February 2014 Frugals

[leslieann]

I finally had a no-spend day yesterday. Mostly because I didn't get out for the groceries, but that was okay, too, helped me to practice the "eating down the freezer." And there was a payoff! When I was rummaging around in the freezer for spaghetti sauce (DH makes it and freezes it and it is SO GOOD), I found a renegade box of leftover Christmas fudge! WooHoo! Just when we thought all the sweet stuff was gone, here was this box of fudge. Way better than spending money.

[fidgiegirl]

Where did the dogs go? Florida, I suppose. Or a Caribbean cruise. You are just training them up to expect fancy vacations and next, cars.

I sometimes feel bad for leaving our dogs in the evening, but I go anyway, haha.

LOL, our Corky hates being hot! No, they are in a perfect doggie getaway spot, my parents' house, where there's a doggy door, potato chips are dispensed freely, they can sleep on the furniture and little guy Gus can harass the miniature horse that teases him all day long from the other side of the fence. So we always feel fine if we leave them for multiple days, because we know they are going to Camp, but poor Gussy is just a wreck if he gets left in the evenings after work . . . but I'm with Lin and others . . . it HAS saved us a lot of money over the years (she says after the restauranting blowout of 2014).

[leslieann]

Your dogs get a great vacation...potato chips!

I didn't post my birthday dinner out because I couldn't....so I am trying to focus on the frugals and not the NOT frugals. I am trying to remember that you create more of what you pay attention to..... AND I am staying home the weekend while DH and DSD are off to a meet because I am too cheap to board the dog if I can actually be here. I'll travel twice to the meet rather than pay for boarding...hmmm, maybe that's not so great either....

[Selah]

Eating down the cupboards and the freezer to save money and the hassle of shopping. Last night: pasta with red sauce; tonight: lentil soup and homemade french fries! DH carefully looked at my pay stub for last month's work, and realized we'd forgotten to fill in a particular tax form that must be done at the beginning of every year if you have, like me, multiple jobs. Since we'd forgotten to submit the form, the company taxed my paycheck at the highest possible rate--48%! We will get this form in this month and should get the over-taxed amount back next month.

Two days ago, I made a choice that I don't know whether it was frugal or not, but it felt like the right thing to do. Recently, I had a little thing on my chin biopsied and it came back as a basal cell carcinoma. I booked an appointment for Moh's surgery to remove it immediately. When I booked the appointment, my insurance company said I would need to make a co-pay of about USD $75, and I agreed to it. When I showed up for surgery, the receptionist called the insurance company to check, and it turned out that since I hadn't made it through the six-month waiting period (for these types of procedures), it would cost me another $80 or so more. If I wanted to, I could cancel the appointment and come back in April.

I know basal cell carcinomas grow slowly, but I felt very uncomfortable with the fact that "my face has cancer!" I paid the extra and went ahead with the surgery. Now that it's been fully removed, I feel much better. DH wasn't too happy about it, but he agreed that any kind of cancer wasn't really worth gambling with.

[bke]

I bought gas for under 3 bucks a gallon this week! Amazing.

The girls from work brought me 12 sets of coupons this week. dh helped me sort and cut them and they are all put away.

I bought 6 men's deoderants for a total of $1.87 this week. I also saved $15 on ds's vitamins using coupons and a rebate form.

Someone knocked our mail box down but dh fixed it with a post he had laying around. Its a bit dented but oh well.

[onlinemoniker]

Went to Mart-Mart again today and stocked up on more incandescent lightbulbs. They're going away and I can't stop buying them. I hate florescent and think they're too expensive anyway. I think I now have enough to last until I'm about 157. Maybe I'll sell them on Ebay in 20 years and make a profit...

[onlinemoniker]

Today was my first spend day in February. Gas and groceries.

[cdttmm]

Today was my first spend day in February. Gas and groceries.

Nice job, onlinemoniker!

Not much to report over here. Yesterday we had a snowstorm so while I was home I decided to bake a little treat since I'm trying to use up what's in the pantry and fridge. I made a "honey cake" from a boxed mix that someone had given me because it was gluten free. I'm not still eating gluten free, but figured we could eat it anyway. Ummm...no...it was so awful I had to chuck it in the compost. Oh well, live and learn.

I found a container of mystery soup in the freezer so made that for dinner last night along with the last of a loaf of bread that was getting a little stale. I sliced it up, brushed it with olive oil, and popped it under the broiler for a few minutes. Not a bad dinner and I have leftover soup for tonight. Baked up some fresh bread to go along with it. My dearly beloved returned from NYC with various containers of meat-based soup that his mother so kindly made for him (I'm a vegetarian so I don't cook him meat-based soups). So soup and bread for dinner it is for both of us!

I did finally stop at the grocery store today, but that was only because we were in need of half-and-half and toilet paper. I bought bananas and salad greens, too, but that was it. So we'll make it a few more days before I have to break down and truly go grocery shopping. If I play my cards right I might be able to put it off until Sunday or even Monday. We've got tortilla chips, pepper jack cheese, and black beans to make a giant pile of nachos tomorrow night. I've got a vegetable stew and cous cous for dinner on Saturday. So it's really just Sunday that I have to figure out...maybe blueberry pancakes. After that though, if i don't go grocery shopping, I might be in trouble!

[fidgiegirl]

I am trying to remember that you create more of what you pay attention to.....

So true!! Worth remembering.

[Teacher Terry]

WE usually do a big grocery shopping once a month and then fill in as necessary. This actually has saved us alot of $. I have went 6 weeks without doing the big shop instead of 4 by eating what we have. I am on a mission to empty the freezer/pantry. so far so good!