Summer was pretty busy for us. The weather didn't cooperate as much as we would have liked, but we still had quite a bit of fun! We kept things frugal and still had a great time together. I never would have thought a $5 pool from Family Dollar would provide so many hours of entertainment, but that was probably the best summer investment we made! I spent quite a few hours out riding my bike around and the kids went to the park almost every day.
Now that fall is creeping up, it's time to get serious about keeping our grocery budget low. We don't worry too much over summer because we end up at a lot of potluck picnics and eating dinner at the camp for the family nights. This week I decided it was time to refocus and start stockpiling again and getting ready for the cut in pay we see when it's camp off-season for Matt.
Meijer, my coupon store of choice, was my biggest trip this week, but I was able to get quite a few staples in our menu on hand to start the pantry off:
Total spent: $30.70
Total saved: $67.77
So what will $30 buy you these days?
6 boxes of Hamburger Helper
4 bags of frozen veggies
7lbs of frozen turkey
8 Campbell's soup microwave soups
6lbs of chicken nuggets
3 "cups" of Oreo cookies
2 boxes of Pizza Rolls
4 Lysol toilet bowl cleaners
12 cans Campbell's cream of mushroom soup
BIC razor refills
1 box Honey Bunches of Oats
4pk of Activia yogurt
I end up buying quite a bit of snacks since Nathan prefers to take a lunch to school, and having a nice stash to pick from is nice so that he doesn't end up with the same thing every day.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Patience, It Pays!
I've been doing the Body for Life workout routine for 3wks now and I've been challenged by the fact that I don't have a weight bench. I bought my handweights with a Target giftcard I was given from work, but the bench has alluded me. I was checking Craigslist, watching SlickDeals, posting on Freecycle and all the usual avenues to a deal, but kept coming up empty. I didn't want to spend a whole lot, and $20 was about the max I was willing to go.
Today I was going to the grocery store to pick up milk and saw a yard sale right near the store. It was drizzling a little out so I thought I would stop by on my way home if it wasn't pouring by then. Well when I got out of the store not only was it not pouring, the rain had let up quite a bit so I decided to stop.
As I got there, the guy told me that everything minus a few things was half off, and lo and behold, he had a weight bench!!! I held my breath and took a peek at the price, it was $25... so my cost was only $12!!! I was SO THRILLED! I told him that I wanted it and then continued to look around a bit, not finding anything else, but just giddy with my steal! He helped me load it in the car and I drove very happily away and towards home!
One thing that Dave has taught me is that as adults we have to have patience and not act like children and do things just because we want to or because it feels good. It might take a few extra days, or it might take a few extra weeks, but there are savings to be had by those that are diligent to find them! I could hardly find anything less than $50 brand new and the cheapest thing I found used was $25 about 50 miles away, so patience really can pay! I am so excited to do my weight routine on Monday and not use a toy box or folding chair as my pseudo weight bench!
Today I was going to the grocery store to pick up milk and saw a yard sale right near the store. It was drizzling a little out so I thought I would stop by on my way home if it wasn't pouring by then. Well when I got out of the store not only was it not pouring, the rain had let up quite a bit so I decided to stop.
As I got there, the guy told me that everything minus a few things was half off, and lo and behold, he had a weight bench!!! I held my breath and took a peek at the price, it was $25... so my cost was only $12!!! I was SO THRILLED! I told him that I wanted it and then continued to look around a bit, not finding anything else, but just giddy with my steal! He helped me load it in the car and I drove very happily away and towards home!
One thing that Dave has taught me is that as adults we have to have patience and not act like children and do things just because we want to or because it feels good. It might take a few extra days, or it might take a few extra weeks, but there are savings to be had by those that are diligent to find them! I could hardly find anything less than $50 brand new and the cheapest thing I found used was $25 about 50 miles away, so patience really can pay! I am so excited to do my weight routine on Monday and not use a toy box or folding chair as my pseudo weight bench!
Monday, July 20, 2009
144 Days!
That's how long it took us to pay off the loan on our van. We took the loan out in February for 2yrs and knew that it would be paid off much earlier, and in 144 days we did it! We're pretty excited about having that big one out of the way and now we can focus all of our energy (and money!) to paying off the credit card. We haven't used the car since 2007, but there is still a nice chunk of change sitting out there on it, and then of course my student loan.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Beans and Rice (and Rice and Beans!)
I tried out a recipe the other day for a beans and rice dish that I have absolutely fallen in love with! It's quick, it's easy, and it's easy to dress up a bit if you have stuff laying around the house.
Ingredients
3/4 cup dry lentils (brown ones)
3/4 cup dry brown rice
4 cups water
4 beef bouillon cubes (or chicken, vegetable)
4 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Directions
Dump everything in a medium pot and boil. Turn down the heat to a little lower than medium and cook covered (just like rice) until done. I usually stir every 5-6 minutes, but you probably don't need to once the spices are mixed! Use just like regular taco filling.
I have been putting a bit of taco sauce on mine, who doesn't have extra Taco Bell ones right? And sprinkling a little bit of shredded cheddar on it and eating with broken taco shells. Not only does this taste very good, it's a good balance of carbs and protein so it does fill you up. A bag of lentils can be bought for under $1 and rice should be a staple in any frugal house, right?
I haven't updated on our progress in awhile, mostly because I've been holding off until our van was paid off. My goal date for payoff was July 1, but we ended up needing to get tires put on and I took money from our "snowball" and paid for them that way rather than tapping into our emeregency fund. Hopefully with payday next week I can report a big payoff!
Ingredients
3/4 cup dry lentils (brown ones)
3/4 cup dry brown rice
4 cups water
4 beef bouillon cubes (or chicken, vegetable)
4 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Directions
Dump everything in a medium pot and boil. Turn down the heat to a little lower than medium and cook covered (just like rice) until done. I usually stir every 5-6 minutes, but you probably don't need to once the spices are mixed! Use just like regular taco filling.
I have been putting a bit of taco sauce on mine, who doesn't have extra Taco Bell ones right? And sprinkling a little bit of shredded cheddar on it and eating with broken taco shells. Not only does this taste very good, it's a good balance of carbs and protein so it does fill you up. A bag of lentils can be bought for under $1 and rice should be a staple in any frugal house, right?
I haven't updated on our progress in awhile, mostly because I've been holding off until our van was paid off. My goal date for payoff was July 1, but we ended up needing to get tires put on and I took money from our "snowball" and paid for them that way rather than tapping into our emeregency fund. Hopefully with payday next week I can report a big payoff!
Friday, June 26, 2009
Cash Ain't So Bad After All!
Well it's been nearly a month since I decided to experiment a bit and try out this cash thing that Dave talks about. As a die hard debit card girl, and someone who has a reputation for being a little bit stubborn, this was not a decision made on a whim.
It was actually not as bad as I thought it would be! I did cash for groceries, medical expenses, and general household expenses. I did save all the receipts in all the envelopes so that I could still divide out things into smaller categories later, and that also worked very well.
It went so well that I re-funded my 3 envelopes today and I am going to go for it again this month too!
It was actually not as bad as I thought it would be! I did cash for groceries, medical expenses, and general household expenses. I did save all the receipts in all the envelopes so that I could still divide out things into smaller categories later, and that also worked very well.
It went so well that I re-funded my 3 envelopes today and I am going to go for it again this month too!
Monday, June 8, 2009
Are We There Yet?
Sometimes I feel like a little kid. I find myself asking over and over again, "Are we there yet?" I just want to be done with debt forever so desperately that I feel like this is taking way too long. In reality, it hasn't even been a year. We just turned over our 9th month of our Total Money Make Over and I feel like I was starting to hit a bit of a rut.
I am waiting for that turning point where we hit 50%, and it's not that far away now. We started with $39,216.80 in debt, so the magic number is right around $19,608.
As of June 8
Starting debt: $39216.80
Debt as of 6/8: $21116.50
Amount Paid: $18099.80
I am waiting for that turning point where we hit 50%, and it's not that far away now. We started with $39,216.80 in debt, so the magic number is right around $19,608.
As of June 8
Starting debt: $39216.80
Debt as of 6/8: $21116.50
Amount Paid: $18099.80
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