I did not really spend much money this week. I bought two containers of raisins at Wags this week, and I went to Aldi's to get milk, buns and eggs. That is it. I love having built up a stockpile of food through the challenge that Precious set up. I have plenty of food for meals and the trips. It makes life so much easier in the busy busy summer weeks to not have to keep going to the store. Thanks Precious for the inspiration to get this done! By using some of the ideas shared on Precious's blog, I also got my power bill down to lower than $50 for gas and electricity for the past month. That is great compared to what it has been running. Just goes to show you that all the little things do add up to savings.
So how have your savings been adding up?
Showing posts with label Savings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Savings. Show all posts
Friday, July 17, 2009
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Home Made Food
I am really getting into this whole home made bread thing. I made another loaf of bread, rolls, and a pita bread last night. I got home and decided to make the bread and it is so easy, I get to multi-task while making it. I am still getting ready for my weekend trip, but got basically three loaves of bread made. And it tastes so good. I am glad I found that book. I also have been enjoying all the other stuff I made on Sunday. I did a lot of batch cooking again. I made tuna casserole, taco stew (usually called soup but I don't make mine that thin), hard boiled eggs for egg salad, pasta salad and healthy sloppy joes. I just had a really good time making everything from scratch. It all tastes better and there is no added salt to anything, just good for you herbs and spices.
I am guessing that it is also a lot cheaper than buying stuff at the store. For example, the taco soup that I make, I used a pound of turkey ($1), one bag of kidney beans ($1), two cans of corn ($1), one can of tomatoes ($.50) and then homemade seasoning mixes (guestimate of $.25). I will get at least 7 meals out of this. I packaged them individually and then stuck them in the freezer. That means that for just over $.50 each, I have just made 7 main courses or total meals. I may add bread or some other veggie if I am really hungry. All in all, even if I add something else to the meal, I can't beat a meal with a cost of around $1. And since I batch cooked, I do not have to keep turning on the oven and stove, I can just microwave it when mealtime rolls around.
I have not calculated for every meal what the cost is, but I am confident that it is cheaper than prepared food from the store, with a whole lot less salt.
I also wanted to add that in many of my dishes, I use shredded carrots. You cannot tell they are in there, you don't taste them, and you will get an extra serving of veggies. I added them this past weekend to the pasta salad, the tuna salad and the healthy joes. Instant serving of veggies for those picky eaters.
I am guessing that it is also a lot cheaper than buying stuff at the store. For example, the taco soup that I make, I used a pound of turkey ($1), one bag of kidney beans ($1), two cans of corn ($1), one can of tomatoes ($.50) and then homemade seasoning mixes (guestimate of $.25). I will get at least 7 meals out of this. I packaged them individually and then stuck them in the freezer. That means that for just over $.50 each, I have just made 7 main courses or total meals. I may add bread or some other veggie if I am really hungry. All in all, even if I add something else to the meal, I can't beat a meal with a cost of around $1. And since I batch cooked, I do not have to keep turning on the oven and stove, I can just microwave it when mealtime rolls around.
I have not calculated for every meal what the cost is, but I am confident that it is cheaper than prepared food from the store, with a whole lot less salt.
I also wanted to add that in many of my dishes, I use shredded carrots. You cannot tell they are in there, you don't taste them, and you will get an extra serving of veggies. I added them this past weekend to the pasta salad, the tuna salad and the healthy joes. Instant serving of veggies for those picky eaters.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Update for Several Days (Where Have I Been?)
Wow, I feel like I have been out of commission here for a long time even though it has only been four days.
I have been to the grocery stores several times over these last few days taking advantage of sales and q's that were about to expire. I now have a completely full deep freezer. I did not fill up the freezer on the fridge as it runs more efficiently when less than full so air can circulate. I also found Parmalat milk. I was looking and asking for advice on The Pound to see if anyone had suggestions as I could not find it. Well, this weekend I found it. I bought a couple of the containers. They are not big containers, but they will be perfect for my trips. I also have been taking advantage of the Vitaminwater10 q. It expires in a few days so if you are hoping to use it-hop to it. Most of the stores here have had the water on sale for a dollar, so I only pay a few cents tax. Gotta love FREE!
I also got gas this weekend. It cost me $75 to fill my tank. The gas prices have leveled off here for a couple of days now. The prices jumped a total of $.74 in nine days. Wow. I am sure it will continue to rise.
I plan to have my May monthly totals tomorrow. I did not have time to sort everything out last night as I went to the store again to get more vitamin water, and some flours and an oven thermometer so I can start making my bread. I plan to start the bread process tomorrow night for bread in five minutes a day. I hope that goes well! I will let you know. I also was getting my van ready for the weekend trip. I pulled everything that was washable out to wash last night. I was still washing this morning and I have two more loads tonight. (We have blankets, sleeping bags, sheets, pillows, throws, left over clothes, etc in there.)
As for the update on the Yesterday's news cat litter: My cats would like to tell you
"we do not like this stinky cat litter. We will not use it and you can't make us." This is a first for me as my cats have eaten just about any cat food and have used all cat litters that I have put in the box. I think that one of my kitties tried it, but only once and as far as I can tell no more even checking it out, pawing it, nothing. But we do have really full litter boxes for the other two. I will have to dump it for this weekend so my poor kitties are not trying to go in just the two litter boxes all weekend. I don't know what to do with the other half of the bag either....
I do not do the weekly meal plan because more often than not I do batch cooking on my Sunday at home for about two weeks worth of food. This Sunday, I was out looking at a motor home. It was about two and a half hours away, and it was owned by this wonderful older couple. They were very crafty and handy and we sat for about an hour talking shop about building, sewing, knitting, painting, crocheting, and quilting. Finally we made our way home. So no batch cooking for me.
In an effort to save money by not eating out, I will not buy pizza at lunch today even though that is what I wanted. I found some leftovers in the fridge that I might have needed to throw out if I did not eat them today or tomorrow. They became my meals for today. No extra money spent on food, and no waste. A win-win! Woo Hoo!
I will be back tomorrow with monthly totals and all that good stuff. And I will hopefully remember to take pics when I do the bread start tonight. Then the baking begins tomorrow!
I have been to the grocery stores several times over these last few days taking advantage of sales and q's that were about to expire. I now have a completely full deep freezer. I did not fill up the freezer on the fridge as it runs more efficiently when less than full so air can circulate. I also found Parmalat milk. I was looking and asking for advice on The Pound to see if anyone had suggestions as I could not find it. Well, this weekend I found it. I bought a couple of the containers. They are not big containers, but they will be perfect for my trips. I also have been taking advantage of the Vitaminwater10 q. It expires in a few days so if you are hoping to use it-hop to it. Most of the stores here have had the water on sale for a dollar, so I only pay a few cents tax. Gotta love FREE!
I also got gas this weekend. It cost me $75 to fill my tank. The gas prices have leveled off here for a couple of days now. The prices jumped a total of $.74 in nine days. Wow. I am sure it will continue to rise.
I plan to have my May monthly totals tomorrow. I did not have time to sort everything out last night as I went to the store again to get more vitamin water, and some flours and an oven thermometer so I can start making my bread. I plan to start the bread process tomorrow night for bread in five minutes a day. I hope that goes well! I will let you know. I also was getting my van ready for the weekend trip. I pulled everything that was washable out to wash last night. I was still washing this morning and I have two more loads tonight. (We have blankets, sleeping bags, sheets, pillows, throws, left over clothes, etc in there.)
As for the update on the Yesterday's news cat litter: My cats would like to tell you
"we do not like this stinky cat litter. We will not use it and you can't make us." This is a first for me as my cats have eaten just about any cat food and have used all cat litters that I have put in the box. I think that one of my kitties tried it, but only once and as far as I can tell no more even checking it out, pawing it, nothing. But we do have really full litter boxes for the other two. I will have to dump it for this weekend so my poor kitties are not trying to go in just the two litter boxes all weekend. I don't know what to do with the other half of the bag either....
I do not do the weekly meal plan because more often than not I do batch cooking on my Sunday at home for about two weeks worth of food. This Sunday, I was out looking at a motor home. It was about two and a half hours away, and it was owned by this wonderful older couple. They were very crafty and handy and we sat for about an hour talking shop about building, sewing, knitting, painting, crocheting, and quilting. Finally we made our way home. So no batch cooking for me.
In an effort to save money by not eating out, I will not buy pizza at lunch today even though that is what I wanted. I found some leftovers in the fridge that I might have needed to throw out if I did not eat them today or tomorrow. They became my meals for today. No extra money spent on food, and no waste. A win-win! Woo Hoo!
I will be back tomorrow with monthly totals and all that good stuff. And I will hopefully remember to take pics when I do the bread start tonight. Then the baking begins tomorrow!
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Challenge Update
For Wednesday:
I will have my car greased tonight. My mechanic says it will only take him a few minutes. I asked him what he would charge and he did not answer me. I will probably give him $10 for his time and grease even if he says no charge. I do not want to be greedy and take advantage of him.
I gave my cats a treat this morning of a can of tuna. I can usually get tuna cheaper than cat food. I use only one can of tuna and two cans of cat food. The only time I get canned cat food is when Kmart is doing their doubles. Then I can get the food for cheaper than the cheap-o tuna.
I made my lunch for today. I made tuna salad, found some leftover taco soup ( not really sure how long it has been in there, but it smelled all right!), and brought some green beans. If I need a snack of some sort later, I have some popcorn that I keep at work.
Tonight, I am going to meet up with a friend of my dad's. She is a single mom(I think), and she has four kids. She wants to learn how to coupon! Hopefully another new face on The Pound!
I have been turning the heat down to 58 or 60 degrees. The heat does still come on occasionally. I did turn it up yesterday morning and this morning while I was getting ready for work and I was cold. I just turn it down before I leave for work.
I keep the lights off in the rooms I am not in. In fact, the two upstairs rooms have no items plugged in at all. The storage room downstairs only has a lamp plugged in, the kitchen has only the fridge and stove that stays plugged in because I unplug all appliances when not in use. The living room only has one lamp and one "nightlight" plugged in to timers to come on at some point in the evening. The lamp goes out fairly early, and the "nightlight" goes out in the morning when it starts getting light outside. I do not even have the t.v. on a power strip, it is just not plugged into anything!
I will try to find something to fix for dinner if I get home early enough to have for lunches and freezer meals. I had several errands to run last night and did not get home early enough. I ended up being at my sister's house until around 11:30!
I ordered a windshield for my van at the car recycling center yesterday, and they have a guy that will put it in on Saturday's for a discounted rate. It will save me about $100 going through these folks. The crack in my windshield is now pretty large and you can definitely tell it is there. I want to get it fixed before I get a ticket. Then I would have to pay for the ticket and to repair the windshield anyway. I had to get the money from my dad though. I did not have enough money to pay for it right now.
I do not plan any shopping today. I have no money right now. Thank goodness Friday is payday!
I will have my car greased tonight. My mechanic says it will only take him a few minutes. I asked him what he would charge and he did not answer me. I will probably give him $10 for his time and grease even if he says no charge. I do not want to be greedy and take advantage of him.
I gave my cats a treat this morning of a can of tuna. I can usually get tuna cheaper than cat food. I use only one can of tuna and two cans of cat food. The only time I get canned cat food is when Kmart is doing their doubles. Then I can get the food for cheaper than the cheap-o tuna.
I made my lunch for today. I made tuna salad, found some leftover taco soup ( not really sure how long it has been in there, but it smelled all right!), and brought some green beans. If I need a snack of some sort later, I have some popcorn that I keep at work.
Tonight, I am going to meet up with a friend of my dad's. She is a single mom(I think), and she has four kids. She wants to learn how to coupon! Hopefully another new face on The Pound!
I have been turning the heat down to 58 or 60 degrees. The heat does still come on occasionally. I did turn it up yesterday morning and this morning while I was getting ready for work and I was cold. I just turn it down before I leave for work.
I keep the lights off in the rooms I am not in. In fact, the two upstairs rooms have no items plugged in at all. The storage room downstairs only has a lamp plugged in, the kitchen has only the fridge and stove that stays plugged in because I unplug all appliances when not in use. The living room only has one lamp and one "nightlight" plugged in to timers to come on at some point in the evening. The lamp goes out fairly early, and the "nightlight" goes out in the morning when it starts getting light outside. I do not even have the t.v. on a power strip, it is just not plugged into anything!
I will try to find something to fix for dinner if I get home early enough to have for lunches and freezer meals. I had several errands to run last night and did not get home early enough. I ended up being at my sister's house until around 11:30!
I ordered a windshield for my van at the car recycling center yesterday, and they have a guy that will put it in on Saturday's for a discounted rate. It will save me about $100 going through these folks. The crack in my windshield is now pretty large and you can definitely tell it is there. I want to get it fixed before I get a ticket. Then I would have to pay for the ticket and to repair the windshield anyway. I had to get the money from my dad though. I did not have enough money to pay for it right now.
I do not plan any shopping today. I have no money right now. Thank goodness Friday is payday!
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Challenge Update
Wow, I feel remiss. I have not posted anything on here for days.
- did not purchase anything on Friday.
-I did get gas on Saturday. I got $2.50 worth for the lawn mower to mow my yard. Then I spent $50 to fill the tank on my van. On Saturday afternoon, I went with my sister to CVS to help her and spend a few EB. I spent $2.60 of my cash and got back $7 in EB. According to my receipt, I saved $18.69.
-I did not spend any money on Sunday. I did drive to a small town in the next state (IN) about 20 minutes away because I was told that I could get the Indy Star at the IGA there. I was out of luck. They did not carry it. But my mom and I drove past a flower stand. We definitely had to stop. Mom got a plant called a straw flower. I bought nothing, just looked and enjoyed all the beautiful plants. I think that was kind of a waste of gas because I wanted to see about getting the newspaper so that I could get the q's and came home with nothing.
-On Monday morning on the way to work I stopped at Advance Auto to get some gas treatment for my van as it is not running smoothly right now, it seems to be missing. Actually ever since my trip last time. And here I am almost ready to go again. I hope it smooths out before I have to drive down.
-Also on Monday, I took a half a day off work to go with my mom to her doctor appointment in Champaign and to go to Meijer. I found out once we were over there that mom wanted to go to Target first. I spent $1.84 there. I got a camp flashlight for my son that has interchangeable lenses with different creatures on them. It has a spider, snake, frog, lizard, and a moon. I also got a tub of betty crocker frosting for 75 cents. Then we went to meijer. I did not need a lot of groceries, just a few things. I spent $46.05 and saved $32.77. I took advantage of their buy 2 of "x" products and get a free gallon of milk. I got two boxes of wheat thins and used a bogo free q and got a free gallon of milk. I also got 2 oreo cookies and got a free gallon of milk. I planned on buying oreos already for my son and me to eat on this next trip, so I got two and a bonus gallon of milk! I love free!
-On Tuesday, I spent no money again.
-On Wednesday, I am going to buy spark plugs for my van and go to my dad's to see if he can help me change them. If we can do it, that will save me the cost of paying someone else. Hopefully that will fix the missing problem with my van. If this does not fix it, I will be having the fuel filter changed when I get back (and get paid..).
Tuesday night I talked with my friend. She was telling me some of the financial difficulties her family is having right now. They own a farm. They have crops from last year that they have not sold yet. She is happy that her husband is no longer working a full time job on top of running the farm, but now they do not have as much money. She told me that they did shop around and found that they can save a little over $200 a month by bundling some of their services for internet, cells, and satellite. Her big expense that she did not know how to lower was groceries and household and health items. I am going over there next week to hang out for a while, have dinner and borrow some books. I did not tell her but I put a bag together for her and the family with some items out of my stockpile. I put in all kinds of stuff for her. I am so glad to be able to help her like this. I also told her the same thing I told my sister (who did not do it), which was to make a list of the most commonly eaten foods, the items for HBA that they can use if they have preferences. If they don't have specifics that have to be used to let me know that. I will then make a list for her the same time I make mine and get all the corresponding sale ads and then go to the store with her. We would go to walmart so they can price match. She does not go alone as she has three kids and it is too much to try and match sales to coupons, and keep an eye on three kids. I offered that I would go with her to cvs as well to get the really good deals there as well. She was really excited and told me she would most definitely do that. She would really appreciate all the help. I think it would be lots of fun, and I would be helping a friend that has helped me alot in the past. I hope this works out for all of us.
- did not purchase anything on Friday.
-I did get gas on Saturday. I got $2.50 worth for the lawn mower to mow my yard. Then I spent $50 to fill the tank on my van. On Saturday afternoon, I went with my sister to CVS to help her and spend a few EB. I spent $2.60 of my cash and got back $7 in EB. According to my receipt, I saved $18.69.
-I did not spend any money on Sunday. I did drive to a small town in the next state (IN) about 20 minutes away because I was told that I could get the Indy Star at the IGA there. I was out of luck. They did not carry it. But my mom and I drove past a flower stand. We definitely had to stop. Mom got a plant called a straw flower. I bought nothing, just looked and enjoyed all the beautiful plants. I think that was kind of a waste of gas because I wanted to see about getting the newspaper so that I could get the q's and came home with nothing.
-On Monday morning on the way to work I stopped at Advance Auto to get some gas treatment for my van as it is not running smoothly right now, it seems to be missing. Actually ever since my trip last time. And here I am almost ready to go again. I hope it smooths out before I have to drive down.
-Also on Monday, I took a half a day off work to go with my mom to her doctor appointment in Champaign and to go to Meijer. I found out once we were over there that mom wanted to go to Target first. I spent $1.84 there. I got a camp flashlight for my son that has interchangeable lenses with different creatures on them. It has a spider, snake, frog, lizard, and a moon. I also got a tub of betty crocker frosting for 75 cents. Then we went to meijer. I did not need a lot of groceries, just a few things. I spent $46.05 and saved $32.77. I took advantage of their buy 2 of "x" products and get a free gallon of milk. I got two boxes of wheat thins and used a bogo free q and got a free gallon of milk. I also got 2 oreo cookies and got a free gallon of milk. I planned on buying oreos already for my son and me to eat on this next trip, so I got two and a bonus gallon of milk! I love free!
-On Tuesday, I spent no money again.
-On Wednesday, I am going to buy spark plugs for my van and go to my dad's to see if he can help me change them. If we can do it, that will save me the cost of paying someone else. Hopefully that will fix the missing problem with my van. If this does not fix it, I will be having the fuel filter changed when I get back (and get paid..).
Tuesday night I talked with my friend. She was telling me some of the financial difficulties her family is having right now. They own a farm. They have crops from last year that they have not sold yet. She is happy that her husband is no longer working a full time job on top of running the farm, but now they do not have as much money. She told me that they did shop around and found that they can save a little over $200 a month by bundling some of their services for internet, cells, and satellite. Her big expense that she did not know how to lower was groceries and household and health items. I am going over there next week to hang out for a while, have dinner and borrow some books. I did not tell her but I put a bag together for her and the family with some items out of my stockpile. I put in all kinds of stuff for her. I am so glad to be able to help her like this. I also told her the same thing I told my sister (who did not do it), which was to make a list of the most commonly eaten foods, the items for HBA that they can use if they have preferences. If they don't have specifics that have to be used to let me know that. I will then make a list for her the same time I make mine and get all the corresponding sale ads and then go to the store with her. We would go to walmart so they can price match. She does not go alone as she has three kids and it is too much to try and match sales to coupons, and keep an eye on three kids. I offered that I would go with her to cvs as well to get the really good deals there as well. She was really excited and told me she would most definitely do that. She would really appreciate all the help. I think it would be lots of fun, and I would be helping a friend that has helped me alot in the past. I hope this works out for all of us.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Monthly Totals
Now I have my totals!
I am actually posting my monthly totals two months in a row. This month is no where as good as last month. I am including the two times I ate out and the time I got donuts (this is me embarassed now) and they are counted as 1 item each. I am also including the postage I spent this month. I got the forever stamps which come in a book of 20 and I got 5, so I counted them as 5 separate items, and the packages I mailed each count as one, which was a total of 3. I did not count anything from my trips, and I did not count the items I bought for maintenance on my car.
Without further ado:
Number of Items: 199
Total Spent: $327.42
Total Saved: $352.41
Total Value: $679.83
Percent Saved: 52%
A little better than half, I'll take that.
Not up to par with last month, but that was a really good month for me, and I may not do that good again, unless there are some kick ass sales.
I am actually posting my monthly totals two months in a row. This month is no where as good as last month. I am including the two times I ate out and the time I got donuts (this is me embarassed now) and they are counted as 1 item each. I am also including the postage I spent this month. I got the forever stamps which come in a book of 20 and I got 5, so I counted them as 5 separate items, and the packages I mailed each count as one, which was a total of 3. I did not count anything from my trips, and I did not count the items I bought for maintenance on my car.
Without further ado:
Number of Items: 199
Total Spent: $327.42
Total Saved: $352.41
Total Value: $679.83
Percent Saved: 52%
A little better than half, I'll take that.
Not up to par with last month, but that was a really good month for me, and I may not do that good again, unless there are some kick ass sales.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Challenge Update
Still following Precious' Challenge, I have not spent any money hounding since returning home late Sunday night/early Monday morning. I did go and get stamps and mail two packages on Wednesday, but that is not really hounding. I wanted to get the stamps before the price increase and figured I had better do that before I forgot. I do still mail out some of my bills. My water cannot be paid online it must be paid at the local office in town or mail it. I drop it off on my way to or from work. The power company charges for an online or pay by phone and if I pay the power at a local business, I pay again. I mail it, it is cheaper. Everything else I can pay online. Even with trading q's with my fellow hounds, 100 stamps should last a while.
I will have to get groceries tonight. I am running out of meat, and need some fresh fruits and veggies. I have plenty of frozen, but no onions, peppers and the like. I also have some q's expiring today that I would like to use. I will have to go to the dreaded walmart though. They are cheaper around here even if they are rude and unhelpful, and don't carry a lot of brands that I like. Or they carry the brand but not the variety that I like. They got rid of a lot of food items not too long ago to add like two or three isles of alcohol.
On a side note, and to get your opinion, I would really like to have internet at home. I can only access the internet at work or if I want to drive to my mom's house about 10-15 minutes away. I thought about getting a net book and an air card so that I could take it with me to my visits. My son would love that. Unfortunately, an air card is like $60 a month and I don't have that much to spend, even if I could find a net book cheap enough. So I am checking out getting internet service on my phone. I looked it up and went into the store to see what they had. I can get a new phone, case, car charger, and something else for $100 with a $5o mail in rebate. It is a phone with a large screen and a keyboard, but not an iphone or blackberry. It actually is a pantech which is what I have now. I can then add internet service with unlimited access for $15 a month. It does not include text or pic messaging. I am not sure that I would need that. If I wanted to add unlimited text and pic messaging (like to take a photo and load it to my blog here), it would add another $15 a month. I think with no more than I have used those features now, I would not need it. I believe that the most I have ever paid with pay per use texting and messaging was around $3. That is a whole lot less than $15! I would probably use it a lot if I had it but I really don't think I need it. I can access online email since it is internet with no extra charge. I will just have to start using my gmail account more often. So with all this information, what do you think? Should I go for it? It would be useful in my hounding as I could look up deals when I am already at a store and confused on a deal. I could also contact/chat with my hounding buddies in the evening and on the weekends if I chose to. It would also be neat for my son to use it, and for me to use it when I am traveling, especially when I am traveling through bad weather like my mom and I did a couple of weeks ago. But it will increase my bill about $20 total with the tax the gal told me at the store. Should I? Shouldn't I? I am waffling here. I want it but do I need it? Will the benefit outweigh the cost? I just hate parting with this much money without thinking it to death. I do tend to over-analyze everything! I have mostly made up my mind that I should go for it, but just thought I would see what you all think!
I will have to get groceries tonight. I am running out of meat, and need some fresh fruits and veggies. I have plenty of frozen, but no onions, peppers and the like. I also have some q's expiring today that I would like to use. I will have to go to the dreaded walmart though. They are cheaper around here even if they are rude and unhelpful, and don't carry a lot of brands that I like. Or they carry the brand but not the variety that I like. They got rid of a lot of food items not too long ago to add like two or three isles of alcohol.
On a side note, and to get your opinion, I would really like to have internet at home. I can only access the internet at work or if I want to drive to my mom's house about 10-15 minutes away. I thought about getting a net book and an air card so that I could take it with me to my visits. My son would love that. Unfortunately, an air card is like $60 a month and I don't have that much to spend, even if I could find a net book cheap enough. So I am checking out getting internet service on my phone. I looked it up and went into the store to see what they had. I can get a new phone, case, car charger, and something else for $100 with a $5o mail in rebate. It is a phone with a large screen and a keyboard, but not an iphone or blackberry. It actually is a pantech which is what I have now. I can then add internet service with unlimited access for $15 a month. It does not include text or pic messaging. I am not sure that I would need that. If I wanted to add unlimited text and pic messaging (like to take a photo and load it to my blog here), it would add another $15 a month. I think with no more than I have used those features now, I would not need it. I believe that the most I have ever paid with pay per use texting and messaging was around $3. That is a whole lot less than $15! I would probably use it a lot if I had it but I really don't think I need it. I can access online email since it is internet with no extra charge. I will just have to start using my gmail account more often. So with all this information, what do you think? Should I go for it? It would be useful in my hounding as I could look up deals when I am already at a store and confused on a deal. I could also contact/chat with my hounding buddies in the evening and on the weekends if I chose to. It would also be neat for my son to use it, and for me to use it when I am traveling, especially when I am traveling through bad weather like my mom and I did a couple of weeks ago. But it will increase my bill about $20 total with the tax the gal told me at the store. Should I? Shouldn't I? I am waffling here. I want it but do I need it? Will the benefit outweigh the cost? I just hate parting with this much money without thinking it to death. I do tend to over-analyze everything! I have mostly made up my mind that I should go for it, but just thought I would see what you all think!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Challenge Update and My Weekend
I did not spend money on a hotel this weekend so that saved me about $65 dollars. Then we went to walmart and bought a gazeebo. Total spent was $76. About the cost of one night at a hotel. Fortunately I do not have to spend this money again. I had one last year as well, but I only paid about $25 for it and I totally got what I paid for. This new one is pretty nice and should hold up much better. We did also get some McDonalds after the ball game on Saturday because my son was starving. The game was almost 40 minutes late starting and although they did not play the whole game (the ump called the game cuz my son's team was slautering the other team), it was later than expected and so we grabbed some food on the way back to the campgrounds. I also got a burger and a milkshake on my way home. It was super hot (over 90-it's only April!), and since I try to not run the air conditioner in my van while I am driving in the mountains, I needed something to cool me off. I was just going to get the shake but figured I should eat some food as well. So all in all not terrible, but not really any savings this weekend. Next time there will be a whole lot more savings because I will be more prepared by having a gazeebo for some shade and shelter and having some sandwiches in the cooler premade.
I also got sunburned pretty bad on my forehead. My arms got burned a bit, but they did not really hurt and are already turning brown. My forehead already has that bumpy feel to it that tells me it is going to peel. EEEEEWWWWW! Peeling, and on my face! Groooosssss! Since it does not hurt I may try to help it along when it actually starts peeling. I am also going to get a hat from my dad! I used to have a straw hat, but between the girls and the cats, sadly it is no more. I also planned on being out in the sun before my next visit to help prevent sunburn. Except it is supposed to rain every day this week, and be cloudy this weekend. I want sun!!!
I have also discovered that while the games on Saturday are okay, I will not do any more practices on Sundays. It really felt like it cut into our day. All in all it was a good trip. We had a nice time playing together, just being together. It felt like it had been a long time since I had visited with my son since last time was only for one day. I am hoping this gets resolved soon, I have three visits this summer that get shortened to one day due to the holiday schedule. One in June, one in July and one that already happened in April. I don't like only one day. I want my whole weekend. I feel like I am pouting here, but I also feel like I have been cheated out of enough of my son's life, I should get all days for my visits. Not to metion how long I have to drive just to see him for a few hours. Of course, other than my son, no one down there really cares about that. My son cares and last time we had a short visit, he had lots of things to say about it. It obviously doesn't change anything, but does allow him to vent. I told him this weekend that we had a couple more short visits just to prepare him.
As far as the camping goes, I let my son pick whichever spot that he wanted and then reserved it through July to make sure that we would have a spot, especially Memorial Day weekend. They are usually filled to the brim with campers even in the parking lot, and tents just everywhere in the field next to the parking lot. It was crazy last year how many people were out there. I also get my son for Labor Day but I will wait a little longer for that reservation with the hope that he is already home.
I also restarted my diet today. I realized that the pool will be opening soon and my son will want to swim. They also have a water slide that he enjoys but does not like to go down it by himself. I am going to have to lose a few pounds before I put on a bathing suit! I plan to weigh myself tonight at my mom's. I am not even sure my suit would fit if I don't lose some weight. I will follow my diet that I used a couple of years ago that I did well on. It is supposed to be a change in eating habits when you are done with the actual diet. However, I like food, especially sugar-y chocolate-y tasty goodness. Really, just all treats. I am a junk food junkie. I really hope to fix that and be able to follow the changes the diet plan recommends long term. We will see.
I also got sunburned pretty bad on my forehead. My arms got burned a bit, but they did not really hurt and are already turning brown. My forehead already has that bumpy feel to it that tells me it is going to peel. EEEEEWWWWW! Peeling, and on my face! Groooosssss! Since it does not hurt I may try to help it along when it actually starts peeling. I am also going to get a hat from my dad! I used to have a straw hat, but between the girls and the cats, sadly it is no more. I also planned on being out in the sun before my next visit to help prevent sunburn. Except it is supposed to rain every day this week, and be cloudy this weekend. I want sun!!!
I have also discovered that while the games on Saturday are okay, I will not do any more practices on Sundays. It really felt like it cut into our day. All in all it was a good trip. We had a nice time playing together, just being together. It felt like it had been a long time since I had visited with my son since last time was only for one day. I am hoping this gets resolved soon, I have three visits this summer that get shortened to one day due to the holiday schedule. One in June, one in July and one that already happened in April. I don't like only one day. I want my whole weekend. I feel like I am pouting here, but I also feel like I have been cheated out of enough of my son's life, I should get all days for my visits. Not to metion how long I have to drive just to see him for a few hours. Of course, other than my son, no one down there really cares about that. My son cares and last time we had a short visit, he had lots of things to say about it. It obviously doesn't change anything, but does allow him to vent. I told him this weekend that we had a couple more short visits just to prepare him.
As far as the camping goes, I let my son pick whichever spot that he wanted and then reserved it through July to make sure that we would have a spot, especially Memorial Day weekend. They are usually filled to the brim with campers even in the parking lot, and tents just everywhere in the field next to the parking lot. It was crazy last year how many people were out there. I also get my son for Labor Day but I will wait a little longer for that reservation with the hope that he is already home.
I also restarted my diet today. I realized that the pool will be opening soon and my son will want to swim. They also have a water slide that he enjoys but does not like to go down it by himself. I am going to have to lose a few pounds before I put on a bathing suit! I plan to weigh myself tonight at my mom's. I am not even sure my suit would fit if I don't lose some weight. I will follow my diet that I used a couple of years ago that I did well on. It is supposed to be a change in eating habits when you are done with the actual diet. However, I like food, especially sugar-y chocolate-y tasty goodness. Really, just all treats. I am a junk food junkie. I really hope to fix that and be able to follow the changes the diet plan recommends long term. We will see.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Challenge-Update 3 April 18-19
I did go to my cousin's baby shower in Wisconsin this weekend with my mom. My sister decided to go and bring her older daughter (Drama Girl). Mom wanted to leave originally no later than 7 from her house. When my sister said she wanted to go, we knew we would never be able to leave that early. The latest my mom would leave? 7:30 Fine with me, it's a long drive. My sister picked me up at my house and we went to my mom's. I packed snacks with me so I would not have to buy anything on the way. We had a blast at the shower. Lots of good food and good times. We then drove back to my aunt's house which was about 45 minutes south of my cousin's house. We all gathered there to have a few drinks (although my knee had been killing me all day and I had taken several doses of pain killers so I drank nothing) and play on the WII. One of my cousins (M)brought over American Idol. She and my other cousin (S)that was there apparently have played before. They talked my, mom and my sister into playing. I usually don't sing in front of anyone cuz I don't think that I can sing, but in the spirit of fun I went ahead and joined in. M challenged my sister first then me and won both times. Then we did a group thing where someone gets eliminated each round. You sing the first two short songs, then full songs for the rest. I actually won both times. Then we paired up and sang duets. I sang with S and we won both times. My sister and I sang together one time and got the highest score possible. I think we did pretty good!
We played this until like one a.m. Then I could not sleep and basically napped a couple of times that night. I am not used to all the noise that goes on in my aunt's house, everything stays plugged in and runs all the time!
I got up as early as I dared figuring I would wake people up when I got into the bathroom to take a shower. Then as everyone started waking up we were discussing what we planned on doing for the day. I met a wonderful hound-friend, Chi-Annie, and we went shopping at Target. I had a blast. Even with the coupon hater cashier! I wish we lived closer so that we could go shopping more often!
Alas I did have to return to the regular world and go back to my aunt's house for lunch. Turns out they did not have any lunch plans as previously indicated. So my cousin S said she wanted to go to Red Lobster. We got pizza the night before and she missed out on the Red Lobster and really wanted some. So off we went. Well, we loaded the car first. Then we went to eat. Not too bad considering that we had three babies with us. And they were all really tired. Not to mention some of the adults were really tired. The food was alright. I personally am not a huge fan of Red Lobster, but of course I do not eat seafood, so my options are limited. Then it was finally time to go home. I always have a good time, but my cousins and their children are much more boisterous than my son or nieces. It is always good to go home anyway, no matter where you are coming from. The ride home was not too bad. My sister and Drama Girl fell asleep, so mom and I chatted. I called my son and waited on him to call back. We unloaded my mom's car into my sister's and started back to home. My son called about 2-3 minutes away from my house and it was raining, so I had to unload my stuff in the rain while trying to talk on a cell phone. Figures. But it was good to talk to him.
Overall, I spent almost $40 this weekend. I spent $14.78 at Target and gave my mom $20 since she was driving and she and my aunt are the ones who paid for the Red Lobster total that remained after all of our giftcards. I think she also paid a big portion of the pizza with my aunt, but I did not really eat pizza. I had half of one piece. I will probably also buy my mom some lunch in the next week or two. Or take her to CVS or something....
We played this until like one a.m. Then I could not sleep and basically napped a couple of times that night. I am not used to all the noise that goes on in my aunt's house, everything stays plugged in and runs all the time!
I got up as early as I dared figuring I would wake people up when I got into the bathroom to take a shower. Then as everyone started waking up we were discussing what we planned on doing for the day. I met a wonderful hound-friend, Chi-Annie, and we went shopping at Target. I had a blast. Even with the coupon hater cashier! I wish we lived closer so that we could go shopping more often!
Alas I did have to return to the regular world and go back to my aunt's house for lunch. Turns out they did not have any lunch plans as previously indicated. So my cousin S said she wanted to go to Red Lobster. We got pizza the night before and she missed out on the Red Lobster and really wanted some. So off we went. Well, we loaded the car first. Then we went to eat. Not too bad considering that we had three babies with us. And they were all really tired. Not to mention some of the adults were really tired. The food was alright. I personally am not a huge fan of Red Lobster, but of course I do not eat seafood, so my options are limited. Then it was finally time to go home. I always have a good time, but my cousins and their children are much more boisterous than my son or nieces. It is always good to go home anyway, no matter where you are coming from. The ride home was not too bad. My sister and Drama Girl fell asleep, so mom and I chatted. I called my son and waited on him to call back. We unloaded my mom's car into my sister's and started back to home. My son called about 2-3 minutes away from my house and it was raining, so I had to unload my stuff in the rain while trying to talk on a cell phone. Figures. But it was good to talk to him.
Overall, I spent almost $40 this weekend. I spent $14.78 at Target and gave my mom $20 since she was driving and she and my aunt are the ones who paid for the Red Lobster total that remained after all of our giftcards. I think she also paid a big portion of the pizza with my aunt, but I did not really eat pizza. I had half of one piece. I will probably also buy my mom some lunch in the next week or two. Or take her to CVS or something....
Challenge - Update 4 April 20-22, 2009
On my challenge to save money, I spent no money on Monday. I planned to go straight home after work, wash some clothes and clip some q's. In reality, I got home, I called my son and talked a bit to him, then decided to nap for an hour or so. I figured I would get up around 8:00 and finish all my tasks I had set for myself for the evening. At almost 1 am, I woke up. Since I had no intention of being up for the rest of the day from one am, I went potty, played with the kitties for a few minutes and went back to bed. I guess that also means that I did not really use any electricity either!
On Tuesday, I spent $5 for a pizza. I wanted donuts, but figured there was probably less calories in the smaller pizza they deliver for lunch at the downtown offices than in a dozen donuts. Because without a doubt I would eat every single donut. Then eat my regular food on top of that. Donuts are heaven and sin all at the same time. I love donuts. *siiiiiiigh* Tuesday evening, I drove straight home, I watched no television, I washed the laundry on cold and hung it to dry, and I packed for my trip this weekend to see my boy. I would call him sonny boy, but that has already been taken by Dhunny. I am hoping to start staying at the campgrounds this weekend. They are open now. I asked my son during our phone call and he says he does want to start camping now. Yippee! That will save me at least $60-$70 a trip.
I also plan to cook a little something to last the rest of the week for lunches. I will probably eat cereal for dinner to use up the last of the milk. There is not enough for a whole weekend with my son, and I do not want it to go bad.
On Wednesday, I went to kmart. I plan on only buying things that were free, or cat food since it is double q's this week. Although I also plan on a bit of cereal perhaps and check the coffeemate prices. I will post the actual totals and pics in a separate post. Then I will drive home, watch no tv, put my clothes away that was hung to dry, and enjoy a quiet remainder of the evening with the kitties.
On Tuesday, I spent $5 for a pizza. I wanted donuts, but figured there was probably less calories in the smaller pizza they deliver for lunch at the downtown offices than in a dozen donuts. Because without a doubt I would eat every single donut. Then eat my regular food on top of that. Donuts are heaven and sin all at the same time. I love donuts. *siiiiiiigh* Tuesday evening, I drove straight home, I watched no television, I washed the laundry on cold and hung it to dry, and I packed for my trip this weekend to see my boy. I would call him sonny boy, but that has already been taken by Dhunny. I am hoping to start staying at the campgrounds this weekend. They are open now. I asked my son during our phone call and he says he does want to start camping now. Yippee! That will save me at least $60-$70 a trip.
I also plan to cook a little something to last the rest of the week for lunches. I will probably eat cereal for dinner to use up the last of the milk. There is not enough for a whole weekend with my son, and I do not want it to go bad.
On Wednesday, I went to kmart. I plan on only buying things that were free, or cat food since it is double q's this week. Although I also plan on a bit of cereal perhaps and check the coffeemate prices. I will post the actual totals and pics in a separate post. Then I will drive home, watch no tv, put my clothes away that was hung to dry, and enjoy a quiet remainder of the evening with the kitties.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Challenge Update April 16, 2009
I spent no money yesterday.
-I stopped at three different stores to see if I could score some free chocolate (I loooooove chocolate). Alas, none to be found. Hardly even any Easter clearance. So, no money spent. I drove to the stores in a circle so that when I stopped at the second one, I was on the road home, which is the road the third store is on.
-I cooked some taco meat last night with homemade taco seasoning (cheaper than the packages-although I did not write down the numbers when I put them together so I do not remember what kind of savings, but it was fun to make them-and sneezy but that's another story). The total for that was about $1.40 with the ground turkey and seasoning, so for two helpings it was about $.70. I also made some hounded noodles that I got for $.17 for the bag and used half of it. Then added some butter, basil and parsley and the butter melts and mixes with the herbs for a wonderful herbed butter on the noodles. Yum. I figure that the whole pot of the noodles, butter and herbs cost about $.35. Not too shabby. I have enough of both for at least two meals, and at $1.50 for each meal that is a pretty good deal.
-I also washed dishes last night. Instead of washing just a handful of dishes at a time, I waited a couple of days to save on dishsoap and water.
-I cut the top off of an empty diet pepsi box (case size although I also do this with the 12-pack size) to use for trash. I use these for dumping the bathroom trash into, and also use them when scooping the cats litter boxes. I have used them in place of a garbage can in the kitchen when the ants are swarming to keep them out of the house. This saves me from pitching a half empty garbage bag into the dumpster.
-I washed out the can the corn came in that I had for dinner last night. This, and my aluminum pop cans went into the recycling cans. These will earn me money when I take them and cash them in.
So how are all of you doing with your challenge today?
-I stopped at three different stores to see if I could score some free chocolate (I loooooove chocolate). Alas, none to be found. Hardly even any Easter clearance. So, no money spent. I drove to the stores in a circle so that when I stopped at the second one, I was on the road home, which is the road the third store is on.
-I cooked some taco meat last night with homemade taco seasoning (cheaper than the packages-although I did not write down the numbers when I put them together so I do not remember what kind of savings, but it was fun to make them-and sneezy but that's another story). The total for that was about $1.40 with the ground turkey and seasoning, so for two helpings it was about $.70. I also made some hounded noodles that I got for $.17 for the bag and used half of it. Then added some butter, basil and parsley and the butter melts and mixes with the herbs for a wonderful herbed butter on the noodles. Yum. I figure that the whole pot of the noodles, butter and herbs cost about $.35. Not too shabby. I have enough of both for at least two meals, and at $1.50 for each meal that is a pretty good deal.
-I also washed dishes last night. Instead of washing just a handful of dishes at a time, I waited a couple of days to save on dishsoap and water.
-I cut the top off of an empty diet pepsi box (case size although I also do this with the 12-pack size) to use for trash. I use these for dumping the bathroom trash into, and also use them when scooping the cats litter boxes. I have used them in place of a garbage can in the kitchen when the ants are swarming to keep them out of the house. This saves me from pitching a half empty garbage bag into the dumpster.
-I washed out the can the corn came in that I had for dinner last night. This, and my aluminum pop cans went into the recycling cans. These will earn me money when I take them and cash them in.
So how are all of you doing with your challenge today?
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Begining the Challenge
I am begining my challenge today. I did not spend any money yesterday. Today to save money I will call the guy that worked on my van. I have a warning light on and the folks that looked at it yesterday said to take it back to him as he routed a sensor wire wrong. The line was then cut in half by the rim of my tire when I turned. Thus the warning light. It's for the ABS. And I was in Kentucky when it happened on my way to see my son. So I just kept driving of course. I could not get it looked at on the way down or back as it was Easter weekend so no place was open.
Today I will go to CVS. I need to buy a brace for me knee; it was getting better but after a day of playing on Saturday, I am back where I started. Hopefully I can get some extrabucks out of this deal. They are on a deal of spend $15 get $5 EB. I have no idea how much they are, so I am hoping if possible, they get me EB. I have to get one anyway, might as well earn EB while I am at it! I also am going to take advantage of the toothpaste deal as I need sensitive toothpaste. I also have two $1 off q's for colgate. That will make this a MM. I also have a $1 off softsoap q and will take advantage of that deal. Free is always nice! I will also get gas on the way home. I will not get gas in town as the town where I work has a $.04 cent tax above and beyond the regular price. It will be at least $.04 cheaper a gallon to wait until I am closer to home. I will post my actual totals tomorrow.
I will eat at home tonight. Thank goodness I don't live in an apartment like Frugalsuz, or I might keep my neighbors up eating and cooking so late! I also am planning on making meals for the rest of the week tonight. I will do all the cooking at once to save on electricity.
I have a baby shower to go to this weekend. I will dig out some items from my stockpile to give as a gift, and use a bag and tissue paper that I already have. I have a box of cards that I got quite some time ago and will use a card out of there. We are going out to eat on Saturday with a whole bunch of my family. My mom has two gift cards that she will use so we do not have any OOP for dinner (except the tip!). She is also driving so I will not have any gas expenses. We are staying the night because we are going to MN (and Chicagoland!), and that means I will not have to provide any food for myself for most of the weekend. Good food and good fun!
Today I will go to CVS. I need to buy a brace for me knee; it was getting better but after a day of playing on Saturday, I am back where I started. Hopefully I can get some extrabucks out of this deal. They are on a deal of spend $15 get $5 EB. I have no idea how much they are, so I am hoping if possible, they get me EB. I have to get one anyway, might as well earn EB while I am at it! I also am going to take advantage of the toothpaste deal as I need sensitive toothpaste. I also have two $1 off q's for colgate. That will make this a MM. I also have a $1 off softsoap q and will take advantage of that deal. Free is always nice! I will also get gas on the way home. I will not get gas in town as the town where I work has a $.04 cent tax above and beyond the regular price. It will be at least $.04 cheaper a gallon to wait until I am closer to home. I will post my actual totals tomorrow.
I will eat at home tonight. Thank goodness I don't live in an apartment like Frugalsuz, or I might keep my neighbors up eating and cooking so late! I also am planning on making meals for the rest of the week tonight. I will do all the cooking at once to save on electricity.
I have a baby shower to go to this weekend. I will dig out some items from my stockpile to give as a gift, and use a bag and tissue paper that I already have. I have a box of cards that I got quite some time ago and will use a card out of there. We are going out to eat on Saturday with a whole bunch of my family. My mom has two gift cards that she will use so we do not have any OOP for dinner (except the tip!). She is also driving so I will not have any gas expenses. We are staying the night because we are going to MN (and Chicagoland!), and that means I will not have to provide any food for myself for most of the weekend. Good food and good fun!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
First Monthly Totals Posting
Well, This is the first time I have posted my monthly spending totals. These totals only include groceries, hba, household. This does not include any expenses from my trips, monthly gas expense or the like. I do not eat out unless I have a gift card or I take my son on my trip (occasionally) so there is no eating out to include. So without further ado:
Total merchandise value: $462.06
Total amount spent: $119.56
Total amount saved: $342.50
This is a total savings of 74%. I am super excited about this as I have never had this high of a savings when I include my groceries. I did not have to do a lot of food shopping this month as I have quite a bit stockpiled, but did go to the store a couple of times. I am sure it will not be as good next month as I will need to get more food items this month than last, but at least I am getting there!!
Total merchandise value: $462.06
Total amount spent: $119.56
Total amount saved: $342.50
This is a total savings of 74%. I am super excited about this as I have never had this high of a savings when I include my groceries. I did not have to do a lot of food shopping this month as I have quite a bit stockpiled, but did go to the store a couple of times. I am sure it will not be as good next month as I will need to get more food items this month than last, but at least I am getting there!!
Friday, March 27, 2009
This Week in Savings
So far this week, I have saved money in these ways:
1. Thanks to Annie, I have been charging my cell phone in my car.
2. I bought my own car parts, and had a friend put the front end parts on my van. I saved about $800 doing this.
3. I got my van aligned. This may have cost almost $90 (monday), but will save my tires and allow me to get full use out of them instead of replacing to early due to uneven wear.
4. When I had dinner at my friend's house, I picked up mail so I do not have to make a special trip (I get my mail in a different town than I park my bum each night).
5. I ran all my errands and shopping trips after work to save gas on an extra trip into town.
6. I washed my clothes in cold water and hung them to dry. I just put them on hangers and hang on them on the shower rod.
7. I did not eat out this week. I brought my lunch everyday from either leftovers from dinner or the soup I made on Sunday.
8. I got a coupon from CVS for a free bag or a free roll of paper towels. Since I have several bags already, I opted for the free paper towels. I went with my mom and she drove so I did not use any gas either.
How did you save money this week?
1. Thanks to Annie, I have been charging my cell phone in my car.
2. I bought my own car parts, and had a friend put the front end parts on my van. I saved about $800 doing this.
3. I got my van aligned. This may have cost almost $90 (monday), but will save my tires and allow me to get full use out of them instead of replacing to early due to uneven wear.
4. When I had dinner at my friend's house, I picked up mail so I do not have to make a special trip (I get my mail in a different town than I park my bum each night).
5. I ran all my errands and shopping trips after work to save gas on an extra trip into town.
6. I washed my clothes in cold water and hung them to dry. I just put them on hangers and hang on them on the shower rod.
7. I did not eat out this week. I brought my lunch everyday from either leftovers from dinner or the soup I made on Sunday.
8. I got a coupon from CVS for a free bag or a free roll of paper towels. Since I have several bags already, I opted for the free paper towels. I went with my mom and she drove so I did not use any gas either.
How did you save money this week?
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Weekly Savings
Here is a list of things I did to save money this week.
1. I went to wags and got two bottles of Irish Spring body wash for the price of one with the sale of bogo.
2. When I ran errands this week, I took the shortest route or went to the stores on my way home, instead of the ones out of my way.
3. I did batch cooking on Sunday so that the toaster oven and crockpot were just used once. I made veggie soup in the crockpot and put some in a container for this week and filled two more containers for putting in the freezer. I made three kinds of chicken for different meals this week, and for this weekend.
4. I kept my errands to a minimum to save on gas. I drive a full size van, so any savings on gas really adds up.
Thanks to a tip from Chi-Annie, I will now be using my car charger more efficiently. I will use it more often to save on energy use at home.
1. I went to wags and got two bottles of Irish Spring body wash for the price of one with the sale of bogo.
2. When I ran errands this week, I took the shortest route or went to the stores on my way home, instead of the ones out of my way.
3. I did batch cooking on Sunday so that the toaster oven and crockpot were just used once. I made veggie soup in the crockpot and put some in a container for this week and filled two more containers for putting in the freezer. I made three kinds of chicken for different meals this week, and for this weekend.
4. I kept my errands to a minimum to save on gas. I drive a full size van, so any savings on gas really adds up.
Thanks to a tip from Chi-Annie, I will now be using my car charger more efficiently. I will use it more often to save on energy use at home.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Weekly Savings List
I did not have an opportunity to list anything for last week, but I will resume this week.
1. I hung my clothes to dry Monday night. I just put them on hangers and hang them up in the bathroom on the shower rod.
2. I went to bed early, thus turning off all the lights in the house. I was really tired from my trip and was in bed by 8:30 on Monday.
3. I waited until I got up on Tuesday to plug in my cell phone, even though it was on the red low battery mark. This prevented it from being plugged in all night long.
4. Normally I use my bath towels twice before I wash them. However this week, when I took a shower on Wednesday morning I did not get to save my towel for Thursday. I was standing in front of the tub with the towel sort of around my hair when it fell into the tub. I have this indent in the middle of my tub where water stands so the towel pretty much just soaked all the dirty shower water up. I decided to use a new one for the next shower.
5. I went to Aldi's to pick up a few groceries, and figure that my savings were somewhere in the neighborhood of $3.00 over the grocery store across the street from my work. (I only spent a total of $15.14)
6. By turning the space heater off when it was not needed in the kitchen (and because of warmer weather), my power bill was about $100 less this month. This is wonderful as it was over $300 last month. The power bills in my area are brutal pretty much all year though.
7. I sold my minivan, leaving me with no need to cover it with insurance for sitting in my driveway. I called to get it removed from my policy. I received the paper to sign and return yesterday and mailed it back. I did not even have to pay postage as the company gave me a stamped envie to return it in.
So how did you save money this week?
1. I hung my clothes to dry Monday night. I just put them on hangers and hang them up in the bathroom on the shower rod.
2. I went to bed early, thus turning off all the lights in the house. I was really tired from my trip and was in bed by 8:30 on Monday.
3. I waited until I got up on Tuesday to plug in my cell phone, even though it was on the red low battery mark. This prevented it from being plugged in all night long.
4. Normally I use my bath towels twice before I wash them. However this week, when I took a shower on Wednesday morning I did not get to save my towel for Thursday. I was standing in front of the tub with the towel sort of around my hair when it fell into the tub. I have this indent in the middle of my tub where water stands so the towel pretty much just soaked all the dirty shower water up. I decided to use a new one for the next shower.
5. I went to Aldi's to pick up a few groceries, and figure that my savings were somewhere in the neighborhood of $3.00 over the grocery store across the street from my work. (I only spent a total of $15.14)
6. By turning the space heater off when it was not needed in the kitchen (and because of warmer weather), my power bill was about $100 less this month. This is wonderful as it was over $300 last month. The power bills in my area are brutal pretty much all year though.
7. I sold my minivan, leaving me with no need to cover it with insurance for sitting in my driveway. I called to get it removed from my policy. I received the paper to sign and return yesterday and mailed it back. I did not even have to pay postage as the company gave me a stamped envie to return it in.
So how did you save money this week?
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Cheese, How I love Thee
I was just told about a great deal from a fellow grocery hound (beccainbaltimore). She sent me here for an opportunity for some free cheese. Now of course I went over there immediately, because, like chi-annie , I like cheese. And I like all kinds of cheese. We eat a lot of cheese in our house. It is easy to take with you and easy to eat, and enjoy.
So if you like cheese, get over there, and enter!
So if you like cheese, get over there, and enter!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Weekly Savings List
Some of the ways I saved this week:
1. I did not eat out on my trip to see my son. I took food with me to cook and eat while I was down there. I did not eat out on the way down or back either. I had a loaf of bread, peanut butter (free) and some jelly (free).
2. I did not get pizza for lunch like I was craving and instead ate the lunch I brought for myself. The lunch was part of my batch cooking. The pizza is brought to several of the downtown offices by a delivery man and for a flat $5 you can get pizza. I resisited!
3. I turned my space heater back on while I was gone this weekend to guard against cold weather should it occur while I was out of town. I turned it back down this morning. I may turn it off again as soon as I find out just how cold it is going to get this week. I left the furnace at 60 for the rest of the house. I find that 60 degrees in the rest of the house is quite comfy for snuggly sleeping and if I want to watch tv, I cuddle under a throw.
4. This is not a new way of saving, but one I do always. I do not have a clock in my bedroom. I use my cell phone as an alarm clock, and have not had a bedroom clock for about two years now. I also find that I can sleep better, or at least get back to sleep better when I am not "clock-watching" in the middle of the night.
5. This is another way of saving that I do always: I do not leave anything "extra" plugged in. The tv, vcr, and dvd player are all on on extension cord. I plug it in if I want to watch tv, which is not very often. I think it has probably been at least a month since I plugged the tv in. My computer at home is not plugged in, and only gets turned on if I want to use it. I don't think it has been on for at least 6 months. I do not have internet at home, therefore, I do not really even use that computer. All appliances are unplugged until needed, except the fridge, deep freezer, stove and washer and dryer. The dryer is actually gas, and the washer plug is too hard to get to for plugging and unplugging.
6. I have a decorative tree that my sister used in her wedding that has a string of lights on it. They are clear lights and I put them on a timer to come on before I get home from work, and to stay on until morning (for use as a nightlight). I use this instead of turning lights on in the downstairs rooms, which consists of my bedroom, living room, and dining room. With strategic placement, it lights all three rooms enough to ensure I can see where I am going. I could read by these lights only if I wanted eyestrain though.
7. I did not intend to, but I carpooled this week for Thursday and Friday. I have a full size van that I use for my trips to see my son and a minivan that I use for local driving. They are both broke down right now. Just my luck. I will hopefully be able to find someone to work on the full size van this weekend so I can go down next weekend.
8. I only ate out of my stockpile and bi-monthly cooking meals.
I do plan to go get some groceries this weekend, depending on if I can get my van fixed at a relatively inexpensive price. I need some produce, but will wait to see what happens with my van.
So what did you do to save money this week? Let me know if you have any ideas to save money that I may not know about!
1. I did not eat out on my trip to see my son. I took food with me to cook and eat while I was down there. I did not eat out on the way down or back either. I had a loaf of bread, peanut butter (free) and some jelly (free).
2. I did not get pizza for lunch like I was craving and instead ate the lunch I brought for myself. The lunch was part of my batch cooking. The pizza is brought to several of the downtown offices by a delivery man and for a flat $5 you can get pizza. I resisited!
3. I turned my space heater back on while I was gone this weekend to guard against cold weather should it occur while I was out of town. I turned it back down this morning. I may turn it off again as soon as I find out just how cold it is going to get this week. I left the furnace at 60 for the rest of the house. I find that 60 degrees in the rest of the house is quite comfy for snuggly sleeping and if I want to watch tv, I cuddle under a throw.
4. This is not a new way of saving, but one I do always. I do not have a clock in my bedroom. I use my cell phone as an alarm clock, and have not had a bedroom clock for about two years now. I also find that I can sleep better, or at least get back to sleep better when I am not "clock-watching" in the middle of the night.
5. This is another way of saving that I do always: I do not leave anything "extra" plugged in. The tv, vcr, and dvd player are all on on extension cord. I plug it in if I want to watch tv, which is not very often. I think it has probably been at least a month since I plugged the tv in. My computer at home is not plugged in, and only gets turned on if I want to use it. I don't think it has been on for at least 6 months. I do not have internet at home, therefore, I do not really even use that computer. All appliances are unplugged until needed, except the fridge, deep freezer, stove and washer and dryer. The dryer is actually gas, and the washer plug is too hard to get to for plugging and unplugging.
6. I have a decorative tree that my sister used in her wedding that has a string of lights on it. They are clear lights and I put them on a timer to come on before I get home from work, and to stay on until morning (for use as a nightlight). I use this instead of turning lights on in the downstairs rooms, which consists of my bedroom, living room, and dining room. With strategic placement, it lights all three rooms enough to ensure I can see where I am going. I could read by these lights only if I wanted eyestrain though.
7. I did not intend to, but I carpooled this week for Thursday and Friday. I have a full size van that I use for my trips to see my son and a minivan that I use for local driving. They are both broke down right now. Just my luck. I will hopefully be able to find someone to work on the full size van this weekend so I can go down next weekend.
8. I only ate out of my stockpile and bi-monthly cooking meals.
I do plan to go get some groceries this weekend, depending on if I can get my van fixed at a relatively inexpensive price. I need some produce, but will wait to see what happens with my van.
So what did you do to save money this week? Let me know if you have any ideas to save money that I may not know about!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Savings!
Taking a leaf out of Precious' book, I am going to keep track of all the ways that I save. I will probably not be able to do this every day, but will aim for once a week.
This past week so far I have saved in the following ways:
1. I have only driven to work and home, no extra trips anywhere, since last week, no trips out over the weekend either.
2. I have only eaten out of my stockpile, no store runs for me.
3. I washed my clothes in cold water and hung several things to air dry.
4. I turned off the space heater in my kithchen/bathroom area, and left the furnace set to 60 degrees.
5. I made milk out of the powdered milk to use when eating cereal and cooking.
6. I batch cooked several meals and desserts to only turn on the oven once.
7. I used my crockpots to cook two different varieties of meat for future meals. I let them cool on the counter before putting in the fridge to cool completly before packing into containers for freezing.
8. I have brought my lunch to work (I usually do) and have not stopped for anything while at work -not even for donuts! Donuts are my weakness....I love donuts, I could eat them all day every day. I have banned donuts from my life for now in my attempt to lose weight!
I did send out some woofies last week, but do not count that as spending as I received some woofies in the previous couple of weeks that more than covered the cost of the stamps I used.
I love saving, and helping others save too! This is so much fun!
This past week so far I have saved in the following ways:
1. I have only driven to work and home, no extra trips anywhere, since last week, no trips out over the weekend either.
2. I have only eaten out of my stockpile, no store runs for me.
3. I washed my clothes in cold water and hung several things to air dry.
4. I turned off the space heater in my kithchen/bathroom area, and left the furnace set to 60 degrees.
5. I made milk out of the powdered milk to use when eating cereal and cooking.
6. I batch cooked several meals and desserts to only turn on the oven once.
7. I used my crockpots to cook two different varieties of meat for future meals. I let them cool on the counter before putting in the fridge to cool completly before packing into containers for freezing.
8. I have brought my lunch to work (I usually do) and have not stopped for anything while at work -not even for donuts! Donuts are my weakness....I love donuts, I could eat them all day every day. I have banned donuts from my life for now in my attempt to lose weight!
I did send out some woofies last week, but do not count that as spending as I received some woofies in the previous couple of weeks that more than covered the cost of the stamps I used.
I love saving, and helping others save too! This is so much fun!
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