Friday, November 5, 2021

Frugal Friday

Most of my wins feel like they happened in the kitchen this week. The motto for my week could be using up food waste, & mentoring. It's not a very catchy slogan, though. ;-) It's funny how things tend to group up in certain weeks. 

Saving on things we buy

  • Used a gift card (that earned grocery store rewards) to offset about half the cost of a flight for a planned girls trip next spring. 

Earning money

  • I still haven't been adding new things to eBay, but I sold a workout tank top from the beach house.

Avoiding spending

  • I received a free 60 minute massage from work. I combined that with meeting a friend for lunch (food at lunch is still free, but I'm rarely there) & charged the electric car for free as well. Triple win! I did tip the masseuse out of pocket, but all in all, it was a very frugal afternoon. 
  • Fetch had an offer on Klondike ice cream bars (100% free), so I picked some up at the grocery store. They are a fun treat for the kids. It was also triple points day at the grocery store, so I earned a small amount of extra rewards from the freebie. 
  • Nick made a loaf of homemade bread, to go with our beef stew for dinner. 

Eating what we have

  • We (well, mostly me) valiantly ate through the bits & bobs in the fridge, after having guests. Garlic bread, manicotti, bagged salad, a tiny portion of pasta, chicken tenders, frozen lasagna, etc. It makes me happy when we minimize waste. 
  • We ate the first round of four delicious pomegranates from the garden
  • I made a bunch of meals, using veggies that were getting close to needing to be tossed: beef stew, chicken & dumplings, & a bolognese sauce
  • I used leftover pot roast (freezer) for the beef stew meat. We weren't a fan of it in its original form, but loved it in the stew. 
  • I used abundant garden tomatoes in both the beef stew & the bolognese
  • I defrosted pumpkin puree to use in a batch of pumpkin muffins. Now it's time to again roast & process our Halloween pumpkins. 
  • I used grilled tomatoes (then frozen) leftover from kebab nights to stretch out the leftover bolognese sauce into a second meal. Also added three fresh tomatoes that needed to be used, and tossed in some meatballs. I froze the tomatoes because I didn't want to waste them, but had no good ideas at the time I froze them. Glad they were used, & out of the freezer. 

For others

  • Helped my non-profit with a project
  • Attended a kick off for my mentorship with an Afghani woman who is relocating
  • Started mentoring someone at work
That's it from my side. What about you? What wins did you have for the week?

14 comments:

  1. Wins mostly in the kitchen are still wins! I have been in a vigilant no waste mood too. It changes things from wants to just making something to keep from wasting foods.
    What a wonderful mentorship!

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    1. I even inventoried the freezer! Now I know what kind of odds & ends I need to use up.

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  2. I love weeks like you describe as well-I feel on top of things when I am being resourceful.I too am not a big roast beef fan, but if the beef is used in stew, or shredded for sandwiches, then I do. I think I had too many dry roasts growling up-not my mom's best meal.

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    1. Agreed - we prefer meat to have a lot of flavor, and a great texture, and not all recipes give you that.

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  3. I think you did a great job with your wins this week! You are inspiring!

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    1. I'm always inspired by all of the other blogs. It reminds me that there are so many ways to make smart choices with your time, money, etc.

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  4. I love how your repurposed so many food items. I like to do the same whenever I can.

    I love roast beef, but I make it my own way. Pot roast. I first sear beef, then add to instant pot or slow cooker. Add a jar of Heinz beef with onions gravy, diced onions, salt/pepper and let it cook. I add some carrots near the end and thicken the gravy. I sometimes add another jar of gravy if needed. The meat always falls apart, it's so tender. DMIL said my beef pot roast is the best she's ever eaten.

    I always use the leftover beef to make a beef pot pie or burritos. It doesn't have burrito flavors, but if you top the burritos with muenster cheese before baking, you won't even notice the different in flavors.

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  5. Wins in the kitchen are still wins in my books.

    God bless.

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    1. There are lots of opportunities, and these days with food prices, it feels like I should be paying a lot of attention to what we have.

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  6. I feel like the majority of my frugal wins happen in the kitchen too. Sounds like a good week for you. I listed one or two things on eBay this week, but I could list a few more things. I need to add it to my to do list.

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    1. I seriously need to get on top of eBay, I've just done really nothing & it shows!

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  7. I'm so glad you mentioned the Fetch Klondike offer. I had no idea they had offers for free products and it still looks like I have a few days left to pick those up and redeem for the reward. What a treat!

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    1. Interestingly, the only free Fetch offers I've found have been ice cream related! :-) Glad you still have time to find it.

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