Page 1 of 15 12311 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 148

Thread: January 2014 Frugals.........

  1. #1
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    1,069

    January 2014 Frugals.........

    Jan 01,2014

    1. two loaves of bread in bread machine
    2. set up all this years new spreadsheets and finished all of last years
    Checking to see were I overspent or sometimes actually underspent
    3. Cold out so it was a no spend, no drive day...too cold to go out.

  2. #2
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Posts
    1,039
    Bought some sheets for one of the kids - used a $50 Penney's gift card I bought for $10 off at a Safeway special, the sheets were on sale, also used another coupon for 15% off and paid the balances with a 2% cash back credit card.

    For our chocolate fix we bought dark chocolate chips on sale at Target, instead of buying candy bars. I also found out Target had the tea I like to drink for $1 less than our discount grocery store. They also had soup the kids like for a $1 less, too so we stocked up and used a cash back card.

    I eliminated a couple of business expenses that were costing $200 per year.

    I joined Penfed Credit union. They have car loans for 0% plus dollars off discounts for members who cars buy through their True Car links, and 1.99% for other car loans. Their 5 year CDs are paying 3%, so we plan to get a loan for our next car instead of paying cash and invest the difference in a CD. We are looking at a used car but one that still has a year or so of warranty left.

    Ate freezer and stockpiled stuff for dinner, with my cinnamon tea and dark chocolate chips for dessert.

    Ordered dish free dish towels for product reviews.

    Leftover from December - played pool on free pool night at the local sports bar and split a beer, for a $7 cheap date night.

  3. #3
    Junior Member Onyons's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Location
    Mojave Desert
    Posts
    11
    This year I started an allowance. I opened a separate checking account and I have $160.00 going into it every pay day. I also with draw 30.00 cash for a total of 190.00. All I carry in my wallet is a check register to track spending. This is all I get until the next payday. I use this for gas, groceries, hair cuts, shoes, clothes, etc. My re-occurring bills like mortgage, and utilities are paid from my main account. I keep this in a separate wallet that stays at home in my safe. My goal is to not use my credit card for any purchases this year. I will pay cash for everything.

    I owe about 28,000.00 on my home. I am attempting to become debt free in two years. I have about $14,000 in credit card bills for a total $42,000.00 in debt. My current mortgage is $230.00 a month. I am going to pay off the smallest credit first. I pay extra against my mortgage but I am going to up this amount

  4. #4
    Senior Member Teacher Terry's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Location
    Nevada
    Posts
    12,889
    It sounds like you have a plan. From everything I have read it seems like you should pay your credit cards first & then tackle the mortgage. I have done it & it is so worth it. I would not pay extra on your mortgage until the credit card debt is gone. Look at Dave Ramsey, Simple Dollar & Mr.Money Mustache for inspiration. Good luck!!!

  5. #5
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Pennsylvania
    Posts
    235
    Worked on New Years budget and today will update freezer list. Will be focusing on using up what's in the house and keep grocery purchases to a bare minimum.

    Yesterday had chicken pot pie, homemade from the freezer. No going anywhere, tooooo cold and hunkering down for today's storm.

  6. #6
    Senior Member catherine's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Vermont
    Posts
    14,635
    Made a lentil soup from some of the leftovers like rice and chili adobo from taco night, and things on the verge of going bad like celery and sausage.
    "Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it--every, every minute?" Emily Webb, Our Town
    www.silententry.wordpress.com

  7. #7
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Posts
    5,478
    Roasted a small turkey purchased on sale. Ate that meal and then portioned up four packets of meat for the freezer. Froze the carcass to make future soup which should provide another 2-3 meals.
    Set up auto withdrawal savings accounts for vacation and property tax expenses.
    Had some large empty clay pots so planted lettuce and cilantro seed.

  8. #8
    Senior Member cdttmm's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Posts
    1,290
    In what is becoming a New Year's Day tradition, we ran a 10k race yesterday. It keeps us from going out late on New Year's Eve and the $60 (combined) for race registration probably pales in comparison to what we'd spend going out the night before. Of course, if we had pre-registered we would have saved ourselves $10 (combined), but that didn't happen. The race is only 2.5 miles from our home so there isn't a huge expense involved in getting there and we come straight home afterwards so no added unnecessary spending. Ate leftover rice and beans for lunch, a good post-race refueling, then watched TV shows and movies courtesy if Netflix and iTunes. We received iTunes gift cards for Christmas so this is how we get most of our entertainment provided for very little cash outlay.

    Today should be a fairly low key day as it's snowing here. Only driving will be to take our new kitty to the vet and trip to the gym if the weather allows.
    The brain is wider than the sky. -- Emily Dickinson

  9. #9
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Posts
    459
    Mon-Wed were no driving/spending days and today should be another.

    We received enough free calendars for both the house and work.

    Yesterday I mailed in a rebate for a free bag of coffee. Love free coffee!!!
    I didn't want to look back at the end of my life or after some great catastrophe and think, 'How happy I used to be then if only I'd realized it.'
    Gretchen Rubin-- The Happiness Project

  10. #10
    Moderator
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    Minneapolis, MN
    Posts
    2,172
    Most of the family was sick, but Cheyenne and I went to my great-aunt's house yesterday and came home with a lot of leftovers. We have ham (with a ham bone for soup), rolls, salad, jello, stuffing, calico beans, cookies and cake. We will get somebody meals out of that. I am going to serve the calico beans with cornbread for lunch next week (I froze them) and we had some of the rolls and ham and salad last night for dinner. She also sent a bag of stuffing she had bought that she didn't think she would use and some dried cranberries she had bought that she didn't like because they had a sugar coating on them. I can use those in a salad and I'm sure they will be fine.

    This morning for breakfast we had a loaf of pumpkin bread we received as a Christmas gift from a neighbour and some clementines we got as a gift from someone else. Free food. For lunch the kids requested blueberry oatmeal. It's cold out and they all thought that would sit well in their sick tummies. They ate it with gusto, so they must be on the mend. It was a frugal lunch, anyway, which balances tonight's slightly more expensive dinner, stir fried beef and broccoli.

    Bella and I have been working on some indoor plants to cheer us up in the cold winter. We got some houseplants at Home Depot for half off after Christmas. Then we repurposed a kitchen jar and Bella made a terrarium with some wheat seed that I had in the pantry. Next we are going to try some micro-green pea shoots. I had Zach install a shelf in the kitchen that we had pulled out of the family room when we built the loft to hold our mini garden. It's much cheerier in here and there was even room for two of my fruit bowls, which will help keep the toddler fruit thieves at bay.

    When the mini-monkeys nap this afternoon I am going to make some banana bread with some overripe bananas I have and do a little cleaning. It's a nice, quiet, frugal day.
    My blog: www.sunnysideuplife.blogspot.com

    Guess why I smile? Because it's worth it. -Marcel the Shell with Shoes

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •