April frugals

[Yppej]

I am trying to clean mold/mildew off the aluminum siding on the north side of the house with DS ourselves vs hiring a powerwashing company. Jetting it did not work so now we are going to try scrubbing it with a brush. The tricky part is it's the Cape side of the house and the top is not easily accessible.

[catherine]

I like this FB meme that I saw, posted by Becoming Minimalist.

Now that DH is onboard with budgeting, it's SO MUCH EASIER for me to be frugal, for many reasons. I swear to God, he's like the Charley of household budgeting (remember the Cliff Robertson movie?). He's "woke" to all things financial now, whereas before he would glaze over and spend, glaze over and spend. So my April frugal is all about continuing to have discussions with him and making choices about where our money will go.

Clutter.jpg

[rosarugosa]

That is a great meme, Catherine! So glad your DH finally got on board; it's always easier when you are pulling in the same direction.
I have really not been very frugal lately. We made some furniture purchases (replacing our worn, clawed-up couch with a couple of upholstered chairs. I'll share pictures in the future, but we don't have them yet). We bought a couple of large, high-quality scratching posts, which will hopefully preserve our furniture. It was surprisingly hard to find ones that are large, sturdy, and reasonably attractive. I think there is a missed opportunity in the marketing world because wood and sisal are pretty attractive materials, so why was this such a difficult quest? I bought some new towels and bedding (used my saved up allowance stash). We've been going out to eat a lot and I'm getting estimates for the house to be painted. I feel OK about most of these expenditures, but the going out to eat should be reduced and I think better efforts in meal-planning will help with that.

[Teacher Terry]

We eat out twice a week because I get sick of cooking and enjoy it.

[Yppej]

I am over budget for the month because I decided to replace the last third of the roof, which is at least 22 years old and infested with roof algae that multiple treatments of Wet and Forget over the course of a year did not remove. This month is the deposit and next month I will also be over budget when the job is done, but I have the expected amount saved up plus extra in case they uncover bad plywood or another problem.

[Teacher Terry]

We switched from charter tv and internet to direct tv and att internet. Our bill went from 218 to 47. After one year it will go up to 107. We get a 60 /month discount because husband is a veteran.

[Gardnr]

I like this FB meme that I saw, posted by Becoming Minimalist.

Now that DH is onboard with budgeting, it's SO MUCH EASIER for me to be frugal, for many reasons. I swear to God, he's like the Charley of household budgeting (remember the Cliff Robertson movie?). He's "woke" to all things financial now, whereas before he would glaze over and spend, glaze over and spend. So my April frugal is all about continuing to have discussions with him and making choices about where our money will go.

Clutter.jpg

CONGRATS on dialing him in. Any chance you're using the "Your Money or Your Life" philosophy of evaluating every expenditure against life hours? It might help drive the point home even more.

IE: I recently went to Nashville for a conference and went 2d early to spend with a friend. We are both quilters. So she mapped out a 2day shop-hop and we hit every shop within 30 miles. We had a great time and I came home with fabric. I spent 6.44 life hours earning the fabric I bought. Totally going to enjoy the purchases. She generously had me stay at her home rather than my planned hotel so she saved me a ton of money for which I am ever grateful. So there is my frugal in this story!

[Lainey]

Does buying packages of Ramen noodles for .03 at Safeway count? On sale through Tues 30th if you're signed up for their digital coupons called "Just for U." Max of 24 allowed, so of course we got 24. Was happy to see they have a new Low Sodium variety.

[Yppej]

Back on track for the month as the roofing job fell through. The contractor promised a certificate of insurance, then dumped me when I asked for it. I put a stop payment on the deposit check and will go with a higher but more reputable bidder, but that expense will hit next month. The first guy also was reluctant to pull a permit.

[Money and Mountains]

My husband and I have started meal planning recently and it has helped save us a ton of money and reduce the stress of staring into the fridge every night trying to decide what to eat. So glad we started doing this!