Frugal Friday

I went grocery shopping last week and came away feeling discouraged at the cost of everything. Prices keep going up and that doesn't seem to be stopping any time soon.

I am thankful that I've learned to make ends meet and the value of being frugal. It's easy to slip out of that, but seeing the increasing cost of everything is making me realize I need to readjust where our money goes. The past month we have been hit with a huge tax bill and the promise that next year it will be higher. We've also had to do costly repairs on two of the cars. So I'm rising to the challenge and taking a look at our budget and see where we can cut costs.

The first way was this summer I planted a small garden with lettuce, spinach, swiss chard, radishes, peppers and herbs. The chard didn't really take off but everything else is doing well. I should say all except my pepper plants which for some reason the deer are enjoying! 

I love fresh greens and it's nice to go out and pick whatever I need.

I still make everything from scratch and it truly is much more cost effective. I try to be efficient in what I'm doing to squeeze the most time out of my day.

Yesterday I worked at the church in the morning, came home and made two batches of cookie dough to bake later in the day. I made cookies for a friend's party and waited to bake these until it was cooler.

I've been working hard to not waste food. I hate when I buy something and then it sits in the refrigerator and spoils. I've been saving the veggie scraps in a bag in the freezer along with any bones I have from a dinner. Then I put them all in a roasting pan when I have enough, cover them with water and simmer it and strain it to make broth.

I canceled our television streaming and have researched a much less expensive company. 

One expense is the cost of cutting and coloring my hair so I will just stick with the haircut and do the coloring myself. I already cut Dan and Nathan's hair which saves us money.

We are taking a vacation this summer and it will more than likely be mostly little day trips where I find inexpensive or free things to do. We like hiking and that is always free!

I need new curtains on a few of the windows and while it would be easier to go out and purchase them, I have fabric and the capability to make my own so that is on my list of projects for this month. 

We've been making a point of not doing take-out and eating in. There are some days when I don't feel like cooking but I'll check out a few recipes and inspiration will hit. Last night we did order in but used a gift card we had been given so it cost us nothing.

Our anniversary is tomorrow and the plan is to go hiking, pack a picnic lunch and just enjoy nature and each other. In some ways it's easier to focus on each other's company without all the distraction of a restaurant meal.

I've been doing most of my grocery shopping at a local farm market and Aldi which saves money. I really dislike shopping and in the past have tended to go to a one stop store but I find that I end up spending more money that way. So I've been working on just doing what it takes! The stores are on top of each other here so it's really not that much effort to make a couple of stops instead of one.

One thing we have not cut is our giving. We still feel like that is the priority and how can we expect God to bless us when we are tight-fisted with the blessings He has given us?

Those are some of the ways I'm tightening my belt and working to make ends meet. How are you doing?

"Use it up. Wear it out. Make it do or do without."