July Frugals

[catherine]

That is exactly what I do, and why, I think--it just seems the numbers are always higher than I expect. It's like looking at those sample budgets that say things like $75 for electric, and then ours is $200.

Not knowing how much I spent gives me angst. It's like knowing there's a bunch of cockroaches loose in your house but you don't know how many of them or where they are. You might not be able to kill them all but at least you can attack them if you know where they are hiding.

[Tybee]

I am going to try approaching the rest of the month by looking at every expense from the lens of seeing what value it brings to my life.
Like today I am going to this health practitioner that my husband goes to but I don't really have a whole of faith in it, it is more to please him. So that feels kind of limited in value. Plus I'm not sure how much I am paying, which drives me crazy.

[Tradd]

A MI friend and his wife are coming to WI for him to do a diving class at a deep lake. We were talking about me coming up and hanging out with them in the evenings when he isn’t diving and I’d dive with my own buddies. Turns out hotel prices were $150+ a night, so I told friend I wasn’t going to be able to make it. I told him why. The vrbo rental cabin they have has a second bedroom they won’t use, so they offered me to stay with them. I’ll just have gas and food for the weekend. That was a pleasant surprise to save $300+.

[early morning]

Hey, Tradd, that sounds great! My frugals are just regular stuff - cooking at home, laundry on the line, free DVDs and books from library for entertainment, etc. Did have lunch out and a shopping trip yesterday with a friend - shopping was the $1.25 BookSwap, where I got two books, three movies, and an entire TV series for $8.00. Lunch was a buffet, which was $11 including beverage, so not too bad.

[iris lilies]

Tradd that’s great that you can stay two nights at no cost to you. Hope your trip goes well.

We paid $159 in Deerfield, IL last weekend, for Embassy Suites, a hotel very near Chicago botanical gardens. This is a wonderful hotel that offered a full breakfast and alcoholic drinks and snacks in the evening included with the price. I have not yet written a review of the hotel because I want to gather my thoughts and make sure I mention how it was all unexpectedly good. The price – the employees – the banquets — the room and hotel furnishings. All great.

[Teacher Terry]

Yppej sounds like you are doing a great job with money. One of my Maltese has developed a heart and liver problem so I spent 1500 at the vet and now she’s on medication for 130/month.

When I run the numbers I should have 500 extra each month but something always comes up. Everything keeps going up and I have eliminated or substituted for a cheaper price everything I could. So far I have avoided dipping into my savings so that’s on the positive side.

[frugal-one]

A MI friend and his wife are coming to WI for him to do a diving class at a deep lake. We were talking about me coming up and hanging out with them in the evenings when he isn’t diving and I’d dive with my own buddies. Turns out hotel prices were $150+ a night, so I told friend I wasn’t going to be able to make it. I told him why. The vrbo rental cabin they have has a second bedroom they won’t use, so they offered me to stay with them. I’ll just have gas and food for the weekend. That was a pleasant surprise to save $300+.

Wow… that is really nice of them and nice for you. Shows how much they value your company!

[happystuff]

That's wonderful of your friends, Tradd. Hope you have a good time.

Sorry to hear about your dog, tt. Is it something that will clear up with the medication?

early morning, I have rediscovered my library the last couple of months! I've been able to watch some series on borrowed dvd's as well as discover a couple of good books. One other bonus is that they have jigsaw puzzles free for the taking!!! I have a new one to start soon. It's nice to know I have a place to take it when I've finished it.

[early morning]

happystuff, we love the library and use it extensively too! Ours does not have a puzzle swap, but does have framed artwork one can check out. That seems odd to me, but whatever.
(Just checked, DD and I currently have 28 titles checked out and another 30 or so on our wait list) We do have quite a few movies and TV series that we own, from yard sales and resale shops or gifts, and we tend to watch and rewatch our favorites so it's handy to have them on hand. We don't have streaming, cable, or antennae TV, nor do we go to movies more than once or twice a decade, so any watching we do is from a DVD, and there's a lot the library system doesn't have. interlibrary load is great, but often takes forever it come in, and materials can't be renewed. Books we rarely purchase although I buy will buy decorating/design books cheaply (less than $2) and then if I find I'm bored with them, we donate them back to the library sales. I do buy reference books for whatever I'm currently interested in, but it's very rare that either of us buy a book at anything approaching retail. The books I bought this week are like new and are for gifts. One is on designer outhouses/outhouse history (for my DB), and the other is eye candy - French country in every room! - for my bestie. After I look at it of course- we often exchange used books and bags of coffee, lol. Frugal and practical presents - the best kind! :-)

[Tybee]

Stopped at Mardens on the way back from the chiropractor yesterday and found Yankee candle votive sizes for 25 cents each. Bought eight but think maybe I should stock up more.