Frugal Friday Week #40
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Here on the blog I post I lot of how-tos and recipes but I’ve often thought that it might be even more helpful for my readership to get a better glimpse inside of what our simple/homestead/from scratch/frugal life really looks like. This series was started in 2023 to provide more of a peek into our regular everyday life and how we put things together.
Frugal Friday Week #40
This series is called Frugal Friday! Each week I share what we’ve been up to and how we live frugally.
But this weekly post wouldn’t be nearly as interesting if it weren’t for you. The comments sections is all for you to leave your story from this week. How YOU lived frugally so that we can all keep each other accountable.
Side Note: If you missed the last few months, I shared that we are currently living in a tiny home (camper) to travel and do ministry work in rural places for part of the winter as we take a temporary break from our homestead.
Meal Highlights
We stuck with very simple things this week. Picnic-type meals which consisted of some kind of veggies, fruits, and meat. We tried to eat up most of what we had in the fridge before we did a larger shopping trip.
Shopping We Did
We stocked up at Costco and also got a few things from Target and Trader Joe’s when we finally did go shopping. I honestly can’t remember our spending amounts for this week, but I remember it being less than I thought it would be, so that was good!
We stocked up on a bunch of stuff at Costco so there are many things we won’t need for a while. We also got everything else we wanted for Christmas for gifts and meals.
How We Lived Frugal This Week
This week we spent the whole week in Texas and I have to say…we loved it! Most of our time was spent on the Gulf Coast, but even when we weren’t, we still loved it.
We were lucky enough to stay on the beach for 5 nights total for a cost of $40 (2 nights we had electricity for $15 a night, and then we needed to dump and fill water which cost $10, the other nights were all free). We didn’t really go anywhere else during that time, so after school, the kids could play on the beach while we worked.
We took the opportunity to learn about Texas history as well as Gulf Coast science by watching free videos on YouTube and listening to audiobooks on our Everand app. We ended the week with a trip to the Alamo (which was also free). It was a lot of great schooling that didn’t cost much this week!
Blog Posts I Wrote
I continued to work on Christmas and holiday-themed posts on the blog this week. Here’s what I wrote and updated:
- How to Make a Brrr Basket – This was a fun little trend to jump on this week!
- How to Make Yarn Dolls – We love making these simple little dolls. It’s a great way to use scrap fabric.
- Amish Cinnamon Rolls – My all time favorite recipe for Cinnamon Rolls. You have to try it!
- Old Fashioned Scalloped Potatoes – This is my mom’s recipe, and it’s such a good one. No boxed potatoes here!
- Classic Cheese Ball Recipe – This super easy cheeseball is frugal to make and can be done in 5 minutes.
- How to Have a Simple, Frugal Christmas – This brand new guest post this week shares an insight into how to save on Christmas gifts.
- Homemade Hand Warmers – These are great for cold winter days!
- 7 Homemade Popcorn Seasonings – I added this brand new blog post with lots of popcorn seasoning recipes and ideas. So yummy!
- How to Make Peanut Butter – Ever wanted to make your own peanut butter? Here’s how! This might be a unique gift idea too.
- Cranberry Orange Mini Loaves – These are my favorite things to make and take for neighbor gifts.
- Gluten Free Gingerbread House – Need an allergen free gingerbread house for the family? Here’s how to make one!
- Red Velvet Cake with No Dye – If you are looking for a stunning piece for your holiday table, this cake might be it!
- DIY Sugar Honey Scrub – This is a great little gift addition to a gift basket or make some for yourself!
- Homemade Taverns Recipe – This super frugal sandwich is something my Granny used to make.
- Old Fashioned Christmas Cookies – Looking for more cookie recipes to try? All of these old fashioned recipes are from a long time ago!
Looking Ahead
We are currently hanging out in the desert for the next week before we head back home for Christmas. 🙂
Side note: If you are located in southern Texas, New Mexico, or Arizona and know of a service project that a church or organization needs help with, please contact me at [email protected].
Merissa Alink
Merissa has been blogging about and living the simple and frugal life on Little House Living since 2009 and has internationally published 2 books on the topic. You can read about Merissa’s journey from penniless to freedom on the About Page. You can send her a message any time from the Contact Page.
It’s interesting to follow you and I’m excited to see how God uses you and your husband over the winter months. For the past month, after we got a new freezer I’ve been cooking from what we have on hand. Over the winter the only things we should need to buy is milk, butter, cheese and other dairy needs. We’ve been eating at home more as well. I love cooking in the cooler and colder months. God bless and may you be a blessing to those people God brings in your path. Merry Christmas
It’s neat to see new places, but nice to go home at Christmas!
We have been eating more at home. I am using grass-fed hamburger bought from a local farmer. We set up a home exercise area with a $4.99 a yard colorful carpet underneath. This is in the basement. I am knitting scarves with acrylic. If the yarn is scratchy on neck, I add a softer acrylic lining to back of neck in a coordinating color. I then add this color to the ends of the scarf. My design idea. Setting up some of garden area, with husband today.
I have been busy sewing and tying quilts for disaster relief. Also, I have been tracing liners to be serged for days for girls.
Book to art club is today. We share an art project we did reflecting on the book.
I made meals with 99 cent per lb ham. My husband made baked beans in the slow cooker.
Have fun and enjoy your travels.
Hi!! When you do a Costco run, and living in a camper, how do you store the bulk items that you purchase? depending on what was purchase, it’s challenging to store in a camper. I am asking since my niece is living in a camper right now with three little ones under the age of 5. I know Costco has great deals so I wanted to pass along any helpful frugal ideas her way. God bless you in your ministry efforts
At the moment I have some of the things stored under the cushions in the bench style table. I also have a “shelf” that some things can sit on that’s in the main living space. It’s not a lot of extra space but enough to get things like gluten free bread, chips, etc.
I haven’t been able to post in a few weeks, but I must say that after a 3 night (in total, 2 trips), my BNL was able to install our new inverter and our second battery for our solar. This is allowing me to have a residential fridge; which is amazing! I put everything from my old fridge, which was packed to the brim into my new one and I still had 2/3 of space left. I went grocery shopping for the majority of the month and still had room, LOVE IT! I am now able to decrease my shopping days; hopefully to every 3 weeks as I tend to spend the same amount of money each time I go to town whether it’s once a week or every other week. I haven’t thrown any fruits/vegetables away from them being frozen or too hot like my old fridge. We did have to spend 2 days in the dark as adjustments were being made between the solar, back-up generator, and our breakers. It was a fun adventure and I was able to light my oil lamps, play games, and not have to worry about internet, TV, and phone. Although it did require us to drive up to our old “phone booth” to make daily calls, which we did for years before getting our Starlink internet. It makes you appreciate the old days and the modern conveniences all in one. I must say it wasn’t difficult, we were prepared, even though we weren’t expecting to loose electricity, and it showed me how much time we waste in the evenings after dark watching TV.
I love hearing about your adventures; God bless you!