking she doesn't know me very well. hehehe

We went to Kroger to do our monthly grocery shopping on Friday and also went to UGO and Ingles. We saved $70.52 at Kroger with our store coupons and sales.

What’s for Dinner

Monday ~ Baked Chicken Thighs with Cabbage & Onions, and Corn.

Tuesday ~ Baked Potatoes with Cheddar & Black Olives.

Wednesday ~ Chicken, Caramelized Sweet Potatoes, and Lentils.

This was a sort of use it up dinner. I had a small portion of chicken, which was left from Monday night's dinner. I also made a side dish with lentils, onions, and chili beans that turned out really well.

Thursday ~ Chicken Tacos, Lentils, and Corn.

Friday ~ Chicken Tenders, and Nachos.

I know this is a weird combination, but we were both wiped out after a full day of yard sales.

Saturday ~ Grilled Chicken Salads

Sunday ~ Chipotle Chicken Sausages, and Green Peas.

What’s been on the menu in your home this past week? Did you build up or organize your pantry this week? How are you managing food prices?

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 May 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Belinda) — Fri, 01 May 2026 09:27:00 +0000

Welcome to Frugal Friday

My Frugal Week
On Monday I took another load of metal to the recycling center and ended up with 260 pounds of metal to be recycled.
Afterwards I used the weed eater and trimmed the grass, cut down some small trees that were trying to grow back and hauled all the brush into the woods.
My neighbor came over on Tuesday and gathered up some metal from the woods and one of the sheds. I told him he could have the money for this if he was willing to haul it off, so he did. Now those areas in the woods where Dad had stored some roofing tin are clear and look much better.
This will be a short version of the blog this week, but I want to share a frugal recipe for weed killer for you. I’ve worked a lot in the yard this week, so this is fitting.
Frugal Weed Killer
Say goodbye to pesky weeds in your garden with a homemade weed killer. Mix Dawn, lemon juice, and white vinegar in a spray bottle and apply it directly to weeds.
Ingredients:
32 ounces white vinegarDawn dish soap1/4 cup salt
Directions:
Measure out 32 ounces of white vinegar. Using a funnel, pour the measured vinegar into a spray bottle. White vinegar is an excellent natural herbicide due to its high acidity. It can effectively kill weeds without harming the environment.
Add a small dash of dish soap to the vinegar. Dish soap acts as a surfactant, helping the solution stick to the leaves of the weeds. It also breaks down the waxy surface of the weeds, making the solution more effective.
Measure out 1/4 cup of salt. Salt is a desiccant, which means it can draw moisture from the weeds, ultimately causing them to dry out and die. Add the salt to the spray bottle with the vinegar and dish soap.
Shake the bottle with vinegar, dish soap, and salt. Make sure the salt is dissolved in the solution.
Hold the squirt bottle a few inches away from the weeds and generously spray the solution onto the leaves and stems. Make sure you cover the weeds thoroughly. You'll start to notice results within a few hours. 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

Meal Plan Monday ~ Saving Money in my Frugal Kitchen ~ Fourth Week April 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Belinda) — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 07:02:00 +0000

My Frugal Week

Many families feed their crew on smaller budgets through smart, disciplined habits, which involve practical systems that minimize waste and stretch their ingredients.

Key habits include buying discounted day old bread, keeping a continuous stock pot from scraps, growing herbs at home, and making one roast last multiple meals. Thee families eat seasonally because it is cheaper, track prices carefully, and relying on staples such as oatmeal, potatoes, pasta, rice, and dried beans.

Vegetables fill plates before small portions of meat, and leftovers are used up such as stale bread becoming croutons or dessert, bones becoming soup, all of which involved not throwing away food.

Other strategies included preserving fruit, diluting ingredients to stretch them, using cheaper cuts of meat, and cooking from scratch. Eating out can be rare, and sometimes communities share food to reduce food costs.

At the core of all of lies one principle: waste nothing. These aren't outdated habits, but rather efficient, economical systems that keep families healthy and budgets intact.

What’s for Dinner

Monday ~ Choice of Beefy Baked Beans or Cajun Turkey Breast, Sweet Potatoes, Cabbage & Onions, and Deviled Eggs.

I had leftovers from the weekend, so it was a choice of either the beans or turkey breast for the main course. Bailey picked the beans and we finished those. I also baked some sweet potatoes with olive oil, made some deviled eggs, and made a side dish of stir fried cabbage and onions using a bit of olive oil and a bit of bacon grease (yum!).

Tuesday ~ Baked Chicken Tenders, Sweet Potatoes, and Cabbage & Onions.

The chicken tenders were some we had in the freezer and the sides were the rest of the leftovers from Monday night's dinner.

Wednesday ~ Cajun Turkey Breast, Baked Beans, Corn on the Cob.

We used up the last of the Cajun turkey breast for dinner and I served baked beans and corn on the cob as side dishes. I also served deviled eggs along side.

Thursday ~ Chicken Crunchwrap Supremes, Refried Beans, and Corn.

I had a Taco Bell kit for Crunchwrap Supremes that I used up for dinner tonight. I stopped in at Food City to pick up one tomato and some marked down bananas while I was running an errand.

Friday ~ Grilled Chicken Burritos and Corn on the Cob.

I asked Bailey what she wanted for dinner and this was her suggestion, which works for me as it's an easy dinner to make for both of us. I make hers with my homemade chipotle sauce and make a sauce for me of cottage cheese and taco seasoning, blended until smooth.

Saturday ~ Chicken Tenders, Chili Beans, and Salad.

Sunday ~ Chicken & Onions with Cabbage, and Caramelized Sweet Potatoes.

What’s been on the menu in your home this past week? Did you build up or organize your pantry this week? Have you been decluttering? How are you managing food prices? We would love to hear all about it 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

Image Credit

Fourth & Final Frugal Friday of April 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Belinda) — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 07:38:00 +0000

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.
Thought of the Week"If it's out of your hands, set it free from your thoughts".
My Frugal Week
My intentions were to stay home this week, but Bailey's ear drum ruptured on Saturday evening and I drove her to the minute clinic on Sunday. She came home on antibiotics and rested.
We went back to the doctor on Tuesday as the pain was bad, and the doctor gave her antibiotic ear drops and a stronger antibiotic. Hopefully this will heal up and she will be out of pain asap.
Saturday night it rained, which was good as there is a fire in the Cherokee National Forest here, which has burned 650 acres so far and is 60% contained, and thankfully is not threatening any structures. The rain brought cold weather with it and we woke up to 48 degrees with high winds on Sunday.
The Great Cleanup

On Monday I pulled an old wooden ladder that was rotting and an old wine bottle out of the yard in the area where we had been putting garbage from downstairs for the garbage man to pick up. He didn't do the best job at picking everything up, so I finished the job myself.

On Thursday I took some of the metal Dad has laying around here and took it to the recycling center. This load was 193 pounds and they paid me $17.37, which is good yard sale money.
The recycling center is on Highway 411 here and it's time for the semi-annual 411 Yard Sale, so I stopped at a couple of places on the way back home. I picked out a pair of black pants at one sale for $1.00. but then when I went to pay her, the lady said I could just have them, which was so nice of her.
Other Frugal Things this Week
- I earned a $25 Walmart gift card from my insurance company. - Caught up on all the laundry this week- Mixed up a bottle of cleaner with water and two squirts of Dawn. - I sold eight School House Rock Videos on FB Marketplace for $15.
Yard Sale Saturday
Bailey woke up on Saturday and asked me if I wanted to tag along with her to a church yard sale, so I did. I found two pairs of denim capris, and six flannel baby blankets (to restock my stash) all for $1.00.
At another sale I found a shirt for 25 cents, and at another sale found a great raincoat for 25 cents! I also found a pair of like new Isotoner slippers for 10 cents, and a bed rail for $3.00. She had great prices at this sale and Bailey really scored by purchasing all her name brand clothing for $15 total.
One thing I did not buy was a very well made large bird feeder. I would have loved to have bought it, but bird feed is expensive here and the squirrels will not leave the ones we already have alone, so I decided against it. I hope it's not one of those things I regret buying for years to come like some things.
Bailey’s Greenhouse

Bailey recently acquired a greenhouse on the second hand market.
We went to Home Depot for their sale on soil priced at five for $10. She now has spearmint, peppers, and spinach growing in the greenhouse.
She wanted something underneath the greenhouse to hold water runoff, so it wouldn’t soak the porch. I kept a lid from a storage bin downstairs, which worked well and cost nothing. #usewhatyouhave
I also picked up a Shasta Daisy seed packet for her for free from the local Blessing Box when I was dropping off stuff.
Freebies

From our Buy Nothing group I was able to pick up this box of laundry detergent sheets for free. There are twelve sleeves with sixty-four sheets in each sleeve, so a lot of laundry can be done with these.
Clean Freakz, who posts on TikTok, made this video about how laundry detergent sheets are a scam here. According to him, a single laundry sheet is four grams of detergent, but a large load needs 24 grams, which means using six laundry sheets for the correct dose.
So, I experimented to see how many I needed to use to ensure clean laundry, which was between six and eight sheets depending on how large the load was. These will still save us money while also getting the laundry clean especially since they were free.
My Reading Nook ~ What I've been Reading This Week
I’m back to riding my bicycle pedals for one hour every morning, which leaves me an hour to read guilt free.
Grandma Donna wrote a lovely blog post about the times we are living in and how people here do not want what is going on, and how we cannot judge the people of a country for what their leader is doing. Click here if you would like to read it.
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

Meal Plan Monday ~ Saving Money in my Frugal Kitchen ~ Third Week April 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Belinda) — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 10:54:00 +0000

My Frugal Week

One way we save money here is by building meals around the cheapest proteins such as eggs, beans, canned tuna, cottage cheese, ground turkey, chicken, or pork. These proteins are often half the price of beef. Right now I am working through the ground turkey I have in my freezer and using up what we have on hand.

Freebies

My friend had some extra eggs that she wanted to share with me this week and we ended up with 84 eggs! We had extra bread, rice, and oats that I shared with her.

Recipe of the Week

Protein Pasta Cheese Bake

Ingredients:

1 pound Italian turkey sausage

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 beef bouillon cube

1/2 cup minced onions

2 teaspoons granulated garlic

2 teaspoons oregano or Italian seasoning

1 pound protein pasta, cooked

1 - 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes

1 - 14 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained

2 - 14 ounce cans spaghetti sauce

2 cups cottage cheese

2 eggs, beaten

2 cups mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Brown Italian sausage, add Worcestershire sauce and bouillon cube.

Add onions, garlic, and oregano.

Add crushed tomatoes, drained tomatoes, and spaghetti sauce.

Mix cottage cheese and beaten eggs together.

Add cottage cheese to meat sauce.

Add pasta to meat sauce.

Fill two 9x13 inch pans with pasta meat sauce.

Top with mozzarella cheese.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.

What’s for Dinner

Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday ~ Protein Pasta Cheese Bake, and Steamed Broccoli.

Wanting to use up some of the Italian turkey sausage we have in the freezer and use a box of protein pasta we had on hand, I decided to make a protein pasta cheese bake for dinner.

From my pantry I used up one can of crushed tomatoes, the box of pasta, two cans of spaghetti sauce, and one can of tomatoes.

This made two 9x13 casserole pans, which was more than enough for dinner, so I was able to put part of this into the freezer for future meals.

Thursday ~ Grilled Chicken Salads

Friday ~ Chicken Tenders, Baked Beans.

I used up one lurking can of store brand baked beans for this dinner. I’m glad to have used it up and now it’s out of the pantry.

Saturday ~ Beefy Baked Beans, Golden Hominy, Sliced Oranges.

For this recipe I used a package of ground turkey instead of beef, but by adding one beef bouillon cube and some Worcestershire sauce to the turkey, a tip I learned from Cheryl, the recipe closely resembles real beef. I used up several containers from my pantry in this recipe including the last of the ketchup bottle, jar of seasoned pepper, and two cans of pork and beans. I also used up the lurking can of golden hominy.

Sunday ~ Cajun Style Turkey Breast, Baked Sweet Potatoes, and Deviled Eggs.

This was a Kentucky Legend turkey breast we had in the freezer and I love their hams and now know Bailey enjoys their turkey breast too. Being Cajun, it was too hot and spicy for me to enjoy.

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 April 2026 on Saturday

noreply@blogger.com (Belinda) — Sat, 18 Apr 2026 09:49:00 +0000

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 had my annual physical with my primary care doctor and received all clear from her. Dexascan and mammogram were scheduled for later. Yesterday I saw my surgeon who released me with no restrictions.
It's been ten weeks since my surgery so, I came home and rode my bicycle pedals for thirty minutes and it felt so good!
Last Saturday & Sunday I stayed home and busy by cleaning and decluttering and moving items we don't use regularly to the downstairs.
I remember a widowed friend, years ago, that said one of the ways to keep busy was to clean out a drawer or closet to help take your mind off of being lonely. I've remembered that down through the years and can always find something like that to keep me busy.
On Tuesday Bailey drove me to my retina specialist for eye injections.
I had seven no spend days over the past week! Rare, but it does happen from time to time.
Gas & Financial News
According to Heather Cox Richardson, statistics released by the Labor Department on Friday showed that Trump’s war with Iran has pushed inflation to 3.3%, which has now increased to 4% That’s the fastest rate of growth in almost two years, tripling the 0.3% rate in February, when inflation was 2.4%. Gasoline prices rose 21.2%, a record.
This week's blog post is not only late, but short and simple. I'll be sure to make up for it next week with a longer post. How was your week? I would love to hear all about it.

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

Meal Plan Monday ~ Saving Money in my Frugal Kitchen ~ Second Week April 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Belinda) — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 11:07:00 +0000

My Frugal Week

We need to continue as we can to be working on our pantry storage, and keep on working on building up our skills like baking bread or making yogurt. With the increase in fuel prices, we are living in uncertain times.

Inspiring Reads

Sibylle, who posts her German blog, With My Own Hands, has a very inspiring post about food prices in March and how she used and preserved that food.

Here is a link if you're interested in reading, as she is very inspiring.

Savings of the Week

Kroger had the Knorr chicken bouillon cubes on markdown, some for 90 cents and some for 96 cents, which is a savings compared to the $1.47 price at Walmart. My figures indicate I saved over $4.50 with this purchase.

What’s for Dinner

Monday ~ Chicken Sausages on Keto Buns, Cole Slaw, and Carrots.

Tuesday ~ Enchiladas, Corn

Wednesday ~ Grilled Chicken Salads

Thursday ~ Chicken Sausages on Buns, Butternut Squash, and Brussel Sprouts.

Friday ~ Grilled Chicken, Brussel Sprouts, and Butter Beans.

Saturday ~ Fluffy Baked Omelet and Baked Sweet Potato Cubes.

Sunday ~ Pork Tenderloin, Mixed Vegetables, and Sweet Potatoes.

This meal helped me use up some bone broth and golden mushroom soup out of the pantry.

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 April 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Belinda) — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 10:58:00 +0000

The installation crew came on Monday and installed our new air conditioner. They did a great job even installing additional brackets to the outside of the house.
On Tuesday I had an appointment for a dental cleaning and then Bailey and I went to Kroger in Georgia to do our monthly grocery stock up.
On Wednesday the washer repair man came to check out the washer. The part cost $30 with labor running $140, so $179 total, paid in full with no stress and no debt. He had to order the part and will be back on Friday to install it.
On Thursday I went downstairs and used Dad’s shop vac and vacuumed part of the shop. I wasn’t sure the shop vac would work as I didn’t know when the last time it was used, but it worked. Afterwards I went outside to weed eat and do a little bit of raking. We have 15 acres here and the best way for me to maintain it is a little bit at a time.
Other Frugal Things This Week...
- Entered all my receipts into Fetch & NCP- Earned multiple points for Microsoft Rewards (I have 42,898 points and am working on getting a $100 Kroger gift card)- Received a 5% discount on garbage service for next month's bill by writing a review for their FB page.
- Received a 10% discount for my birthday month for sharing my birthday with the same garbage service.
Weekly Gasoline News
$3.79 per gallon SE Tennessee
$3.29 per gallon in NW Georgia
Last Friday I filled up my gas tank and spent $49.25, which is unbelievable to me. We did not go to yard sales this week for that reason. My budget isn't going to allow me to buy that amount of gas every week to yard sale, so like last week we are staying home.
When we went to Kroger on Tuesday, and I filled up my tank using Kroger rewards before leaving even though I had 3/4 tank full. With my discount and the halt on state gas tax in Georgia I paid $3.29 per gallon.
If you're interested in an app on your phone to save on gas, “The Gas Index” promises real-time fuel savings. This is an AI app that has called over 19,000 gas stations to ask their current price per gallon and tells you whether the savings outweigh the extra fuel used getting there. There are all sorts of interesting statistics on their site to read as well.
The Cash Only Living blog is reporting gas at $4.95 a gallon with diesel costing $6.25 a gallon in Las Vegas this week.
The Great Cleanup Continues...

The reason I went into Harbor Freight this week was to buy a magnetic sweeper, which I've been wanting to do for a while now. As I've mentioned before there are all sorts of areas in the pole barn and downstairs that have multiple nails, screws, staples, bits of wire, metal objects, etc. You can see one of those areas in this photo:

Here is a photo of some of what I picked up after just a few minutes:

This is a powerful magnetic tool for this purpose and definitely worth the $9.99 price tag. Now I won't have to worry about getting a nail in one of our tires.
I am very happy to report that the last boxes of mail from the 70s & 80s have been gone through and disposed of now. When I started there were over thirty boxes to go through, so now I can concentrate on other areas that need cleaning up and continue the great cleanup.
Freebies

In the Little Free Library at People Helping People, I picked up three books. Bernardin Home Canning Guide from 1975, Sorghum Treasures cookbook dedicated to the extension office of the University of Tennessee, and a book about Coker Creek, which is an historical community in the Cherokee National Forest located in the southern Appalachian mountains in southeast Tennessee.

Freebies from the dentist office this week included toothpaste, toothbrush, and dental floss picks.

Savings of the Week
Our big savings of the week was on Zero Water Filters, which costs $17.44 each at Walmart and we buy regularly. Bailey found a post on Facebook Marketplace selling nine of the Amazon dupes priced at $30 from an Amazon pallet seller. That makes them $3.33 each, which is a great deal. The seller told Bailey he had a lot of people wanting to buy them.
Saving Money on Entertainment
Currently we are watching Paradise, which is a Hulu post-apocalyptic political thriller series starring Sterling K. Brown, who we loved watching in This is Us. The show centers on a secret service agent investigating the President's murder within a secluded, high-stakes, underground bunker.
My Reading Nook ~ What I've been Reading This Week
From Consumer Affairs, Grocery shoppers need a strategy if they hope to stay within their food budget.
How was your week? Have you been decluttering? How are you managing fuel prices? We would love to hear all about it in the comment section.

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

Side Hustles

noreply@blogger.com (Belinda) — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 13:01:00 +0000

Side Hustles

Bailey has a monstera plant here and she trimmed it this winter because it had gotten so big. She took the cuttings and propagated them over the winter. She ended up with nine plants and listed them on Facebook Marketplace for $5 each. All nine of them sold within the hour. I thought that was a great idea and wanted to share it with you.
This is what Bailey wrote on her Substack about this:
There's Always Money Lying Around
I grew up in a frugal household. There was nothing we couldn’t make from scratch, use every part of, or save money on. This made me scrappy in a way that drives me to find opportunity in the ordinary. The first piece of advice often offered to new resellers is to start with things around your house. It’s a great way to declutter and kickstart a reselling hustle, but it doesn’t need to stop there. If your eyes are open to it, there’s always money lying around.
Last fall, my beloved monstera deliciosa had outgrown its trellis, so I trimmed it back and propagated the cuttings in large mason jars over the winter. Unfortunately, monstera deliciosa is toxic to cats, so I couldn’t repot the cuttings for myself because all the cat-free plant real estate in the house is occupied.
As a buyer, I’ve seen how quickly plants are gone on Facebook Marketplace, so I decided to list them there and see what would happen. I had nine cuttings listed at $5 a piece. I received tons of messages, and someone paid me for all of them that same day. $45 for something that might have otherwise gone to waste!
None of this required a big investment. It’s simply the habit of asking, “Is there value here?”

Belinda

Homemaker at Heart

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

Image Credit

Meal Plan Monday ~ Saving Money in my Frugal Kitchen ~ First week April 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Belinda) — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 09:36:00 +0000

My Frugal Week

One thing I snack on regularly is apples and I love Honey Crisp apples, but they are expensive. A three pound bag of them is selling for $7.48 at Walmart right now. This week I bought the Gala apples in the three pound bag for $2.38 instead, which is a savings of $5.10 and they were delicious, so for now I am making the switch to save money.

We have a 32 gallon garbage can filled with water downstairs in case we need it for anything when or if the power goes out.

Savings of the Week

I found one of my favorite Skinny Syrups on clearance at Walmart for $3.50, when they normally sell for $4.97, so I bought four of them saving myself almost $6 in the process.

What’s for Dinner

Monday ~ Chicken & Dressing, Green Peas.

Definitely a night for leftovers and choices included chicken and dressing or meatloaf. Bailey was out with a friend so we were on our own for dinner, which gave me a break from cooking for the day.

Tuesday ~ Choice of Homemade Pizza or Leftovers

Wednesday & Thursday ~ Fajita Chicken Tacos, Chili Beans, and Corn.

Friday ~ Chicken Strips and Cole Slaw

I had been in town running errands, so his was a quick and easy dinner when I got back home.

Saturday ~ Chicken Croquettes, Cole Slaw, Brussel Sprouts, Pickled Beets.

This is a recipe I first made back in 1994, and is a good recipe to use with canned chicken, which I mentioned last week I have a lot of in my pantry right now.

Sunday ~ Bean & Cheese Enchiladas, Chili Beans, and Corn.

Bailey had some turkey sausage thawing for her breakfast meal prep, but then decided against it, so I used the sausage in our dinner in order to not waste it. I turned it into turkey taco meat and then made enchiladas with it.

I was able to use several cans from our pantry including refried beans, green chilis, and enchilada sauce. I was also able to use up the last of the chili beans I had in the fridge, so this was a use it up meal too.

Belinda

Homemaker at Heart

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

Image Credit

Sunday in the South

noreply@blogger.com (Belinda) — Sun, 05 Apr 2026 14:00:00 +0000

Image Credit

Sunday in the South carries deep cultural and spiritual meaning, which is a day shaped by church, family gatherings, and long-standing traditions. It brings to mind the sight of steeples, the warmth of Sunday dinners, and moments of quiet reflection.

Where I’m from, we’ve always called it the Lord’s Day, which is especially meaningful as many come together to celebrate Easter Sunday. Wishing you and your family a truly blessed and peaceful Lord’s Day.

There are storm clouds all around us, so let's take this day to feed the light that will, in time, remove the darkness that currently challenges decency and goodness in the world. Let's help spread the warmth of community and the light of kindness.

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

First Frugal Friday of April 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Belinda) — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 09:41:00 +0000

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
One thing we did while we were waiting on our new air conditioner to arrive, was to put black poster boards over the kitchen windows because the sun was shining directly in those windows and heating up that area of the house. I was pleasantly surprised at how well that simple task made the kitchen and the whole house so much cooler.
On Wednesday I had an errand to run in Chattanooga and I stopped in at Goodwill. I found two pull chain lamps for $5 each, so I bought both of those as pull chain lamps are my favorite lamps. I also found a large lazy Susan, also $5, for our dinner table.
The Great Cleanup Continues …
I've been cleaning more downstairs again now that the weather been warmer. Dad had pop bottles (soda bottles) behind the door leading to his office, so I cleaned those up and put them in the shed outside with all his other pop bottles. I'm sure they are valuable to the right person.
I've been taking one box of mail from the cabinet at a time, and going through it and disposing of it as needed. I've hired a new garbage company to come on Tuesdays and they will take off unlimited garbage for $50 per month, so I want to take advantage of that and be busy cleaning out down there, and we still have our regular Friday crew to take off garbage too.
I found some neat things from our childhood in some of the boxes like grade cards, school reports, old pictures, etc. It's fun because I send pictures to my sister and we can laugh over some of them.
I posted a flyer from a pizza place from the 1980s from my childhood hometown of Lockport, Illinois in that Facebook group and we've been reminiscing about it. The owner's son reached out to me and asked if I would be willing to send him the menu as he didn't think to keep one back then. So, it is back on its way to Lockport once again.
There is a countertop next to the washer and dryer downstairs that was filled with tools and such, so I cleared all that off and scrubbed the counter, so I can put my laundry there as needed.
Someone posted on Facebook that they needed a non-working microwave along with some other things for a theater play at the local community college. So, I offered up the one Dad had downstairs along with a clock. I was glad to finally have it gone and grateful to help someone else in the process.
Washing Machine Update

Bailey watched a YouTube video and fixed the agitator dogs in our washing machine. These are small plastic cogs in top-load washing machines that allow the agitator to rotate in one direction.
Pictured above are the parts from our machine. On the left are the new pieces and what they should look like and the parts of the right are the ones from our machine. Yikes!
But even though Bailey was able to fix this part, there is another repair it needs, which involves lifting/moving the washer, which I won't be able to help with right now. So, for now the washer upstairs will have to wait.
In the meantime, I continue to carry laundry outside and downstairs to Dad's washing machine. I'm so glad we kept that washer/dryer combo just in case of something like this.
Other frugal things we did this week include:
- Taxes were completed and paid for this week. - Laundry washed, folded, and put away. - Did some weed eating and clearing of brush in the yard. - Sold one item on eBay for $22.00.
Weekly Gasoline News
Gas Price in SE Tennessee: $3.79 gallon
The U.S. Postal Service, pending approval from the Postal Regulatory Commission, will begin to add an 8% fuel surcharge to package deliveries starting April 26 and will last until January 17, 2027 and is driven by a 43%+ rise in diesel costs. This temporary fee will apply to Priority Mail, Ground Advantage, and Parcel Select.
Photo of the Week

I found this advertisement from Tide while cleaning out mail downstairs this week, which had to be from the 1980s. The coupon is good for 65 cents off and has no expiration date. I like it when coupons have no expiration date.
Question of the Week?
Do you think my Frugal Friday blog posts are too long? Do they get boring to read? Would it be easier to read if I break it up into more smaller blog posts throughout the week? Please let me know what you think.
Saving Money on Entertainment
This week I started watching Leanne, a TV series on Netflix set in Knoxville, TN. Leanne finds her husband is leaving her. The show reminded me of one of those classic sitcoms, which I enjoy, and Leanne is very likable as a southern Mom starting over with support from her loving, but unfiltered family.

Puff the Magic Dragon

Molly Whuppie is well known for her nostalgic folk music for children, and has built a community of followers worldwide from her home on Prince Edward Island. She sings those songs from our childhood that we all know and love.

How Much is that Doggy in the Window?

My Reading Nook ~ What I've been Reading This Week
Consumer Affairs is reporting the U.S. inflation rate was fairly moderate at 2.4% before February 28. But after the attack on Iran, oil prices have surged. Now, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) projections suggest inflation could reach about 4.2% in 2026.
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 on Gasoline

noreply@blogger.com (Belinda) — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 16:42:00 +0000

According to Consumer Affairs, the national average gas price is now over $4 a gallon, according to AAA and GasBuddy predicts the price will continue to climb.

Prices have climbed more than $1 in a month, driven largely by global oil disruptions and seasonal demand shifts.

As a result of all of this, I decided that it would be a good time to revisit the saving on gas posts I've written about here before, so here they are.

- Saving on Gasoline

- Saving Money on Gasoline

Belinda

Homemaker at Heart

~ Living within our Means ~My Linktree

~ She looketh well to the ways of her household ~Proverbs 31:27

Image Credit

Meal Plan Monday ~ Saving Money in my Frugal Kitchen ~ Fifth & Final Week March 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Belinda) — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 07:17:00 +0000

Welcome to Frugal Workshop where every Monday I share the simple strategies used to save money 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

In inventorying my pantry, I realize that I have a lot of canned chicken on hand, which is something I need to think about when planning meals in the upcoming weeks.

I try to use the fresh or frozen chicken I have on hand before turning to the canned chicken, just in case of a power failure, which could result in losing the frozen chicken.

I’ve also been cleaning out my pantry and freezer and using up the food that I tend to ignore when planning meals. Lately I’ve used up several of those often overlooked items.

For lunches this week we had leftover salmon patties, homemade pizza, vegetable bean soup, a bowl of leftover vegetables from dinner the night before, along with other various items I found to use up.

Use It Up Items Of The Week

I had one filet minion in my freezer, that someone gave me, that has been there for a few months as I rarely cook steak. I finally used it this week putting it into my slow cooker until it was tender, which worked and I finally have that item out of my freezer.

I also had two packages of Pepperidge Farms dressing that I bought for 50 cents each on markdown that I used this week. Once on Saturday when I made a meatloaf using the dressing as one of the ingredients, and then again on Sunday when I made chicken and dressing for dinner.

What’s for Dinner

Monday ~ Rotisserie Chicken with P. F. Chang's Teriyaki Sauce, Bean Salad.

I placed a marked down rotisserie chicken in the fridge on Sunday to thaw. On Monday I pulled the meat from the bones adding the PF Chang's teriyaki sauce, and fresh ginger, pineapple, and some onions. I served this with the bean salad that I made the day before.

Tuesday ~ Leftovers

Wednesday ~ Beefy Baked Beans, Butternut Squash.

This is a tried and true family favorite recipe that I made for dinner using up two cans of pork and beans in the process. I've used a lot of canned food out of my pantry this week, which is a good thing.

Thursday & Friday ~ BBQ Pork Sandwiches, Bean Salad.

I had a glass container of pork with BBQ sauce in the freezer, which I thawed and chopped up to make BBQ sandwiches. It's great to use up the pork and get my glass container back into service in my kitchen.

On Friday evening I opened up a canned of peaches that I had chilled in the refrigerator to add to dinner, They were a sweet and refreshing addition to the BBQ.

Saturday ~ Meatloaf with Dressing, Mexican Vegetables.

This was a new to me recipe, which you can find here:

Easy Meatloaf with Stuffing Mix

Bailey really liked this recipe, and I did too except I prefer my own meatloaf recipe as I find it has much more flavor. The Mexican vegetables included a mixture of red peppers, corn, and broccoli that I served as the side dish.

Sunday & Monday ~ Chicken & Dressing, and Green Peas.

I used a bag of already cooked and diced chicken along with a container of dressing, two containers of broth, butter, and celery that all came out of the freezer. Which opened up space in that freezer.

I also used up the last container of Pepperidge Farm dressing. I served this with a side dish of green peas. I used up the last of my sage in this dish, so I added it to my grocery list. I'll check Ollie's the next time I go as they have spices regularly priced inexpensively.

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

Fourth & Final Frugal Friday of March 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Belinda) — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 05:08:00 +0000

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 week I didn't have any doctor appointments, which I loved. I was able to stay home, had multiple no spend days and conserved my gasoline.
Last Friday I had to be in town for an appointment, and afterwards I went to one yard sale. I picked up two Ball canning books for 25 cents each, which was a bargain. She also had groceries there, which she was offering for free, so I picked up a bottle of P.F. Chang's Teriyaki sauce.
Adding to the list of things that can break down during Miserly March, now our washing machine is acting up, sigh. Bailey thinks she can fix it though, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. and the tool to fix it has been ordered. In the meantime, I've been using Dad's washer/dryer combo downstairs.
We also ordered our new air conditioner for the house, which was delivered on Thursday. Now we just have to have it installed. This time we bought the Friedrich Smart AC brand, which came highly recommended by the Reddit board, Buy it For Life.
Saving Money on Gas
Last Friday I pumped $36.64 worth of gas in my car at a cost of $3.59 per gallon, which was a discounted price.
Due to the price of gas, we decided to stay home from yard sales last Saturday and have no plans to go this weekend either.

The state of Georgia has decided to suspend the state tax on gasoline through May 20 due to the issues with Iran and the strait of Hormuz. We are only a few miles from Georgia and frequently shop there, so we will be filling up there for the time being.
Now Tennessee is considering a similar state gas tax relief. Tennessee governor open to gas tax holiday as lawmakers push for relief at the pump.
One of the members of the Living Simply Facebook group, who is visiting Australia, mentioned that gas has reached $12 per gallon there. Let’s hope that gas prices do not reach that high here and hope for relief for those currently in Australia.
Blog News
Somehow I accidently deleted my list of blogs I read on the side bar, and I lost several of them in the process. I've been trying to get them all back but I know I may have missed some of them. If it looks a little odd for a while, as I work to fix this issue, you'll know why.
Freebies
- P. F. Chang's Teriyaki Sauce
Saving Money YouTube Videos

Here is a video from Sarah of the Frozen Pennies YouTube channel. This is a good video on how people saved money back in the 1970s. She has some great tips on how they saved money on gasoline back then that are relevant to us today, so I wanted to share this.
The gas saving segment begins at the 6:47 minute mark.
Here is a segment from this video:

"Gas prices skyrocketed during the 1973 oil crisis and driving became more of a luxury than a convenience. As a result, many families coordinated rides, consolidated errands, and planned every trip carefully. Every gallon saved was money in the bank. Car pooling cut commuting costs in half or more, and fewer trips meant less gas, less wear on the car, and fewer impulse buys. With fuel prices remaining volatile, this habit can significantly reduce monthly transportation expenses. "

My Reading Nook ~ What I've been Reading This Week
Cath Armstrong from the Cheapskates Club recently did a story for 9News on how she restocks her pantry once a year. By doing this Cath keeps her grocery budget low and eliminates food waste.
Wendy Gower of the My Abundant Life blog also has an article on how they spend about $37.50 a week on their grocery budget.
Rising energy costs are making grocery shopping more expensive ~ From the Consumer Affairs website, rising energy costs are pushing up prices across the food supply chain. As consumers we have a big stake here, If gas remains elevated, food inflation could persist, adding pressure to already strained household budgets.
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