View Full Version : April Frugals
Happy April! We did well with our no-frivolous-spending goal last week, with no spending beyond gas for the car and groceries. We came in well under budget on the groceries.
I'm also getting better with the stovetop percolator. I've been tweaking the timing and proportions, and I think I've got it right. I feel so domesticated! :cool:
Yay! It's April!
Today is Mr. T's first birthday. He and his siblings and their friend who stayed overnight are having birthday pancakes and a dance party in the living room before church. He's a very happy baby. We traditionally have cupcakes for birthday breakfasts, but I am not in the mood to take 5 sleep deprived, super sugared up kids (the friend included) to mass for Palm Sunday.
Yesterday was Cheyenne and T's party. It wasn't super cheap. I spent about $100 on food and supplies, but it was for two kids and I had 30 people to feed. We had a Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival party. I hung up paper lanterns and had a vase of flowering cherry branches and Cheyenne's Meneki Neko for decoration. I used cloth napkins I had made with cherry blossooms on it for a runner and some scrapbooking paper someone had given me in pink gingham for making signs with the name of the food on it. We had soba noodle salad, green salad with oranges and ginger-soy dressing, gyoza, sushi, rice crackers, a lovely fruit plate, iced mugi cha (buckwheat tea) and ginger ale. My friend made the cake, a white cake with chocolate frosting decorated with cherry branches and butterflies. It wasn't the standard hot dogs and pizza kid's birthday party. Many people commented on how nice it was to have some healthy options.
The soba noodle salad in particular was fantastic. I am noting that for summer dinners. It only took 6 minutes on the stove. It would be an excellent summer potluck dish too.
Happy birthday to Cheyenne and Travis! We never serve standard kid fare, either. I'm making DD's birthday cake this morning. It's a chocolate layer cake (thin layers, though, and more like dark chocolate, not overly sweet), with a strawberry glaze between the layers and a chocolate ganache frosting decorated with fresh strawberries. Between the glaze, the frosting, and the accompanying ice cream, the cake doesn't need to be very sweet. Having a birthday party at home is of course very frugal compared to other options...
Now, if I can only find the birthday candles... I recall putting them in a very logical place last time I cleaned out the kitchen...
This week's frugals... eating down the freezer and pantry both last week and this coming week, as we are too busy to spend much time cooking or shopping for food.
Happy birthday to your DD too Rosemary! That cake sounds FABULOUS! Yum!
Lots of birthdays and lots of wonderful sounding celebrations! You two ladies amaze me with your creativity.
I don't know how frugal this month will be. I am finally caving in to the realization that I need new glasses. This is always a very expensive purchase because of my complex prescription but I am hoping to NOT be influenced by marketing to buy ridiculously overpriced frames. It is a fact that I DO wear my glasses every waking moment, so they certainly get more use than any other item I own but the last time I bought them it was six hundred bucks. So....I will seek frugality there.
I am currently trying to eat down the freezer. I am not as organized as I could be with that. I tend to buy and then notice that I already have the item stored away. But an empty freezer is a good thing at the beginning of spring. So I think I'll make that a goal for the end of April; to have the freezer down to the point where I can easily see what is there, and know that it will be used within two months or so. (In July we'll add berries that will last for a year but otherwise, two months seems reasonable).
early morning
4-1-12, 1:46pm
I hear you about the glasses. I think I need new ones also, so I'm going to look into signing up for vision insurance during open enrollment in June - as long as they don't change the policy or up the price too much. I paid into it two years ago - for one year only - and were able to get DH's glasses at no cost and presc. sun glasses for half-price. The insurance cost me less than his glasses would have and he thinks he needs new glasses again. Today the sun finally came out so I put some laundry on the line. It's supposed to be really nice tomorrow so I'll try to get a load hung before I leave for work. Putting together an old bed in DS's room for my Aunt who's coming to visit in June. I have a mattress and a topper, but no box springs, so we're cutting boards from stock we have to put under the mattress. I think I'll sleep on it for a night or so and see if it's uncomfortable or not. I really don't want to buy a mattress/box springs, and DS has been sleeping on a broken futon when he comes home, so I'm sure what we have will be an improvement for him, lol.
Mighty Frugal
4-1-12, 2:03pm
Happy birthday to all the birthday kids!;) What a lovely time to have a birthday!!
2 sort of frugals for me today
1. I was going to convince dh to take us all out for breakfast at our fave greasy spoon on our main street but it was raining and yucky and didn't want to be out walking in the rain with the kids so I asked the boys if they wanted pancakes instead.
They were so HAPPY and it makes me wonder why I don't do it more often. It's a mix and I just add milk and one egg-super easy to do and we have real maple syrup-mmmm. So that was frugal AND yummy:~)
We then ventured out into the rain and drove to the downtown antique sale. Fun to poke around but I didn't buy anything (usually I pick up an old magazine or postcard or vintage greeting card)
I did, however, let both boys pick 3 interesting coins for $1.00 each. They are both into coin collecting so it was fun looking through all the foreign and/or old coins
Parking was free too-so $2.00 for that
Already had my weekly obsession-a McDs caramel sundae....mmmmm
Extending a Happy Birthday wish to all the birthday kidlets, too!
re: frugal eyeglasses. Consider ordering online. Use the size of frames you have and like to compare the options online. Double-check and triple-check your prescription after you type it in. Cost: From $20 to $100 or so, with the upper end being for all-out glasses like designer frames and progressive lenses and high-index and/or special coatings. On average, a pair of glasses with single-vision, high-index lenses with anti-reflective coating runs about $25. DH and I have been ordering our glasses online for about 4 years and have been very pleased with the quality.
Rosemary: I've always wondered about ordering glasses online, because it seems like the technician adjusting them to sit comfortably is practically an art form, and often takes several tries before they feel right. I have trouble imagining that glasses ordered online would feel comfortable right out of the box, and that is the main reason I've never pursued this option. Can you please tell anything about this?
To order on-line you do need the measurement between your pupils. The last time I got glasses in a shop I couldn't get them to tell me what the measurement was. In fact they said "we're tired of people trying on glasses here and then ordering on-line". Gee, I'd already just picked two pair to buy there.
Stella, is your Soba Noodle Salad posted here somewhere?
I measured the distance between my pupils using a ruler marked in mm and a mirror. I measured it several times on several different days to make sure I got the same number before ordering glasses.
As far as the glasses fitting - I think that when an optical shop orders glasses, the lab just puts the lenses in the frame and ships them off so the optician assistant can do the adjusting. Every pair of glasses I've received has fit perfectly out of the box, so I think the lab makes sure that the frames are square before shipping.
Cooked up a storm as usual on Sunday. Asian beef and vegs. in crock pot. Made a meat loaf for MIL to freeze and we snagged some as well. Cooked a ham that was on sale and cut up for freezer, fridge and saved the bone for pea soup. DH started 2 loaves of bread. Will make rice today for asian beef dish, mac 'n cheese for MIL'S freezer and bake an applesauce cake for DH & MIL. This way during the week we can eat out of the fridge and freezer. Saw 60 minutes program on sugar and how bad it is for you. Cancer tumors may even develop urges for sugar and take some of it away from muscle function etc. Will start being very aware of sugar consumption. We eat mostlt from scrath so no hidden sugar there. We also don't drink much soda. I do have irish tea with about 5 sugars and cream though :).
Thanks for all of the birthday wishes! Travis had a fabulous first birthday.
Float On here (http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/07/asian-noodle-salad-with-ginger-peanut-dressin.html) is the soba salad recipe. We had the leftovers for lunch yesterday. Yum!
Zach is off of school today and tomorrow, so his only full days of school this week are Wednesday and Thursday. He's going to use the time to get a bunch of stuff done on our construction projects.
I am going to use the rest of the rotisserie chicken I bought for the soba noodle salad to make chicken and herb stew with dumplings for dinner tonight.
Other than that it's a pretty low-key week this week. We're going to experiment with natural Easter Egg dying, work on our garden project and the kids will help Zach with their building projects.
We planted our fairy garden today. I'll see if I can post the photo. It turned out really cute. Instead of buying the expensive fairy garden furniture and fairies from the garden shop we used the stuff they already had like their fairy dolls, sea shells, marbles and other little goodies. This is the "throne room" part of the fairy garden.
Photo (http://www.flickr.com/photos/25036380@N04/7040019729/)
Stella, that's really cute. Reminds me when I was back East in a small village area and saw people who planted similar things in their tiny front yards. Would describe them as "vignettes" almost. One I particularly liked was a house on the end which took a corner of their yard and put a small metal chair and table there with a sign welcoming passersby to sit and rest. So charming!
fidgiegirl
4-2-12, 10:08pm
Stella, super cute!!
P.S. to get photos to post from Flickr, when you are in the photo, pull down the share button and choose "grab the HTML/BBCode." Choose BBCode and your desired size. Then copy the code directly into the body of your reply on SLN (bypass the little photo button).
Merski, I watched the sugar thing, too. But sadly, then I went and had a cup of ice cream. :|(
Here, making beans in the crock pot to go in jars and then in the freezer. Made a lot of lunch/dinner stuff yesterday.
Stella. The fairy garden is adorable! Love the colourful rock.
domestic goddess
4-3-12, 9:41am
I'm not really feeling frugal at all today. My darling granddaughters are stomping all over my last nerve. Lana cried all last night, and woke up crying today. Susie is in defiance mode. Lana's class won free tickets to the circus for reading the most minutes last month. She really wants to go, but that will mean buying tickets for Susie and an adult t fo with as well as a bit of circus junque. I haven't been working, so don't really have the money, but I cannot listen to that child cry again! I'm sure it is hormonal, and sometimes I get the urge to just slap those hormones right out of her! I sit on my hands, and at this rate they will soon be flat with butt impressions on them!
domestic goddess, I hope your DGDs calm down soon!
Kelli, thanks for the tip on the photo! Glad everyone likes the fairy garden. The kids LOVE it. It's been such a fun plaything for them.
Today we've been working on organizing the garage and building walls in the family room. Zach finished the garage shelving and now we're working on filling up the shelves. Wow, did they add a lot of storage!
I went through the girls' spring clothes yesterday. Bella needs a few shirts and shorts, but Cheyenne is fine. She wants to spend her birthday money on a few summer dresses, though. All in all I won't be spending much this summer on clothes for the older four kids.
I am knitting a rag rug from some of the t-shirts and blouses that were unsalvagable/undonatable due to holes or stains. I added in some scrap fabric and part of a vintage sheet I had to make sure I had enough fabric. It's turning out really cute and it's knitting up fast. I would do this again in the future. It's a nice way to reuse things.
We're also on a kick to use stuff up from the fridge and freezer. We'll have pasta with prociutto and parmesan tonight and tomorrow I'll make roasted chicken with lemon and pesto.
I made wheat bread and cornbread this morning. The bread is for lunch. The cornbread was for breakfast. I used the mixes I made a week or two ago and they turned out great with almost no effort.
I've been up since 5AM so I'm guessing I'll be tired and unable to accomplish much else today. I'm going to sit and read and work on my rag rug and let that be good enough for the day. I was thinking I might make another rag rug for the girls room when I am done with this one. I am going to try cutting up a vintage sheet and using it for rug fabric. I get the sheets for $1-$2 so if it works it would be an easy, cheap source of fabric. Plus it gives me something to do while I sit.
On Spring break, oh, I can't wait for summer if this is a sign of things to come!!
Spent the day organizing, grocery shopping, cleaning, walking to errands.
Sent simple Easter gifts/cards to children in the family.
When DH came home from work, I was absolutely euphoric!!
Sigh. I think the good times are here with this pregnancy. The contractions are getting a bit more insistent that I rest. If it doesn't stop soon it's off to the hospital. It's tough to be frugal on bed rest but Zach and our friends are pulling together nicely, so if official bed rest, or just birth, are in the immediate future I think we wil be OK.
Good luck, Stella! I hope all goes well!
Sending well-wishes your way, Stella!
Thanks Mrs. M! Things have calmed down for now. It's always like this for me the last few weeks.
Mom is coming this afternoon! I have no idea what we will have for dinner. We can't have meat and Dad and Zach are both fasting for Good Friday. I'll see what mom thinks when she gets here.
My grandma sent money for Travis' birthday. I'm going to get him some sippy cups. That is one thing he actually could use.
Stella. You remind me of a mouse, because you never stop! :) I remember the last baby you had, and how quickly you were up and around again, like it was nothing!
LOL. Yeah that actually surprised even me, Mrs. M. I was home alone with all four kids the day after I got out of the hospital and I felt totally fine. I hate sitting still for too long.
I sewed up a pillowcase skirt for Bella this morning. I think I'm going to use the extra fabric and make some fabric yo-yos to decorate a headband to go with it. It took me literally less than 10 minutes to make the skirt and it cost $1 for the thrift store pillowcase. Talk about cheap!
LOL! Wow, on the skirt project! Sounds darling. Absolutely nothing compares to thrift store finds/buys!
Wishing you a Happy Easter weekend!
Hi all! My poor doggy is sicky so I have been up early taking over the night shift from DH. Poor puppy.
Anyway, being up early gave me a chance to put together the chili I was going to make one night this week and never got to, so we will have that for lunch. Yum.
Yesterday DH and I did a 13 mile bike ride, which was a lot for us! We got fabric for curtains at two different fabric stores (including $3.00/yard for sheers in the living room - will make 3 panels for $6.00!), some little ditties for some battery project of DH's at the hardware store (which sells individual items still) and air filters for both our cars. We got exercise and saved gas.
Then last night we blew all the savings (and the calories burned) on going out to dinner! Complete with dessert. Sigh. It was delicious, though.
I am going to pack up and freeze some beans here soon.
Thinking of doing the yogurt making experiment again this weekend. We shall see.
Happy Easter!
Sending well-wishes your puppies way, Fidgiegirl. May he/she be wagging tail and giving kisses again soon!
Thanks Mrs. M. He is doing a little better after some meds.
Wish I was there to give him a little extra lovin'. I never tire of petting and cuddling a doggy.
Kellie, I hope your pup is feeling better.
We've been way too extravagant this week; I'm seriously annoyed with us. Our two concerts mushroomed into concerts + dinners out + overpriced drinks + overpriced parking. Also went to Costco to pick up eyeglasses and picked up just a few things to the tune of almost $70., so anything I saved on the glasses was spent on totally non-necessary items that were not in the budget. We did manage a couple of frugals, believe it or not. We went for a wonderful hike in our local park that I had not been to for probably 20 years. Totally frugal fun, and we really noticed how much more physically capable we were without the cigarettes, which definitely increased the overall pleasure factor. I loved the Mr Money Mustache post this week about the frugality of enjoying nature which I read after our hike, and I really felt like he could have been speaking to us directly! We agreed that we need to make time for visits to Breakheart Reservation more often. We also got our electric bill down quite a bit this month. I'm sure some of it is seasonal with the longer days, etc. but we've been trying to do better with things like shutting off modem at night, turning off lights and surely that helped. We have a weekend booked in Portland later this month, but there must be no other self-indulgent behavior!
I hope everyone had a nice Easter! We were good yesterday and today. Groceries came in well under budget. We did another Breakheart hike this morning, which was delightful. I also passed the "test" of Easter dinner at dear MIL's. She & DSIL & DBIL live together and are all heavy smokers, so I haven't been over there since New Year's Eve, since I didn't want to expose myself to more temptation than I could handle (DH has been over there and hasn't found it to be a problem for him). This was a source of some concern for me, because I am very close to all three of these people. It went very well, and they were very sweet about smoking outside or off to the side, so it wasn't a problem for me. I would never dream of demanding that they alter their smoking behavior in their own home, but it made it easier and I did appreciate it and told them so. I guess they must really love me too :)
DSIL & DBIL are talking about a quit attempt on 5/1. That will be really great if they succeed! Aside from the obvious health benefits, DSIL is unemployed, and it's an awfully expensive habit.
Today was our three month anniversary of being tobacco-free.
How awesome, Rosa. You have accomplished such a great thing for yourself and it's clear you are really proud, and rightfully so. So happy for you that it went well at the ILs.
We had a nice Easter. I made a flourless torte as my contribution and it went over as a hit. It wasn't cheap - 2 sticks of butter, 5 eggs, and 2 bars of baking chocolate + some other stuff, but it sure was wonderful.
We went to my in-law's church on both Good Friday and Easter. I have been longing for a church to belong to since DH and I got married. It's not the most aesthetically pleasing church, but I am thinking about joining. Now - convincing DH - that's another story. Not really frugal, but on my mind.
Hugs to all! Hope if you celebrate Easter that you did so in an enjoyable way for you, however that is.
BTW, doggy is feeling much better. Definitely a non-frugal. Ah, pets and their price tags :) I am in love with this little sweetheart (http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/22371932), but DH doesn't want another senior. We probably aren't the best fit for her anyway as we work outside the home. But she sure does look like a honey bunny.
I second the greatness, too, Rosa!
Great job resisting the smoking Rosa!
Kelli, good luck with the church thing! I opted for a less aesthetically pleasing church with a good group of people too and I haven't regretted it. If you get a chance can you post your torte recipe? That sounds yummy!
I am on a huge upcycling kick lately. Huge. I have been making a rag rug, pillowcase skirts, headbands with flowers from old t-shirts and I'm going to have Zach get me some pallets later this week. I have a million plans for those, including an outdoor couch like this. http://prudentbaby.com/2011/07/prudent-home/how-to-build-a-pallet-daybed-2/
fidgiegirl
4-10-12, 5:18pm
Thanks, Stella. Here is the torte (http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/flourless-chocolate-cake-00000000044848/index.html). Be warned: not frugal :) Also: AMAZING.
rosarugosa
4-10-12, 7:14pm
Stella, That daybed would be a really nice addition to your planned outdoor oasis this summer. Whenever I see pallets up for grabs I think that surely I should be able to do something with them . . .
Kelli, I'll bet the torte is very frugal if your basis for comparison is something comparable from a top-notch bakery. (See? I can rationalize almost anything!)
We got an offer from a credit card that we have and never use that they will give us a $25. statement credit if we spend $250. on the card. Actually, we only used the card when they offered a similar deal a year or two ago. We also got an offer for a new rewards card where they will give us a $150. statement credit after our first purchase. I'm going to go for both deals, and just make our regular gas and grocery purchases with them. We never carry balances on our cards and have no problem resisting the "temptation" of available credit, so as far as I'm concerned it's free money.
ETA: Hey Mrs. M, I just noticed that your little smiley icon has a bad habit, LOL!
early morning
4-10-12, 7:51pm
Boy I wish our CC would offer us something like that, but our offers generally come with too many strings, so I stick to my cash-back Amazon Visa. Not too many frugals to report - set up at a flea on Saturday and did fairly well; got rid of some inventory that we've been lugging around way too long. Funny, that. Sunday was frugal - Easter dinner is Dsis's chosen holiday, and she buys, although we always offers to pay for our own family. My aunt and Dsil both brought desserts, so we even had some to bring home. Had an interesting training at work and missed lunch, so I have lunch for tomorrow already in the work fridge. Paid some bills online, bought gas at cheapest place. Have lots of eggs on hand, so we had potatoes and eggs for dinner. Nothing too exciting...
Here is a similar flourless chocolate cake that I've made - minus the cream and with less butter, so perhaps less decadent. Really, how can you go wrong with real chocolate, butter, and eggs? I added a little chipotle powder. It was described by the recipient as "the best dessert I'd ever eaten."
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2007/01/shf-27-chocolat-1/
Frugals - nothing new, really. starting to hang laundry outside; cooking at home; planning meals; focusing on house and yard, so no time to shop or buy.
Coming in late to this.
Went shopping at my favourite discount fabric, yarn and general goods store. I found a needed new straw welcome mat for $5, some lovely blue washable fabric for $.30/yd, a long denim skirt that I have wanted for years for $1 so bought two of them, some heavy washable wool material discounted 66% to make new blankets for the spare beds to replace the 20 year-old cheap comforters plus enough leftover to make myself a wrap jacket.
We have been in our house for 20.5 years and so much is getting worn and needing replacement so I wait and wait and the right things do come up at the right price eventually. Being able to create with my serger and sewing machine does help as well.
It is always a surprise what one little improvement makes to the whole look of a house.
fidgiegirl
4-11-12, 8:30am
Rosemary, yer killin' me!! Looks so good. Bookmarked for future reference.
razz, score!!
Kelli and Rosemary both of those look fabulous! I am going to have to try those!
I was on a mission yesterday to organie the girls' room. 3/4 of the mess was because they dumped out all of their toys to repurpose the containers as cat beds for invisible cats (!) but there are some consistent issues in their room I decided I needed to address. For one, they need a place they can store things like books and book lights and water when they are laying in bed. I decided to sew them a bed pocket, inspired by this (http://www.flickr.com/photos/58502173@N07/5406631330/in/pool-1562375@N24/) bed pocket from a sewing book I have. I decided to make my own without a pattern, though. I went to Savers (thrift store) and got a pair of tab-top linen curtains for $5. I folded the curtain up, sewed the sides and up the middle to make two pockets and each one to a closet rod I had on hand. I tucked the closet rod between the mattress and the front of the bed and we had a nice little bed organizer for books. Zach is going to use scrap wood to make a box-style shelf to put next to their beds for water bottles, Cheyenne's eyeglasses and stuff like that.
Today Zach is going to set up the LEGO table in the girls' extra closet. That will give them a place to use their Legos that can be shut away from smaller kids. A $6 cork board for each of them to put up favourite photos, birthday cards, etc. should finish it off for now, until we are able to get around to getting the new beds.
My next project to tackle is the boys' room. Zach is going to make a low-to-the-ground bed for James and I am going to sew a tent from a sheet Grandpa gave us to make it look like a tent bed. Their room has a camping theme. We'll do the same thing for Travis when he is ready to move to a big boy bed. Eventually I want bunk beds for them, but it will be a while before I feel like that is safe for them and by then we might decide to build some or have Grandpa Phil build some. I need to shorten the boys' curtains, so I am thinking of turning the extra fabric into floor cushions for them.
Finally, Cheyenne wants to learn embroidery and has decided to make a pillowcase for my mom for Mothers Day. I have a pen that creates iron on transfers and she drew a picture of a rainbow and sunshine and we transferred it to a pillowcase. I used a fabric marker to write a line from the song The Rainbow Connection next to the picture of the rainbow. It's going to be really cute. It got me thinking that it could be fun to embroider some tea towels and other stuff with children's art and fun quotes. I was thinking that for my friends' birthday I might get her son to draw me a dragon and embroider it on a dish towel with the Chesterton quote, " Fairy tales are not important because they tell us that dragons exist, they are important because they tell us that dragons can be beaten." This friend works at the Renaissance Festival and reads a lot of fantasy novels. It would cost almost nothing, but would be thoughtful and special.
Originally posted by Rosarugosa.
ETA: Hey Mrs. M, I just noticed that your little smiley icon has a bad habit, LOL! Bad, bad little smiley. LOL!
Hi everyone. Guess who finally has a couple of days off from work...ME! I've had seven days off in the last 2 months but if all goes according to plan, I will only work about 3-4 hours over the next three days.
I've been drinking free coffee and playing a scrabble on line this morning for frugal entertainment.
Dh and I have continued to take the stockpiling very seriously. We are only buying things that are a really good deal but the stash is growing. I did three rebates last week for cooking spray, bacterial wipes, and a frozen lasagna-about $20 total.
I used some amazon.com gift certificate $$$ and bought some mylar bags for long-term storage. My out of pocket cost was very little and these seem to be key to long-term storage. I bought 25 lbs of sugar very cheaply and intend to spend one evening this week putting it into storage.
I'm really stressing about money at the moment. Business is just not picking up for us-we depend so much on people staying at their cottages and its just not happening. April brings tons of bills for the restaurant and while we have enough to cover it, the account hasn't been this low in years. One of the local factories that has been in business for over 60 years is closing and that has the local nervous. Something like that has a big effect on the local economy.
The other thing is that the young couple that is buying our house is in the process of filing bankruptcy. They say they're filing chapter 7 and not 13 but still... So I'm getting a lawyer and making sure we're covered. I still owe money on this house! The perfect arrangement is suddenly in question....
So I did something kind of extreme today. Some of you will think I'm horrible and some will think it was a great idea. I called and asked to liquidate the 529 college plan I won several months ago. I cannot risk that money in any way shape of form and live with myself. It lost over $900 the first quarter. Once its in my hands I can decide to pay off debts that are 6-8% interest or I can invest it in cds or bonds that I know are going to keep it safe. Either way, it will allow me to provide better for my family long term. It will not be wasted on luxuries. Heck, I still have $300 to use at the dollar store!
For the record, if ds wants to go to college, we will help him with college. We live within driving distance of 2 major universities and a great community college. Room and board and a job while attending are already available as well as financial help if its appropriate. I've always wanted to be able to help him with school but don't believe in giving him a free ride.
I am going to spend some time doing swag codes and sweepstakes this afternoon to see what I might win.
fidgiegirl
4-11-12, 6:06pm
bke, the 529 business it very much reminds me of YMOYL, at least in the earlier editions. The authors did not recommend risking the nest egg. I think you have to do what is best for your family. All will work out in the end. Thinking good thoughts for you.
Stella, love the pillowcase ideas. So sweet.
Here, I think I am going to go out and FINALLY get rid of those trees that are bothering the heck out of me!!!!! Need to think of some more crock pot meals. Our big shop 10 days ago pretty much got us through almost 2 weeks, but we're gettin' kind of stumped on food again, so we must not have enough easy stuff around.
Thanks Kelli!
I think the 529 thing is sensible too bke. I don't think that is bad at all.
I am officially on bedrest for the weekend at least, probably for the rest of the pregnancy. In a way that is frugal because I can't go anywhere and spend money. :) Looking on the bright side and all that.
Before bed rest, I decided to try an experiment. I have a lot of mismatched and ugly flower pots that I've trash picked over the years. I don't like how they look, but they are still useful for growing things. Anyway, I decided to try spray painting them with chalkboard paint. They turned out really cute! I thinking that I am going to write the Latin name of the plant in chalk on the pots as a little lesson in both Latin and the scientific names of plants.
fidgiegirl
4-13-12, 6:23pm
Boo on the bedrest, Stella.
I went to Whole Foods after work to get some items, including stuff to try yogurt AGAIN. I bought a yogurt maker, which I feel a little guilty about, because the whole origin of this experiment for me was the "Upping Our Efforts" thread, in which I put forth that I wanted DH and I to try to recycle more of our waste, etc. So to throw out the yogurt maker we had (but which didn't work) and buy a new one feels just a little too ironic. After two failed batches I have high hopes that this one will work!!!!! Over the long haul it will save plastic and money if it's a go. And if not, well . . . not sure what then.
In Whole Foods I was hungry and wanted to buy a bunch of stuff, but held strong. I really wanted to get a dessert somewhere but we have a few GF mixes in the cabinet to try out. In fact, I think I will walk back into the kitchen and whip one up!!
This chili is on the stove right now. It kicks butt: glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2012/01/gluten-free-chicken-chili-with-white.html (http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2012/01/gluten-free-chicken-chili-with-white.html)
SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD
Hi all...glad to hear you are all being so frugal, Stella hope the bedrest is not too stressful for you all?
I have been reading here and trying to be frugal...just haven't getting around to posting
---All the usuals--eating down the freezer, using up all the leftovers, make soup one weekend, menu planning and shopping mostly only for specials, using coupons.
---Started Aqua Fit at only $3.67 a time and making sure I am taking my shower the two days I go.
---Lots of walking for errands and yard sales in the area instead of taking the car.
---met a friend for coffee and muffin but, used a gift card.
Really not been spending too much even with a trip and company for Easter.
early morning
4-14-12, 11:35am
Good to hear from you danna, been wondering how you are doing. Same old, around here. I have almost emptied the last deodorant tube I had refilled, so I will scrape out the dregs and start saving for the next refill. I refilled my honey bottle with my latest local, bulk purchased honey. Picked up pulled pork BBQ last night after a nice long visit with a friend, and the dear at the counter GAVE me a quart of our favorite mustard BBQ sauce. I tried to pay for it but she was adamant, so I gratefully accepted. FFF this weekend is volunteering at a gathering of B25s (70th anniversary of the Doolittle Tokyo raid). I will take some snacks and a bottle of pop and hopefully refrain from buying too many T- shirts. The organizations that keep these babies in the air (it costs a LOT!) are always looking for revenue and I'm a huge supporter of living history and a lover of Tee shirts...:|(.
Stella, bummer about the bedrest, and I can't believe that child is almost term already!! Take care of yourself and keep us posted!!
Don't know that I've checked in at all this month -- been super busy and probably not as frugal as I could be! But today I took advantage of the nice weather and potted up some succulent cuttings that my friend gave me from his garden. I already had all the pots so just needed to get some potting soil for cacti, which is pretty inexpensive. I probably could have made my own potting soil mix, but I was at risk of not even getting the project done (had minor surgery yesterday, so I was not feeling super motivated) so I figured buying the soil was a good choice. Now I have about a half dozen pots with cuttings planted. I must say, they look quite nice on the table on the deck. Hopefully they will all survive! If not, it was a worthwhile experience and I'm sure I will learn something in the process.
Been doing a pretty good job of eating at home lately. Made a quiche last night with eggs from our neighbor and spinach from our garden. Still trying to master the pie crust part and this was definitely my least tasty attempt -- I think I handled the dough just a little too much -- but we still ate the entire quiche so it must not have been too bad! Tonight we're having homemade pizza with homemade pizza sauce and some local fiddlehead ferns as a side dish. Yum!
fidgiegirl
4-14-12, 5:35pm
Hi danna and cdttmm, long time no see. Feel better soon, cdttmm . . .
I just did a quick volunteer job that made me feel good. I repaired some tents for the Girl Scout council. Strangely, though, of the 3 tents they gave me to repair the zippers, 2 didn't even need zipper work. And the third just needed the sliders squeezed so they would engage the teeth. Looking that up online saved a ton of work, time and money.
My sister, brother-in-law and I went to the Textile garage sale today. It was kind of crazy, but I scored flannel for hankies and a knit for sleeping hats for DH and DFiL for $2 total. Yippee! I was bummed that I didnt' know there was a silent auction. There was a serger that went for only $50. I'm kind of interested in one, but they are spendy even used. Oh well, will see if I can borrow mom's.
Thanks early morning and fidgiegirl it is good to be back..cdttmm hope you feel well soon
---company for lunch yesterday and enough leftover for supper tonight
---eating bagels and yogert got with free coupons
--Dd and I did an inventory of all the food in the house and think with planning and only produce/milk/eggs we can eat for a month without buying
rosarugosa
4-15-12, 6:57am
Good to see you Danna and Cdttmm!
Early: Good luck with the t-shirt restraint. DH just culled out about 20 t-shirts from his collection to be donated, mostly unworn or barely worn. So now he only has about 50 - craziness. Many of them were given to him by others though.
I signed up for the new credit card and registered for the deal on the other card, so that will be $175. of "free money." We came in well within budget on groceries again. Had a day of FFF yesterday working out in the garden. The weather had been amazingly beautiful.
I had a new-to-me frugal yesterday! I have been trying to eat more fruits and vegetables, so I've switched from eating oatmeal or toast with peanut butter for breakfast to a handful of almonds and some type of fruit. I haven't bought much fruit for years because I hate the number of food miles that are associated with much of it, but I believe it's better for my health so I'm trying to come to terms with all of that. Anyway, over the past few weeks I bought fresh pineapple that had been cut up in chunks. It was really good! Yesterday I decided I should just buy a whole pineapple because I can cut something up as well as someone at the store and it saves me from bringing home more plastic packaging to recycle. Turns out I was paying $6/lb for pre-cut pineapple and a whole pineapple -- weighing 4+ lbs was $6. Wow! Even if I only get 2 lbs of actual edible fruit from it that is still a huge savings. I know, I know, that would still be $3/lb of fruit which is outrageously expensive, but I'm taking baby steps on this one folks! I've also been buying bananas, which are 79 cents a pound so it's not as though I'm only eating the really expensive fruit!!! I'd like to eventually shift from eating fruit to eating veggies for breakfast, but I'm not there just yet. I did lose 10 pounds in the past 2 months by making this one change in my diet. I'm starting to think there is something to the paleo/primal diet that is so popular as of late and I don't consider myself someone who usually falls for the latest diet craze. But perhaps my preferred version of vegetarianism (heavy on the carbs) has run it's course and I simply need more protein in my life! :)
Okay, so totally digressed from the frugals there for a moment...forgive me. Other frugal activities to note: still eating the overwhelming majority of our meals at home. We finally emptied and turned off the wood boiler for the season. We used 6 cords of wood this season so that means we'll buy 6 cords in the next few weeks and I will stack it in preparation for next season. At $175/cord (delivered) that's still more than $1000 for heating fuel for a season, ugh, but about 1/3 of what we would have paid to heat with oil. I'll have to see if there is anything we can do to use even less next season. We've already blown in insulation, replaced all the doors and windows, and closed off all the rooms we don't use, but there must be more ways to save! A discussion for a few months from now because for the next few months I'm going to enjoy the warm weather!!!
I recieved my check for the 529 plan today and immediately took it to the bank. I deposited it in the business account and will use it to help pay off the restaurant since this is the debt with the highest interest rate. By using it in this way, we should be able to pay the restaurant off in full in the next 18 months at the most, freeing up thousands of dollars a year, and allowing us to pay off the house and save for both college for ds and our retirement. Basically we are making a guarenteed 7.75% interest rate for our investment.
Today was a no spend day.
I recieved 3 coupons for free products in the mail today.
I found $10 on the floor at the restaurant. If no one misses it, of course I'll keep it.
I"m on line playing sweeps, swagbucks and signing up for freebies. I've also determined where we'll shop this week by checking out the sales flyers on line.
rosarugosa
4-17-12, 7:51pm
Cdttmm: I love fruit for breakfast, and I especially love berries which aren't cheap and often require a lot of time to prep (strawberries). We were at Costco's yesterday, and one of the demo folks had a frozen berry medley that was $10.99 for a 4-lb bag. It tasted pretty good, and I was talking to another woman who takes a serving to work in a small plastic container, which thaws by the time she is ready to eat it, so I'm going to give that a try. It's not the cheapest way to eat fruit, but it's a reasonably-priced way to eat berries, and I like the time/effort savings.
I also got the reimbursement check from my vision care provider, and going to Costco turned out to be a really excellent deal. When I got my glasses and exam at Sears using my vision care, it cost me $230. out of pocket. Getting the exam at Sears and my glasses from Costco and then submitting for out-of-network reimbursement cost me a total of $60 out of pocket, so that was definitely the way to go.
Does anyone make homemade popsicles? I've developed a passion for Trader Joe's Carribean Fruit Floes at $1.00 per bar. They seems to be made almost entirely of fruit and are so yummy. I was wondering if I could do something creative with a nice quality fruit juice and maybe some of those frozen berries that would cost less but taste similar. I can't do much in the way of cooking, but I make good ice cubes, so this could potentially fall within my culinary skill set :) Right now it appears that I'm saving money on my eyewear and then spending it on frozen treats at TJs - oh, well. Eating yummy things is one of life's truest pleasures.
BKE: Good for you, I look forward to congratulating you as you vanquish those debts!
BKE I am sure the decrease in debt just makes you want to get rid of the rest as fast as possible and
that has to be a good thing. You have got me searching for coupons for free stuff, entering contest (won $50.00 Walmart card last month) and
doing surveys for Air Miles...nothing too big yet but all adding up.
rosarugsa those berries are really good mixed in yogurt or on top of cereal or in pancakes.
I have made popsicles when the kids were younger and just about anything goes...
not many fugals for the day...been decluttering my sewing/craft space and that will be frugal because some will be sold
and I will know what I have
Aqua fit and went to TOPS for my second week and have lost 3lbs...will be frugal because I will be fit and healthly and eating less ....lol
flowerseverywhere
4-18-12, 5:36am
just read through this thread for inspiration, which always works.
We have had great weather so I have been riding my bike places and preparing my garden spaces. I am so far ahead of normal years I can't believe it.
I used gift cards to almost cover the cost of a dehydrator. I have wanted one for a long time so we'll see if it is worth the energy use.
Another load to SA this morning on my way to work. I get a receipt and that helps at tax time, and the less cluttered and cleaner my house the more relaxed and happy we seem to be.
With the good weather I have a head start on washing and line drying all the quilts, blankets and curtains that I do every spring and fall. They smell so good coming off the line.
I was going to go on a grocery stock-up trip on Monday but ran out of time and really cleaned out the fridge in the past two days as a result. It's going to be rainy today so a perfect day to run errands - I used yesterday's beautiful weather to get things done in the yard.
We've also been eating down the pantry and freezer for a while, on track to turn off the extra freezer when warm weather hits in a couple of months.
I tell you what, if dh and I pull this off in the next year or so the entire gang here at SLN deserves so much credit for our sucess. I've been coming here for over 10 years now and if it wasn't for all the support and great information I've recieved from the like minded individuals here, I'm sure I would be much more main-stream in my thinking. Like so many of you, we are surrounded by people who just don't get it. I know when my father finds out I cashed in the 529 fund he is gonna give me so much crap! "Taxed deferred blah, blah, blah..."
But, the more I think about it, the more confidentI am that this is the better long-term use for the money. Dh and I have been on cloud nine for a week dreaming of what the future holds and how quickly we might get there.
Danna, don't make light of all those little things you are doing. Its what I do! There is a lot of financial power in controling all those little things. I believe it with all my heart! I've had a ton of people come through my life that have told me they can't be bothered with those little savings but none of them are on the path to financial freedom either! If you ever have any questions about ways to save or want referrals to some of the sights I frequent just PM me. That goes for anyone else who might be interested. I owe you all so much for putting up with me all these years, its the least I can do. You guys keep me sane-lol!
Money is kind of tight this week since I took time off last weekend. We chose to do our shopping closer to home last night and to put off the things that could wait. We did the bulk of our purchasing at the dollar store, using my gift card.
I bought toilet cleaner for work. They had dollar off coupons hanging over the product bringing it to half price. I bought all six that they had out and grabbed a few extra coupons for future use since they had a ton of them and they were long dated.
I had a coupon for a free tub of butter that I used last night. The receipt from that free purchase will be used to turn in a rebate for yet another free tub of butter.
Today I will do my usual swagbucks, sweeps and quadreaders for whatever little I can gain along the way.
Yesterday's mail included shampoo and conditioner as well as mayo samples. These are the little things that add up for me!
Scrabble continues to be my free entertainment.
flowerseverywhere
4-18-12, 9:32am
[QUOTE=bke;77779] I know when my father finds out I cashed in the 529 fund he is gonna give me so much crap! "Taxed deferred blah, blah, blah..."
But, the more I think about it, the more confidentI am that this is the better long-term use for the money. Dh and I have been on cloud nine for a week dreaming of what the future holds and how quickly we might get there.
Scrabble continues to be my free entertainment.
...
QUOTE]
Don't tell your father if you don't want. He grew up in a whole different generation. College costs are so ridiculous and a college education does not guarantee a life of success anymore. The rules have changed and we all need to adapt. I still feel a college education is a great thing, but it is very different now.
I think you are doing great. Last night on our walk I carry a plastic bag in my pocket and I pick up nickel refundable cans. DH thinks I am nuts but like picking up pennies I don't care. I also do the coupon thing for stuff we use, have a huge garden and eat meat sparingly. Our grocery bills are miniscule compared to most.
At the end of the day when we lay our heads on our pillows we have to be comfortable with how we choose to live our lives. For years I was the black sheep of the family and DH of his. We were different. Non consumers, making do, driving junkers while everyone had car payments. Fast forward to the financial crisis today we we are so much better off. They don't make fun of us anymore but do make comments on how lucky we are. We made our luck and you are doing so too!
Welcome back danna and cdttmm! Good to see you again!
bke, I'm with flowers, just don't tell your dad. It's your money. You made a sound decision.
I had a lot of my restrictions eased at yesterday's doctor's appointment, so that will help with the frugality efforts. Poor Zach was running himself a bit ragged. We have had lots of good community support, though. A friend brought us a meal last night and tonight another friend is picking up our big kids for faith formation. Tomorrow yet another friend, who's son also has his First Communion this weekend, is going to take Cheyenne to her house and feed her and then to the practice session. It's lovely to have such wonderful people around.
We got James and Travis' room set up today with the big boy beds. Travis will stay in the crib for a while before moving to the toddler bed, but James got a free twin bed from a friend of ours and he just loves it. I can't believe I can fit three beds in that small room and it doesn't look crowded or messy! The toddler bed is in an alcove and the play kitchen that used to be in the alcove has been moved to the closet. I'm storing the toys in bins under the crib. I'm pleased with how it all turned out and it didn't end up costing anything.
The girls made granola bars for breakfast yesterday. They were super easy, inexpensive and tasty. It was just oats, peanut butter, honey, peanuts and craisins. I ate the crumbs today on yogurt. Yum!
Overall I am so pleased at how well things are going. The house is a little rough around the edges, as you'd expect with Mom laid up, Dad finishing school and the family room under construction, but overall things are in pretty good shape and the craziness is relatively well contained.
Yes, yes, yes -- it's all the little things that add up! I had to remind myself of that today. Things have been really crazy and stressful at work for the past few weeks and I feel like I've been slipping on so many of my good habits. But today I managed to remember to get gas at the cheap gas station near the college -- 10 cents per gallon less than the station near our house -- plus I saved another 10 cents per gallon because I used our rewards card. All in all less than $4 in savings, but if I saved $4 every day for a year that would be more than $1,400 so it adds up! Was feeling frustrated after a long day and almost stopped to grab some prepared food at the grocery store, but convinced myself to just go home and make a quick salad, which was most satisfying. So saved a few bucks there, too! Of course, I spent $2.25 in the vending machine today -- something I almost never do -- so I was feeling like I needed to make up for that!
Other than those few things I'm trying to get back in the habit of drinking only water and tea. I've been drinking far too much hot chocolate as of late. Too much sugar and too many calories in addition to be an added expense that I'm not really deriving much pleasure from. Hot chocolate really needs to be a once a month treat for me, not a once a day necessity. I'm looking into buying a bike lock for my bike so that I can start to ride my bike a few places instead of always driving. We live in a pretty rural area so it's not always practical to ride my bike, but I'd like to still try to do it whenever possible. Looking forward to getting back in the habit of hanging all my laundry on the clothesline as well -- been far too dependent on the dryer as of late.
Keep up all the great work, everyone! You guys are truly my inspiration!!!
April 18
--I only have a dental plan till Aug so I am going to go ahead and get a night guard...which is suppose to help stop
clenching and grinding teeth at night. It will hopefully help me need less work on them in the future, went today for the mould
taking, that was not pleasant but, it is done.
--Also, going to physio tomorrow for my back/leg pain, my plan does not have a lot coverage for the year and it is expensive if I need more then a few visits, (I have never used it in the 25 years I have had it one of those things I should have done long ago,). I will try to take notes and learn how to do the exercises at home. Should save money in the long run.
--I have been wanting to get a canvas frame to wrap with a lovely piece of pure silk Ds brought me back from India last year but hated to
pay full price for something I was just going to cover...got one on mark down today(a few marks but, that won't matter to me) 75% off regular price.
--got 2 bags of milk on sale this week $3.99 each
--used my stores policy of price matching to get 18 eggs at my store for $2.79
--sort of frugal got box of 4 Litres of wine on sale (okay I know the whole box thing sounds kind of bad but, it does keep in the box once open for up to 6 weeks)
It will keep for 6 weeks, that does not mean it will last for 6 weeks...lol
fidgiegirl
4-18-12, 9:51pm
Hi guys. Everyone's doing so well!!! It helps me to read your efforts. I don't feel like we're kickin' it very well lately. It's funny, I am taking longer to "recover" from our four months of intense work on the house than DH is. I just look around and see so much to do, so much to unpack, so much to keep clean, so much to put finishing touches on. He is still going strong and has all these ideas and is after me to do things, too. Our savings aren't gone, but they are lower than I'd like, and the HELOC that is our 2nd mortgage is bothering me. So not quite sure where to go. When I was single, I would have scrounged up some money (like the recent thread we had going) and felt a little better. But I'm not basically willing to do that if he's not! Terrible! So . . . tracking? That's kind of the only answer I have at this point. Are we spending like wild people? No. But we had $1900 on our AmEx last month. We pay it off monthly, and it's all discretionary stuff. That was a lot! We could get that down quite a bit, I know we could. *Sigh* Anyway, ok if no one has any advice. Mainly needed a rant, I guess.
early morning
4-18-12, 10:13pm
Well, I've not done very well recently. Too may coffee and ice cream stops and a big car service bill (timing belt/water pump). But the car is chugging along at 180K and has had no major repair problems, so I can't complain. And I think I may have found a new mechanic!! But I'm clawing my way back onto the bandwagon... I managed to make it through the weekend with the purchase of only 2 T-shirts, one for DH and one for me. Dinner tonight was a big skillet of potato and eggs, and I baked an extra potato to take in my lunch tomorrow. Hung laundry on the line before work this morning. And I'm now earning more vacation at work- passed one of those milestone years, yay! Stopped at JoAnn's for thread (on sale, half off) and resisted the urge to buy things that were not on my list. Also resisted the urge to buy either potato cakes or ice cream. I figured if I couldn't decide between those two, I could wrestle up something here at home, or just not eat anything else.
Kelli, I think some times in life, and moves are definitely one of them, are just harder to be super frugal. I know that feeling, though, and I hope you get back to where you are comfortable soon.
A friend brought us a meal for tonight, baked spaghetti and foccacia bread, so we will be having that for dinner. I am so thankful for all of the help.
Today I am going to make some more laundry soap and probably a couple more skirts for the girls. Other than that it's pretty much the standard fare around here today.
Actually my father is going to be on the recieving end of my $20, 000 + check next week. Dh and I were 31 & 33 years old when we bought the restaurant-too young to establish the kind of credit needed to do it on our own. My father is the reason we were able to make the purchase and holds the note on the business. Through the years I've looked into re-financing but have never found a business loan for less that the 7.75% we're at. Dad will complain to me about the early pay off, the loss of the college fund, his loss of interest income, etc and then he'll turn around and brag to all his buddies about his crazy daughter and son-in-law and all they've accomplished. He doesn't know what to think about me. My younger brother was groomed to be the business person-I'm just the girl and average was all that I was expected to be. While dh runs the kitchen, I'm definitely the money person in this household and my father knows it. He never dreamed that I might accomplish by 45 what it took him to the age of 60 to do himself...
Frugals:
I recieved coupons for 3 more free candy bars in the mail yesterday from sweepstakes wins. I also recieved a new food magazine in the mail (free subscription) and it contained 2 receipes I think I will try in the future. One is for curried chicken with coconut rice and the other is called citrusdoodles. Citrus flavored cookies.
Dh and I packed 25 lbs of sugar and another 25 lbs of salt into mylar bags for long term storage last night. I'll look at them later and see if they sealed properly. If they're ok I will put them into free 5 gallon buckets from products we use at work and will store them for the future. I"m not looking for the end of the world but I am trying to prepare for the devaluation of my hard earned dollars. Next week we will look into rice prices. Right now we can order certain products through our restaurant supplier for cheaper than at the store.
bke you should be really, really proud of yourself, whatever your dad says. That is a HUGE accomplishment!
I have been getting some crazy awesome ideas off of Pinterest for diy stuff for the house. Zach is planning to build me some very thin, wall mounted bookshelves for the boy's room that will go behind the door. The cost will be neglible because we already have the materials (more of the paneling) and it will give us more book storage while using space that otherwise goes unused. We also got ideas for shelves you can put behind and under stairs. We have 5 flights of stairs in this house and that space would be great to be able to use better.
Zach and I were discussing getting warmer bedding for James because he tends to get colder at night than the rest of the family. I was kicking the thought around in my head and an idea occurred to me. Their room is camping themed, why not just use a sleeping bag? We already have some very warm sleeping bags and they live in the closet most of the year. If we actually went camping, he'd just take it with. We got it set up on his bed today. I think it is going to work really well and since it is made for below zero weather, its probably warmer than anything else we could have found.
rosarugosa
4-20-12, 7:30pm
Stella, When I was in my teens, I always slept in my sleeping bag on my bed. No bedmaking required - it was great!
flowerseverywhere
4-20-12, 8:28pm
BKE. I don't really understand the mylar bags. Why are you using them? to stock up?
nice pot of split pea soup tonight for dinner with leftovers for tomorrow.
Took some runners from my strawberries to start a new bed instead of buying them. Looks like all but two are going to make it so I'll replant tomorrow.
Rode my bike to do my errands today. Exercise and no gas spent. I have panniers on the back as well as a basket and backpack so I must look a sight, but with gas over 4/gallon here I don't care.
I've been selling really well on etsy and that helps us a lot. Started the garden. MIL has been happily weeding outside. We think she needed more of a purpose than just living with us. When she was selling her house last fall she was always busy. I think being outside also will give her more exercise and will help her sleep better. She'll be 93 in a few weeks. We're also going to get her twp planters that she will fill with flowers and take care of. Yesterday she was just sitting in the sun watching the birds. To sum it up we are making more $, spending very wisely, cooking from scratch and eating the food we have.
early morning
4-21-12, 12:58pm
Merski, wonderful that at 93 your MIL is able to get about so well! My own mother is approaching 94, and while she lives alone, we do all of her cooking, cleaning, etc. She did everything but mow, though, until just a year ago. I only hope I do as well at their ages! And great that she is able to live with you. Right now, my mother is far to contrary to move, lol. Sounds like you are dealing with everything very well - congrats! I am scrambling to put aside some money for some large -ticket fixes we really need. More attic insulation is one, but primary is some tree-trimming. We have three old maples and one old hackberry that are HUGE and need some pruning. Got gas at the cheap station. Borrowed my mom's weed-whacker instead of getting another one - we don't use this one at her house anyway. Did a huge (180K miles) on my car. Expensive but much cheaper than another car! Ran our food spending totals year-to-date, which comes up to 24.5 per adult per week, and includes dining out (which we don't do too often). Of course for DH and I, that includes some beef from the freezer...
BKE - that is awesome!!
Early morning...we told MIL that after she sells her house and moves in with us she'd be saving 99% of her money...no taxes, no excessive heating bills,no water bill, no house insurance ,no phone (she uses our line) It quickly added up to $2000 or more a month! As a person who lived through the depression this really struck a note with her. She has her own private space and seems very content to see her nest egg growing and we sleep better at night knowing she's safe with us. Good luck with your mom.
Spent the morning running errands and managed to combine everything into one trip, which was great. And managed to get out early enough that the roads and stores weren't too crowded, which would likely have caused us to call it quits and skip some of the stops. Lucked out and stocked up on both shampoo and toilet paper on sale and didn't succumb to any little splurges at the grocery store. :~) Ate leftovers for lunch and I'm making spinach quiche for dinner. I'm actually attempting to make 2 this time so that I can have lunch for the entire week! We'll see how that works out. Took advantage of the nice weather yesterday and hung some laundry on the line -- first time this spring! I had forgotten how much I like line-dried laundry so I need to try to remember to time my laundry days to coincide with nice weather. Going to continue to eat from what we have on hand as much as possible this week and minimize trips to the grocery store. And if I can get motivated, I'm going to attempt making homemade yogurt, too! Loving the nice weather we're having and been getting outside to work on the garden a little bit. Bought some fruit trees today and was tempted by a beautiful Japanese maple -- a variety that I do not have -- but walked away when I saw the price was $275. Yikes. Going to try to rein in my spending on trees and ornamental plants this year -- wish me luck!
Flowerseverywhere: the idea is that you seal food in mylar bags with oxygen absorbers and the food remains in good quality for up to 25 years depending on the the product. Salt and sugar are basically good forever. Flour averages 10 years, dried milk for 4 or 5...
I spoke to my accountant this afternoon and he informed me that there will be no penalty for the withdrawl of the money from the 529. Previously I was expecting to lose 10% or $2500. Even he thinks this is a good idea. Hee Hee how can my father argue with that eh? After all, he uses the same accountant! This time next year I'm gonna be here telling you that the restaurant is paid of in full!!!
Yesterday was a no spend day. Today was a no spending or driving day.
Dh is getting ready to watch the Bulls game and I am going to play some sweepstakes.
fidgiegirl
4-21-12, 8:45pm
Hi everybody
My mom and dad came to spend the day again. Dad is an electrician so he has saved us $1000s on the house. It's pretty amazing. He and DH spent the day fixing some electrical issues, Mom and I spent it on our butts. :) Well, I did finish up another ornament from the everlasting felt ornament kit. Will post a pic in The Crafty Thread.
We ate at home even though I was tempted to suggest an evening out. I spent $149 at Costco on Fri. night so we had plenty of food on hand.
I have a coworker who has offered us plants, and even though we are not ready for them, we should take them anyway. We can always move them later. Too icky today to dig, though, so off the hook :)
Ooh, and my mom is lending me her serger to do some projects. That will be a learning experience - long time since I used one (her old one) and never ever set one up on my own. We were never allowed to touch the threads on the old one :) This one looks a little easier. She bought that sucker for $50 - NEVER USED! Can't believe it. They are so expensive. OK! Off to laundry. Nice to see everyone checking in.
rosarugosa
4-21-12, 9:09pm
Merski, that is so cool that you guys have your MIL with you. I adore our cottage, but do wish we had longer range planning in mind when we were home buying, because our house will not easily adapt to a multigenerational sanctuary. I'm starting to realize that's what it should be all about, or will be about eventually. Don't want to put Mom in a nursing home ever! But she is allergic to cats, and we are nothing if not a cat house! Oh well, all good things in all good time (if I may quote the Grateful Dead).
Rosa, my cats and dog don't go to see her! We don't even have a door between our level and hers! Lucky for us she doesn't have allergies. I wish they would spend time with her. We both work and she's left alone and there's something about an animal keeping you company that most pet lovers appreciate. We never really thought that she would move in with us but we're glad she's not in her house 30 minutes away using and paying for resources we already are doing here.
flowerseverywhere
4-22-12, 8:27am
Thanks BKE. I have extra bags of flour and rice, and a few months of food stocked up but really didn't know how to get more than that due to spoilage. Since your post I have been reading about Mylar bags.
We had a really warm spell for several weeks so I spent a lot of time outdoors getting the gardens ready and planting some spring veggies. I am so glad now I took advantage as it looks like the next week will be very tricky to get in the gardens.
Someone here noted a spinach quiche, I kind of forgot that was a good way to use vegetables. I'll have to try one this week.
Yesterday we had a get together with my sewing group and we all brought food. I made cupcakes (from a mix on sale with a coupon) and homemade frosting and they were a big hit because nobody bakes anymore. Everyone else probably spent $5-10 on what they bought and I spent a little more than $1 when all was said and done and I got rave reviews. We eat little sugar so DH was excited for the few I left him were a big treat. Yummy. Back to sugar avoidance this morning.
flowerseverywhere
4-22-12, 8:30am
Merski, I wish my MIL would move in with one of us, or at least give up her house and move to an apartment. I worry about her but she cannot be convinced. She has a nosy neighbor who calls her if she doesn't see her daily and my SIL calls every morning and I call most days in the afternoon so she is checked on a lot but I still worry. I would hate to think about her lying somewhere helpless because she is a fall risk.
When my mom was alive I'd call her in the morning and ask if she took her meds and she'd say yes (whatever she thought I'd want to hear) and I'd come by later and she didn't take them. My MIL knows what a living hell it was to clean out my mom's crappy house and try to sell it and check on it constantly and grieve at the same time. She did not want us to go through that. She also wanted to avoid some of the probate issues of having an unsold house.
April 22
I can't believe I wrote a long post here last night and lost it...will try to remember..but this old brain doesn't always like doing that these days..lol
--in the last 2 days sold on Kijiji and got $45.00.....one was a couple of beading books and a bunch of beads, I think this is doubly frugal because now
I need to ignore any of this stuff when on sale and at yard sales.
--Made a pot of chicken soup from a carcus I had previously frozen/some onions/frozen veggies/and over ripe tomates...there was enough for supper and lunch today
there is more that is all I remember right now.
fidgiegirl
4-23-12, 9:22am
Hi all,
Tried to weigh in on the mom issues a few days ago but hit a weird glitch and couldn't post. Anyway, don't even remember what I was going to say :) Merski, glad DMIL is with you and safe and that all sounds like it's going well. I anticipate that if we are lucky enough to keep our mom around long enough it won't be easy for us, but I try not to worry about it until the day comes!
A few frugals to report . . . did well on the food front this weekend. Often we go out to eat on the weekend, but our only splurge was a shared dessert last night after we'd worked so hard this weekend. Made a big pot of chili on Saturday and a big pot of split pea yesterday. All I had to buy for all that food was a ham hock, the rest was sunk already. That will last me for the week for lunches and also some dinners. Yippee! I rearranged the cupboards on Saturday and found that we have 3 paprikas (from combining households - time to use that stuff up!). So when I went to make the chili I thought, well, how can I use up some of that paprika? So I looked at the ingredients in the chili powder (which we had plenty of) and put the individual ingredients in instead of using the chili powder, including liberal amount of paprikas. And then I added some dried chipotle chilis that are getting old and that I typically reserve for a Mexican noodle soup (sopa de fideo) recipe that I have an LOVE. Anyway, I left them in a LITTLE too long so the chili was pretty spicy, but good. I'd like to get them used up.
On Saturday I called a place instead of driving 20 minutes over there just to find they were not going to have what I wanted. Big gas savings there.
Made yogurt, it didn't turn out as nicely as before but not sure if that's because I used milk with FISH OIL in it (gross, an inadvertent purchase) or because my yogurt cultures were "used" for one batch. Anyway, it will be edible.
Shoot, there was one more and I forgot. Oh well!
Rosa, I love the bed-making aspect of the sleeping bag solution. Two year olds are not sophisticated bed-makers, so this is a solution that makes it pretty easy for him to make his own bed. Less work for me, more warmth for him. It's very win/win.
Merski, I am glad it is working out with your MIL living with you. I love living in a multi-generational houshold. Among other benefits, Zach and I were just talking about how amazing it is for us to be able to go out on regular dates, about twice a week, when we have all these little kids around. Dad doesn't care how often we go out as long as the kids are in bed. It really helps us to stay best friends, since we actually get to do fun things together quite often. The ripple effect of that is so positive for everyone.
I think Dad likes the laundry service (he pays Cheyenne in iPad time to do his laundry) and breakfast and coffee each morning (Zach sets up the coffee and makes Dad breakfast when he makes his own).
I had a nice weekend. Cheyenne made her first communion and Dad took us out for lunch yesterday. We went to the Chinese restaurant down the street from us and his total was $33 for all seven of us for the all-you-can-eat buffet. That's as cheap as McDonalds, really, but better.
I'm still on my crafting/upcycling kick. We've made button bracelets and today we will glue buttons onto thumbtacks for decoration. I got the buttons at the thrift store for $1 for a large bag. I also made a little art hanger for the girls' room out of some wire we got for $1 at the reused art store Kelli told us about and some little metal clips I got for $3 at Michaels. I still have clips and wire leftover, too. I had planned to give them each a bulletin board for their artwork, cards and other stuff they wanted to keep, but this works just as well and it is much cheaper.
One of my friends brought me a HUGE bag and a box of baby girl clothes. Her girls are one and three and she is done adopting, so she brought me all of her outgrown baby clothes. I am so set for baby Charlotte! Charlotte's Godmother and James and Travis' Godmother have both been giving me lots of cute stuff for her too. Dad is going to chip in on a really good breast pump. He's all about the breastfeeding because breastfeeding helps protect against breast cancer, which is his biggest fear for his kids at the moment since my sister is battling her second round of it. It's a helpful way of channeling his fears, which are totally understandable. I think I'd be an absolute wreck if one of my daughters was sick the way she has been.
A friend of mine came over this Saturday to hang out and gave me a really cute ruffled scarf she had made from Ice Ballet yarn. She gave me the rest of the skein so I could see how to use this particular kind of yarn and it made enough of a scarf for the kids' AG dolls. Another friend came over last night and brought me a really cute dress and wrap her DH's aunt had bought me for this summer. It's got an empire waist and a shirred top, so it should be an easy fit as I change sizes from Beached Whale back to normal on the bottom and fill out on the top. :) People are seriously so thoughtful! I am blown away by the kindness.
I have recieved notice that our expected windfall is due to arrive within a couple of weeks. It's been a couple of months since we thought it was coming the first time and we have solved about 60% of the problems we were planning to use some of the money for in some other, more frugal way. We will spend the remaining money on the other stuff and should have quite a bit to add to savings. That feels good.
rosarugosa
4-24-12, 5:16am
Mixed bag this weekend frugality-wise. We cancelled out trip to Portland because weather outlook was so poor. Spent a couple of hours Sat hiking breakheart and enjoyed it tremendously (free). Went by an incredible potted plant sale on the way home and bought 12 large pots of flowering tulips and hyacinths for $12. (very cheap to the point of almost free). Gave several away, so that was really fun. Then went out for very expensive seafood dinner (expensive, but worth it - planned expenditure for my birthday, and we enjoyed every bite).
Did some shopping Sun at the outlets in Kittery (shoes, underwear, etc.) Planned expenditures from my allowance. Did some Costco and Trader Joe shopping yesterday, which was probably not entirely necessary, and is the spending that I can justify the least for this weekend. Determined to avoid any unnecessary expenditures through at least the end of May - we'll see how that goes! It's interesting to ponder the cost:enjoyment ratio of different activities, e.g. Breakheart = free.
I did also make a list of favorite meals, which I think will be helpful in getting a handle on our food expenditures, and will help when I'm blanking out on the grocery list.
Tussiemussies
4-24-12, 5:24am
Hi Stella, so nice to hear that you have a new addition to your family! Am I right about this?
How exciting! Congratulations!
Your party sounds so beautiful and the menu --
delicious. -- how about posting some of those recipes
in the food section? Also the tea?
early morning
4-24-12, 8:55pm
Hi, Tussiemussies! Merski, my mom does the "I TOOK MY PILLS" thing too - and doesn't, so one of us goes over every day - about 20 miles one-way - to make sure. While she doesn't have lots of money she won't run out unless she goes into a nursing home. Which she won't - I honestly think she'd die first, she's that stubborn! Bless her heart. Her house isn't too bad, and most of the crap in it is my sister's and mine, anyway....:|( . What you are providing for your MIL is wonderful, and, as you said, you get the peace of mind that goes with it. It's a win-win, like Stella's situation. And our adult DD lives with DH and I, which right now is a good solution for the three of us, as she helps with DH and much of the work, and in return gets room and board. In more concrete frugalness, I weed-whacked our brick patio, saving the cost of Round-up, plus it's more pet-friendly. I also used Mom's small weed whacker, which is cheaper than trying to fix the spool thingy on our big one, which we can now only use with plastic blades. Plastic blades and brick patios do NOT mix well. Put two loads of laundry on the line before work this AM, and DD brought them in later. Packed up some dinner left-overs for my lunch tomorrow. Bought gas for 20 cents a gallon cheaper even though I only needed half a tank. The gas also finished up a promo DH was working towards, for 7K points towards a free gas card.
April 24
---Watch Second Season of "Land Girls" over the last two nights...great TV and free from the library
--doing a quick check every morning as to what is in the fridge and eating it for breakfast and lunch....little or no waste and it is
really showing on my grocery bill...
--send for and recieved a coupon for a free box of Great Grains Cereal 453g box up to $5.99...gotta like that
rosarugosa
4-25-12, 4:48am
Danna, I think that's a simple thing we can do to improve our food waste - just look in the fridge on a daily basis and eat or plan meals around what we have with a finite shelf life. I did eat leftovers last night (DH wasn't hungry and didn't feel too great, so I volunteered to feed myself) and I had an orange for dessert. I think I have more of a natural tendency to do this since I don't cook and kind of eat like a scavenger. Need to get DH more on board with this too since he is the cook. Although I'm the meal-planner for the most part, so it's something we clearly both need to work on!
For using leftovers, I put a list on the fridge door, e.g. one serving soup, 1/2 sweet potatoe and then cross off as we eat. We have mostly conquered our leftovers before they become science experiments,
My frugal entertainment today is working with a friend to help her simplify her life. Oh, her life is crazy now, at least from my perspective.
Today we're going to batch cook for her freezer for 2 weeks of meals so that she can focus more of her time on cleaning her cluttered house instead of daily cooking and cleaning.
Merski-that is a great idea for keeping track of leftovers!
We did pretty well on our errand running this week. Saved gas by going straight from picking up ds from school.
We have a new company for our co2 and not by choice. We discovered that we could save $12 a tank by picking it up ourselves instead of having it delivered. Since its located in the same area we do the bulk of our savings, this is not a problem.
We had another cheap chinese dinner by getting there for lunch prices and drinking the complementary tea instead of ordering sodas. This saves about $12 each time we do it.
I had 2 pairs of worn out work shoes. One left shoe and one right shoe both with holes. I paired the 2 good shoes and created a new pair of shoes for work for the next couple of weeks.
I paid the extra to the restaurant mortgage yesterday and felt like doing something to celebrate. I resisted the urge to go out and instead rented a couple of movies with ds after school. Total spent: $3.50 instead of $40-
Thanks for the congratulations tussiemussies! We are very excited. I am due May 13, but I am full-term now so she can come anytime. :)
Rosemary, I love helping people with stuff like that. It really is fun to see the changes.
This morning the girls and I made pumpkin spice bread pudding for brekafast. I save all of my bread ends, scraps and bread that dries out until I have enough and then make bread pudding with them. I almost always make it for breakfast. It's not that different from French Toast, really. Same basic ingredients and the kids love it.
Everything is kind of quiet around here, just in waiting mode I guess. We have conformation that our financial windfall will be arriving next week, so we'll have a bit of a (well planned) splurge then, but for now we are just puttering around the house, getting some schoolwork done and trying to tie up a bunch of loose ends before Charlotte arrives.
I am momentarily feeling better than I have for quite a while, so I am trying to do some things here and there. I made a 5 gallon batch of laundry soap yesterday, which should last us a while. I am thinking of making a batch of veggie noodle soup for lunch to use some veggies up. That should last two lunches, really, saving me some work tomorrow too.
I made kale cubes today.
I had one of those huge bags of baby kale from Costco... so good, so difficult to use a pound of it raw. I usually eat half of it in salads and then cook the second half. Last time I made something like palak paneer but with kale and cashew cream instead of spinach and dairy.
So today: I steamed the kale, pureed it, and froze it in ice cube trays (.5 lb kale = about 1.5 trays of cubes). From here I can throw a cube in a smoothie, add a handful of them to a pot of soup or chili, puree with an avocado into a green salad dressing or dip...
Yesterday was a no spending day. I recieved yet another free coffee sample in the mail. I only drink coffee at home about twice a week but its so nice to always have a free pot's worth around.
I recieved an email this morning informing me that I've won a $200 Walmart gift card and a $70 Norelco razor. Woot!
I am drinking free coffee and using free laundry detergent this morning. I will be entering sweepstakes and playing scrabble for free entertainment.
This morning I've been researching summer classes for the kids to take. It's not cheap, but we have some great opportunities. For sure we will be doing Greek (free! thanks to yia-yia!), karate, rock climbing and VBS. Other options we are considering are sailing, carpentry, theater, robotics and, if they offer it again, digital filmmaking. Those are the more expensive classes, so the kids will have to narrow that down to one or two. If I can find a knitting class, that will be an option too.
There's also a group from my church that is going to have a drop-in get together at a different park each week for the kids to play and the moms to socialize and there's another group from church that is going to do a weekly drop-in walk together. I've been considering putting together a creative writing group too, but maybe that's too much for a summer with a new baby. Mostly this summer we are just going to hang out at home. This place is like a resort in the summer anyway, with swimming, fishing, canoeing, volleyball, basketball, tennis, biking, walking paths, picnic areas, gardens and live music events within a leisurely stroll from our front door.
We did have a bit of a splurge last night after the church potluck. We took the kids to Cup N Cone, an independent soft-serve place we like to go. It was a lovely night for it and we wanted to get some fun family time out before the baby is born. Zach and I will probably have a date night tonight for the same reason. It was good fun and not especially expensive, so totally worth it. I used to stress a little more about those kinds of splurges, but I'm coming to see them as an investment in the kind of family culture we want to foster. Fun stuff like that is like glue in a family.
rosarugosa
4-26-12, 6:30pm
Merski, That's another good idea for using up leftovers. I think I almost have DH on board with the idea of this being our Fun New Challenge! (He thinks I have a very odd sense of what constitutes fun).
BKE, That was the BIG extra payment right? Certianly worthy of celebration - hurray for you! !pow!
Stella, Please tell more about pumpkin spice bread pudding. Bread is going to be the toughest of our food-waste challenges. That sounds wonderful! The ice creams sound like a FFF type of splurge, at least in my opinion.
Rosemary, I'm not on very intimate terms with kale. We grew it once just because it was pretty (I think the cultivar was 'Northern Lights'), but I'm sorry to say that we weren't entirely sure what to do with it, so not much of it was consumed. That's a good idea with the cubes though. I wonder if it would work well with basil at the end of the season? We love basil and always grow it, but it's the first thing to succumb to frost in the fall. And I really miss it during the winter.
Not much to report here, so I'm just enjoying everyone else's successes vicariously. I've been good since Monday as promised; all I've bought is bread. But then again, I'm always good when I'm not being bad :devil:
fidgiegirl
4-26-12, 6:37pm
Hi all! I went to the grocery store tonight (hungry! kiss of death! but I resisted most stuff!) and picked up a few things we've been needing. I was going to get some more gluten free baking mixes but we already have some, plus I want to see how to use the replacement flour and xanthan gum that i already bought (before my GF friend recommended her FAVE replacement flour. Oh well.) Additionally, I am trying to learn desserts that don't require replacement flours at all. I know I should probably focus on sugar, but not there yet . . . anyway, I know there are flourless brownies, and we will probably have a smoothie tonight with some pineapple that need used up. Rosemary, your kale reminded me that we could have greens in smoothies now. Yippee!
bke, I love your focus. You are like a laser!! I am picturing you hauling around co2 tanks and at the Redbox. Awesome.
Stella, do either of the girls show an interest in overnight camps? They are getting to be old enough. Such fond memories - but certainly not cheap. They can go to Girl Scout camp even if they don't participate during the year. You just pay the annual $12 membership fee to sign them up so they can go to camp.
fidgiegirl
4-27-12, 7:55pm
I just ordered a running hat online at Sierra Trading Post. Not frugal in and of itself, except that I think I will use it a lot this summer, but I used my trick of Googling a coupon code before I place an online order and found one that saved me about $3. I did this a few days ago with another online item, and saved a few bucks there, too. Usually the codes are on RetailMeNot.com.
In other news, will make some yogurt tonight with the rest of the weird milk, and have some beans soaking. I noticed an error on my co-op receipt from this afternoon, so I'll go in next week when I go back to the doctor and get my $4, and hope they let me redeem my Chinook Book $5 coupon retroactively as well. They didn't sound too keen on the Chinook Book part, but were unsurprised by the other error. I had bought bulk items in a Stonyfield yogurt container, and they sell the yogurt, so it scanned up as if I were buying some. Lesson = black out the UPCs on bulk containers. Did you know if you are invalidating a UPC code you should put the black mark the same direction as the lines (parallel to them), not through them (perpendicular to them)? They told us this when reusing shipping boxes. If you put it through the lines rather than with them, the scanner can still grab a portion of the code that has no marks through it. Huh.
I bought some bulk items there but not sure they were much of a savings. However they were a packaging savings as I brought my own containers.
Rosarogusa-yes it was the Big payment. $21,000 extra! Woohoo! While I had my father on the phone, letting him know what I had just done (I deposited it into his account because he is out of town) I also informed him that it was going to be the last year I was going to be making checks out to him and to prepare for it. He actually encouraged me to go for it. Maybe he's finally realizing that I'm not just flying without a plan.
Kelli-I got quite a laugh out of your compliment. Picture a short, overweight woman dressed as Darth Vader pointing a light saber and well, that is the picture that came to mind. But thank you for the compliment-I know you weren't having Star Wars images-just me. And believe me I waste my share of money on indugences. I've been having a very long-term affair with a couple of guys named Ben and Jerry. I know they are a bad habit and definitely not worth the money they con me out of but I just can't seem to end the relationship....
Some people are alcoholics, some people do street drugs, I waste perfectly good money on a very serious sugar habit.
Ds went and watched the Detroit Tigers play ball on thursday as a treat for getting all As at school. They charter a bus and take all the kids for free. I gave him $45 for food and souveniers. He managed to bring home over $20 of it. It amazes me how little he is content with.
Yesterday I went to Riteaid and used a $3 store coupon that was about to expire. I bought gum for the guys (cost-$3) since I didn't really need anything and dh chews gum like its his life support.
I included $29 in rebate checks with my bank deposit yesterday. I did these two errands on my way to pick ds up from school.
I have a frozen lasagna that I'm going to cook tonight for dinner. It was a freebie and although its not something I would spend money on hopefully it will make a decent meal with some salad and bread.
Today is a no driving or spending day.
fidgiegirl
4-28-12, 2:18pm
bke, LOL! May the Force be with you!
Seriously, I am amazed at your finds. I know you have shared some of your sites before, but if you had to pick your best site, your fave, your recommendation for someone starting out doing what you do . . . which would it be?
AmeliaJane
4-29-12, 10:01pm
I got down to the bottom of the produce drawer! I have been trying hard to eat more produce, especially more vegetables, this year but I do not particularly like plain fruit and vegetables, at least not what you can buy in the grocery store. So I have definitely had a few incidents of overbuying in a fit of enthusiasm and then not using things before they go bad. I decided today I would plan to stay home and get some cooking done. The cauliflower, carrots, mushrooms and an onion, along with some LF Swiss cheese, went into a pureed soup. The tomatoes and green onions went into a couscous salad based on a favorite pasta dish. An eggplant became a very tiny batch of baba ghanouj (turns out my new mini chopper is perfect for tiny baba ghanouj). And the cukes became tzaziki to be eaten with falafel tomorrow. Next week will have to be a big shopping trip but that's OK. I have also, over the last couple of weeks, finished off a boxed gingerbread mix, a whole bunch of dribs and drabs of leftovers, blackberries, strawberries and bananas that were getting overripe, and the last bits of some fancy almonds, a bottle of olive oil, a jar of Nutella, etc. etc. I had a pantry infestation a few weeks back which got me started on cleaning out and then using things up that I discovered, and I am doing very well with it.
I also finished a couple of books I had lying around, TV episodes hanging out on the DVR, etc. Not particularly frugal but it made me feel good.
rosarugosa
4-30-12, 5:07am
AmeliaJane: Good for you! Food waste is something we are really trying to control. We had a small frugal success along those lines this weekend. DH ended up working Sat and so could not go grocery shopping until Sun. So we used more creativity and less money on our Sat night dinner, which tends to be our priciest meal. We had tortellini with pesto and a large salad with Trader Joe's smoked trout (which is going to be a new household staple - yum!) and smoked paprika dressing. Some of those elements had been in danger of going to waste, and it turned out to be a delicious meal, so we were pretty pleased.
Have been holding ourselves to the "no unnecessary spending" standard with good success. I got a fairly decent raise at work, so starting in May I'm going to increase my 401K contribution and my automatic ING savings deposit so as to put the money where it will do us the most good and we will be less likely to fritter it away - we were living without it before, so we can continue to live as though our income did not increase.
BKE: We've recently been buying store brand ice cream instead of B&J's or Haagen Daz, and we've been pleasantly surprised at how good it is for how little money.
Kelli: Are you finding the switch to gluten-free worhwhile? How burdensome is it?
Cooked a brisket in our slow cooker to eat this week and will hunt down more quick meals to put together when we're too busy to think!
Last day of April! Took a page from Stella's book and made bread pudding last night. I think I've made bread pudding before, but only once. Forgot how easy and good it is! Had a small loaf of homemade bread to use up, which is what prompted me to consider making it. Also had 2 bananas that were getting quite ripe. So after doing a little internet search for recipes and coming up with only recipes that had weird ingredients, I opened up my chocolate cookbook and discovered a banana chocolate chip bread pudding that sounded super yummy! About the same time my partner got home from a 5 day trip to NYC and he was cranky. He was standing in the kitchen filling me in on the various goings-on from his trip and was watching me put together the bread pudding. About half-way in he says, "What are you making? Because it looks super good and I want some!" We ate half the pan last night. :|(
Tonight we'll have carrot-lentil soup from the freezer along with a nice loaf of crusty bread. Lunch will be leftovers for my partner and scrambled eggs with cheese and spinach for me.
Hung laundry on the clothesline yesterday. Will try to do some more later this week if the weather continues to be nice.
Kelli-My favorite site is one I actually pay a bit of money to be apart of. It does a great job of listing the sales, rebate forms, free magazines, sweeps and all kinds of great stuff. If you or anyone else is interested in joining send me a PM. I'm not sure it would be appropriate for me to name the site here. I will tell you its more than worth the few dollars I spend there!
Rosarugosa-care to be a bit more specific about which store you buy ice cream from?
Today was a no spend day.
fidgiegirl
4-30-12, 7:17pm
Kelli: Are you finding the switch to gluten-free worhwhile? How burdensome is it?
Well, it wasn't really a choice - doc told me to do it. In truth I am feeling 1000% better. I go back to see her on Friday so we'll see if my numbers are any different (thyroid) for the effort but at least I FEEL better, and I can eat foods I couldn't eat for a long time because now my gut is back under control. She told me to reintroduce some wheat but honestly I don't want to! I can't see why to! :) Where it's hard is in restaurants, because I hate being "that person" that is being very particular about the food ingredients. But hey ho, comes with the territory, I guess, and with so many people forging the way, it's a lot easier than it was a few years ago, I'm told. It's also a little stressful at family gatherings because I don't trust that all the cooks fully understand what GF really IS, but I don't want to scrutinize. Like, my SIL invited us to chili and cornbread, and I didn't take any cornbread, and she was like, "cornbread has wheat?" and then we had to go around and around and I was made to look at the package (even though I knew it would have wheat) and sure enough, it did, and blah blah blah. But other than that, it's been fine. I wish I could say I've lost weight on it, but I haven't!!
Kelli-My favorite site is one I actually pay a bit of money to be apart of.
Well, I appreciate the offer, but I'll pass . . . I know myself too well! I'll pay, and then not do it, and then be mad at myself. I will live the sweeps vicariously through you :)
DH is making supper. We are trying homemade juicy lucys. Yum yum yum yum yum.
rosarugosa
4-30-12, 8:18pm
BKE: Sure, we buy our ice cream at Market Basket, but I think that chain is pretty local. Interestingly enough, we had started buying store brand ice cream in a similar size/shaped container for about the same price at Stop & Shop. It's an oval shaped cardboard container, 48 oz. for $2.50. I'll bet that it comes from the same source. This week, S&S is selling Haagen Daz on sale at 3 12-oz. containers for $10.00, so that price difference really blows me away, especially since the cheaper stuff tastes really good! So we're comparing 36 oz. for $10.00 vs. 48 oz. for $2.50.
Kelli: At least your timing is good, because I'm seeing a lot of GF products and GF choices featured on restaurant menus as well. I'm sure it's still difficult, but 10 years ago it was probably virtually impossible. I'm glad it's working so well for you. I should try it, but cannot bearing the thought of giving up bread - I eat a ton of bread!
flowerseverywhere
4-30-12, 8:37pm
worked setting up the used book sale at the library and for $10 had a bag of books for presents that were new or nearly new because the volunteers get first pick. We give few presents but these are the type of things we do give. They served Pizza for lunch and nobody wanted to take home the leftovers so I did. Slices are now wrapped up in my freezer.
Just a hint for not wasting food. I keep our fridge clean and neat and it doesn't have a lot in it. I make meals with whatever we have on hand and use that last carrot stick, last container of cheese etc. I also use that last potato or onion. If in the rare case I have something go bad and I have to throw it away I make myself visualize throwing a $5 bill in the trash. It really helps you use it up when you convert food to money.
A friend of mine that has young kids that I do a lot of favors for is an avid garage saler. I asked her to look out for Duplo blocks for my grandkids. They can run $25-30 and she got me two boxes for $5 today and they look brand new. I'll see them next month and will have these great gifts for them.
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