The Frugal Girl
JULY 4, 2023
Fifteen years ago today, I typed the first post on this blog. Man. I just wrote that sentence out and I can hardly believe it. Fifteen years! That’s so wild. 30-year-old me in July of 2008 When I started this blog, I had no idea I’d still be writing here a decade and a half later. I also seriously had no idea about some of the twists and turns my life would take. 2023 me, with a guest appearance by Chiquita ?
Family Balance Sheet
JULY 10, 2023
Frugal living is not about deprivation. Instead, I look for creative ways to save my family money in all aspects of our lives. My goal has always been to live well on less while achieving our big financial goals. Some months are more successful than others. This update includes how we frugal-ed in April, May, and June. This Month’s Frugal Shenanigans: 1 – We sold stuff online and made $800 My husband has been a selling machine on Facebook Marketplace.
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Saving Everyday
JULY 20, 2023
I’ve rounded up the Best Quick Service at Epcot , savory food edition. Share with friends and snack your way around the World Showcase! If you’re a foodie, eating and drinking around the world showcase at Epcot is a must! With hundreds of options, it’s a food lovers paradise, and there is something for everyone. Narrowing down the best quick service at Epcot was hard, and many dishes didn’t make the cut!
The Frugal Girl
JULY 25, 2023
1. I got a wheelbarrow from my Buy Nothing group Someone was moving out of town and offered up a rather old wheelbarrow with a flat tire. It was also missing the nuts that hold the wheel assembly on…oddly, someone had just used a bunch of duct tape instead of just getting some new nuts. Which is weird because it’s not like nuts are hard to find.
The Frugal Girl
JULY 24, 2023
Right now, I don’t have any Meet a Reader submissions in my queue (if I missed yours, please comment and let me know!) so I thought, “hmm, maybe I should interview myself.” Because maybe there are some questions in this list that I haven’t really covered before! 1. Tell us a little about yourself Haha, I feel like most of you know everything I could say here, but I’ll see what I can do.
The Frugal Girl
JULY 26, 2023
This is a super simple recipe, so simple I feel a little bit silly sharing it! But it’s been requested a bunch of times since it’s appeared in my menu posts repeatedly. I got this recipe from Dinner Illustrated, a very useful cookbook from America’s Test Kitchen; it’s nothing but dinner meals (which are the most necessary recipes, in my opinion!
The Frugal Girl
JULY 3, 2023
Last summer, Sonia was saying she’d like another bookshelf. Remember this free one that I did for her a few years ago? Click here for lots of before, during, and after pictures of that project! I love that bookshelf so, so much. It’s such a solid piece and has classic, beautiful lines. Anyway, since she’s the only child left at the other house, she’s converted one of the bedrooms into a little office for herself, and a bookshelf seemed like an important addition.
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The Frugal Girl
JULY 19, 2023
In case you’re just joining us: I’m not necessarily trying to empty my chest freezer entirely by doing this challenge. But I am trying to use up odds and ends…those things you throw in the freezer so you don’t let them go bad. That’s a good strategy, but unless you actually eat those things, the freezer just ends up being a pit stop on the way to the trash can.
The Frugal Girl
JULY 5, 2023
So, last Wednesday, I posted a photographic inventory of the contents of my kitchen freezer. And I promised an update in a week, so, here we go! I’m not done using it all up, so this is just a midway update. ? These are the meats I started with. I thawed the chicken tenders, browned them in a little oil with salt and pepper, and then shredded and sauteed them with salsa, green onions, and cumin, to make a filling for two quesadillas.
The Frugal Girl
JULY 21, 2023
What I Spent I spent: $32 at Aldi $6 at Giant $9.50 at Safeway $20 at the mall $20 on funnel cakes What We Ate Saturday I grilled some burgers for us, and I realized, wow, hamburger bun packages are really not designed for households of two. And you will see on Monday and Tuesday, I made efforts to serve meals that used up the rest of the buns! (I know I could freeze them but man, I’m tryin’ to eat down my freezer right now, not add random things to it.
The Frugal Girl
JULY 6, 2023
This week, I am thankful: that I have a stethoscope A dear reader who is a retired nurse sent me a stethoscope and I am pretty excited about that. ? The only payment she requested was a picture, so I’ll share it with you guys too. I have no idea yet what I’m doing with this thing, but I am happy. ? Also, look, I have my official scrubs! that almost all my health examinations are approved For some reason, my Covid vaccination card hasn’t been accepted yet (it seems to be a glitc
The Frugal Girl
JULY 7, 2023
What I Spent gratuitous Chiquita picture because she was there while I was also photographing some food for this post. I spent: $69 at Aldi $40 on a Hungry Harvest box So, $109 for me. What We Ate Saturday Hibachi over rice, with yum yum sauce, OF COURSE. Hibachi without yum yum sauce would be rather sad! Here’s how I make my inauthentic hibachi.
The Frugal Girl
JULY 17, 2023
I wasn’t sure if I should file this under Fail or Win. But either way, I wanted to tell you about it because hey, it could be interesting and informative. I was not looking for a chair to paint, but as I was scrolling through my Facebook feed, I saw an interesting-looking chair pop up on a free stuff group. It had the kind of aesthetic I thought Sonia might enjoy, so I offered to come pick it up.
The Frugal Girl
JULY 31, 2023
Hello, everyone! Today we are meeting a European reader, Julie. She told me she’s a little nervous, but I assured her that you all are lovely and that things will be fine. ? Here’s Julie! 1. Tell us a little about yourself Hi! I will be 62 years old in August, and I’ve been married for 35 years with two grown up daughters aged 30 and 28.
The Frugal Girl
JULY 10, 2023
A few years back, I did this kind of post monthly, and I thought it would be fun to dust off this blog post genre. Since I’m The Frugal Girl, most things on this list are cheap or free! What I’m Reading Trauma Room Two Because I can’t stop reading medical memoir-type books…I read Trauma Room Two. Written by an ER doctor, it’s a collection of fictional medical stories that are based on his actual real-life experiences as a doctor.
The Frugal Girl
JULY 13, 2023
This week I am thankful: for a small break in the humidity It has been so super muggy here, but for a couple of days this week, the air dried out a bit. That sure helps things feel more comfortable outside. I sort of make peace with the fact that I am mostly not going to love the weather in July and August. I expect every day to be terribly muggy and hot, and then I am just very grateful if a day happens to be faintly pleasant. ?
The Frugal Girl
JULY 28, 2023
What I Spent First, wanna see a super random lunch I had? I frequently make breakfast or lunch by opening my fridge, peering around, and grabbing whatever needs to be used up. Sometimes this results in a cohesive-looking meal. Other times…it doesn’t. Here’s an example! I sliced up some cabbage (I have half a head leftover from a previous recipe) and I mixed it with some leftover tzatziki sauce.
The Frugal Girl
JULY 12, 2023
Alrighty! I’m back with a freezer update. As a reminder, here’s what I had to use up the last time I updated. Annnnnd here’s how it went! OJ Concentrate/Peaches I used some of the OJ concentrate by mixing it with a can of seltzer water. I also used some in a smoothie, along with the bag of peaches. Tortillas I used two tortillas when I made breakfast tacos for myself (which also used up the last of a jalapeno, and a wrinkly red pepper).
The Frugal Girl
JULY 27, 2023
This week, I am thankful: that we are decidedly not in a drought now Our summer started off very dry, but we’ve had regular thunderstorms now for a while and the world is very green and wet here. It does make the air more humid, but hey, that’s summer here on the east coast. for the interesting fungi that resulted from the rain Yesterday I walked on a trail I hadn’t been on for a while, and whoa, there were tons of colorful and interesting fungi all around!
The Frugal Girl
JULY 14, 2023
What I Spent I spent: $25 at Aldi $26 at Potbelly $17 at Safeway So, $68 for me. A pretty low week even with the Potbelly stop! Perhaps my eat-down-the-freezer efforts paid off a bit. ? What We Ate Saturday Pizza! Sunday Zoe and I got Potbelly together; I did pay full price for our sandwiches, but I got a half-price shake for Zoe and a free cookie for me, using the app.
The Frugal Girl
JULY 11, 2023
1. I got a free lamp I was on Facebook Marketplace looking for something else entirely, and then I noticed that someone had a lamp that was originally listed for $10, but currently marked down to $0. I said, “Ooh, that is a price I like.” Interior designer Maria Killam is always saying that every home could do with more lamps , so I decided to pick this one up.
The Frugal Girl
JULY 20, 2023
This week, I am thankful: for my dad’s air compressor Several of you suggested that I might want to blow out my second-hand fans, so I stopped by my dad’s garage and went at it. the Facebook Marketplace fans As soon as I pointed the compressor inside the fan, chunks of dust began to fly out. So satisfying! Right up there with power-washing in terms of immediate gratification.
Saving Everyday
JULY 2, 2023
Tangy Tomato Dressing is slightly sweet, smoky, tangy, and addictive. You’ll want to drizzle it on everything, not just salads! Tomato season is here, and I’ll be gorging on their ripe, juicy goodness for the foreseeable future. With the exception of a good old-fashioned tomato sandwich, this Tangy Tomato Dressing is my new favorite way to use them!
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