Tonight I made Split pea and ham soup in the crockpot. I love that soup. I could make a pot of it and eat it for days. Now my 14 year old who is 6 foot 2 and 210 pounds just does not get full on it. So at 8:37 pm I making him fish sticks. He can eat let me tell you.
One of my goals for March is to keep my grocery bills under $100.00. Good thing my deep freezer is full of meat and some premade meals. I am going have to do a huge stock up in April. Since we are living off the pantry and $100.00 this month.
I think my secret is out. I made DS a glass of chocolate milk and he did not like it. I only had 1/2 gallon left so I mixed up 2 quarts of powder milk and put it in the gallon. He told me the milk tasted funny. Darn I was hoping to change him over, since a gallon of milk is over $3.00 here. I guess I will have to stick to using it just to cook with. Of course I am not going to tell him. I can just hear him now. Funny I wish I would have thought about that years ago. He drinks skim milk and has since he was about 2 years old. He does not mind it at all.
I need to come up with cheap-healthy meals that will keep him full. Plus ones that will work with me trying to lose weight. That is something I have to really work at.
I need to do a whole entry on March frugal goals. To keep me on track!
Heads up... I tend to write a lot when I am thinking of something. So some days I might write 5 times and then other times none.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
March Spending Plan
Tonight I need to sit down and lay out the spending plan for March. Basically I take what my income is and spending it down to zero. I don't actually spend it all. Some will be moved into savings.
A few things I know is that March is going to be really tight! I have listed what my total debt is and what I have paid. That is what I paid in Feb. I will update it as I continue to pay it off.
Some back ground information! I am unemployed looking very hard for a job. I even have an interview on Friday for a part-time Marketing job. So until I get a job I am going to have to really tighten up the purse straps. I need to save some money for clothes to interview. For March I am going to save at least $250.00 for new clothes.
I will figure out the plan tonight or tomorrow and post it later. This is going to be a very frugal month for us. I know we can do it!
A few things I know is that March is going to be really tight! I have listed what my total debt is and what I have paid. That is what I paid in Feb. I will update it as I continue to pay it off.
Some back ground information! I am unemployed looking very hard for a job. I even have an interview on Friday for a part-time Marketing job. So until I get a job I am going to have to really tighten up the purse straps. I need to save some money for clothes to interview. For March I am going to save at least $250.00 for new clothes.
I will figure out the plan tonight or tomorrow and post it later. This is going to be a very frugal month for us. I know we can do it!
FoodSaver - What is it and is it worth it?
A comment was left in my old journal on AOL saying they would like to hear more about the food saver that I own.
Food saver came out years ago. I am sure we all saw the informercial about how to vacum seal food to make it last longer. I personally watch alot of informercials I love to see what gimick is out there. Do I buy things off of them very seldom.
Back to the food saver information. I bought my first one at Kohls Department store on sale. It was orginally $99.99 and I got it for $39.99. It was a mini plus. It did work for us. I also bought bags at foodsaver.com which they are not cheap so I use them over when I can. Just wash them out in soapy water with a little bleach and let dry.
I really loved the fact that I could freeze leftovers for a long time without freezer burn. That was my biggest issue. I would make a whole chicken and want to freeze some of it for later. But it always ended up freezer burnt. I found myself throughing out more food than I wanted.
I had asked a lot of questions about the food saver. I was worried it was not worth the money and it would not do what it said. Make my food taste just as good months after being in the freezer. So many people that I correspond with on a regular basis raved about the food saver. So I started with the small one. I figured $40.00 was not a ton of money to part with. If I did not like it then I would be able to sell it for something. I ended up loving it that I wanted a bigger one.
I know own the Foodsaver V370 (pretty sure that is the number) Which I got from foodsaver.com on sale. They had a great deal going. I got the foodsaver some plates and bags for under $50.00. If you look at the website you will see they are pricy.
Here are some of the things I have used the foodsaver for:
1. Reseal bags (cereal - chips - etc)
2. Sealed cooked foods - red beans and rice
3. A ton of meat
4. Made my own "tv" dinners
5. Delicate meats
Last night we had pork chops from the foodsaver bag -- tasted like I just bought them. I am looking forward to blanching corn from this years corn crop. No I don't grow corn but I am hoping they have a great crop this year.
Any questions about the food saver please ask. I think if you are big on OAMC or buying in bulk this is a great investment.
Food saver came out years ago. I am sure we all saw the informercial about how to vacum seal food to make it last longer. I personally watch alot of informercials I love to see what gimick is out there. Do I buy things off of them very seldom.
Back to the food saver information. I bought my first one at Kohls Department store on sale. It was orginally $99.99 and I got it for $39.99. It was a mini plus. It did work for us. I also bought bags at foodsaver.com which they are not cheap so I use them over when I can. Just wash them out in soapy water with a little bleach and let dry.
I really loved the fact that I could freeze leftovers for a long time without freezer burn. That was my biggest issue. I would make a whole chicken and want to freeze some of it for later. But it always ended up freezer burnt. I found myself throughing out more food than I wanted.
I had asked a lot of questions about the food saver. I was worried it was not worth the money and it would not do what it said. Make my food taste just as good months after being in the freezer. So many people that I correspond with on a regular basis raved about the food saver. So I started with the small one. I figured $40.00 was not a ton of money to part with. If I did not like it then I would be able to sell it for something. I ended up loving it that I wanted a bigger one.
I know own the Foodsaver V370 (pretty sure that is the number) Which I got from foodsaver.com on sale. They had a great deal going. I got the foodsaver some plates and bags for under $50.00. If you look at the website you will see they are pricy.
Here are some of the things I have used the foodsaver for:
1. Reseal bags (cereal - chips - etc)
2. Sealed cooked foods - red beans and rice
3. A ton of meat
4. Made my own "tv" dinners
5. Delicate meats
Last night we had pork chops from the foodsaver bag -- tasted like I just bought them. I am looking forward to blanching corn from this years corn crop. No I don't grow corn but I am hoping they have a great crop this year.
Any questions about the food saver please ask. I think if you are big on OAMC or buying in bulk this is a great investment.
My last post before the move!
Did some cooking today! Testing out some ideas.
One of my goals is to have things here that are ready for us to eat. So when I don't want to cook or we are in a hurry I don't go to take out. So I did a few test things today.
1. I made a pizza. And I parbaked the crust (5 min at 500 degrees) and then topped it. Froze it. So now we have a frozen pizza for another day. I only made one to see how it tastes after being frozen and then cooked. If it turns out good then I will make a few every month. This will be great for B.
2. We had a beef roast, mashed potatoes and corn for dinner. I then used to of the plates I got at www.foodsaver.com But you can use any plates. I made up 2 TV dinners and froze them. Now when we need a quick dinner. Grab them and microwave. Dinner done in a moment. Of course my son thought that was the weridest thing I have done. In fact he told me go to the store and buy some real TV dinners. LOL he will thank me later in life.
3. I have some butter out make up more sugar cookies for next week. Just need to keep me out of them. They are really good. I also want to try and make pretzels. The nice soft (Auntie Annie type).
4. I did the wash and boy did it make me mad that it took 2.00 to just get the towels and sheets dry. I did not put that much in the dryer either. I guess we will have to go down to once a month in washing towels. I think I have enough to get away with it. I might also try hanging them up to dry..at least in the spring to fall. B does not mind his jeans being hung up to dry so he might not mind the towels.
One of my goals is to have things here that are ready for us to eat. So when I don't want to cook or we are in a hurry I don't go to take out. So I did a few test things today.
1. I made a pizza. And I parbaked the crust (5 min at 500 degrees) and then topped it. Froze it. So now we have a frozen pizza for another day. I only made one to see how it tastes after being frozen and then cooked. If it turns out good then I will make a few every month. This will be great for B.
2. We had a beef roast, mashed potatoes and corn for dinner. I then used to of the plates I got at www.foodsaver.com But you can use any plates. I made up 2 TV dinners and froze them. Now when we need a quick dinner. Grab them and microwave. Dinner done in a moment. Of course my son thought that was the weridest thing I have done. In fact he told me go to the store and buy some real TV dinners. LOL he will thank me later in life.
3. I have some butter out make up more sugar cookies for next week. Just need to keep me out of them. They are really good. I also want to try and make pretzels. The nice soft (Auntie Annie type).
4. I did the wash and boy did it make me mad that it took 2.00 to just get the towels and sheets dry. I did not put that much in the dryer either. I guess we will have to go down to once a month in washing towels. I think I have enough to get away with it. I might also try hanging them up to dry..at least in the spring to fall. B does not mind his jeans being hung up to dry so he might not mind the towels.
Ramdon post from old journal
This week has been busy for me. I have been working hard at staying in frugal mode. Although not easy at times.
I spent most of the week at my job classes. My resume is looking so much better. I did apply for 3 jobs and actually had a phone interview with one. It is a part time marketing job so we shall see. It is more important for me to get out there and start interviewing. It has been a long time since I have done that.
Did my cleaning job today. Which was not fun since my back is really bothering me. And cleaning did not help it. But I could not stay home and lose $80.00 not when I can think of so many things that $80 can pay for in a week. Today I took some of it and bought dinner (not frugal) but since the plan was to have leftovers and my son ate them all this week. None to eat. With my back hurting I did not feel like cooking and we don't have any "fast" foods ready. That is my goal for OAMC to get some quick things done. I also bought B a bus pass for next week and me some tickets. I don't have many plans of going anywhere so I won't use them all. If I paid cash for the 4 bus trips I will have to make it would be $7.00 by buying bus tickets at 10 for 14.00 it is only 1.40 so I end up saving 1.40 going this route. If any of my trips can wait till B gets home then I can just use his pass. I did put $40.00 of it in my saving change tin.
I stocked up on meat. I spent $35.00 the other day on nothing but meat. And I did get a lot of meat. Off the top of my head I got chicken patties, 5 pounds of hamburger, pork ribs, pork tenderloin, bacon and some other things that I can't think of. My goal for March is to only spend $100.00 on food. So we will be using up some of the meat that is packed in my freezers.
I did purchase a mixer this week. I have carpal tunnel or the start of it. I notice that mixing really hurts my hand. So I needed to get something to help. I was going to put that on my Christmas list but I can't wait that long. My son did say when he gets his first job he is going to save his money and buy me a Kitchen Aid mixer. What a sweet boy! I told him I wanted the pink one.
Remember those free cleaners I posted about. The Envy (which you can't buy in stores or I have never seen it. I know it can be bought at the S.C. Johnson company store. ) cleaned the blinds in my kitchen and bedroom to look brand new. They were bad but now they look like I went out and spent money to get new ones. And I did it for free...just some elbow grease and the free cleaner. I will do the rest of the blinds when I take off the plastic in the spring.
Tomorrow is laundry day here. So I will be hanging up wash and putting the quarters in my did not dry can.
Tomorrow is also OAMC time too. I am going to FINALLY make my pea soup and freeze most of that. Also going to bake some potatoes and make hashbrowns for the freezer. Also have to plan next weeks menu. The menu planning worked great this week. Also I am going to make 1 extra pizza tomorrow and freeze them for future use. It is a test since I have never done that and I hate to waste food.
Also I have to go through the checkbook. I would like to make a payment on at least one more medical bill for the month of Feb. Get that total closer to $300.00. I did pay the phone bill and cell phone bill on time this month. This has been one goal that I have been able to stick with in changing my money habits.
Right now I have 3 places I am saving change:1. The heart tin is saving all the silver and any cash I put in there.2. The pig is saving pennies. 3. The not using the dryer money and my child support checks. In a tin in the curio cabinet.
Now my child support checks are tiny and I mean tiny -- under 1.00 most of the time. Yes I know it costs more to process them then what they are worth. Not my fault. So I am putting them in the dryer money since I have decided that whatever I save in the not using dryer fund and child support will be used for my son when he goes back to school in the fall. It will be interesting to see what can be saved by Sept.
The pennies and heart tin when they are full or almost full. I will cash them in and throw them on my debt too. Saving change is so easy and really painless. Of course if you never use cash then it is a tad bit harder. I do try and take out so much money in cash in for a week. I don't do well using my debit card.
My GF (Gurellia Frugal - meaning pinching so hard pennies cry) for the next week is to NOT spend one dime on food. We have bread, milk, and everything else we need. So unless my son has a milk craving we should be fine.
I spent most of the week at my job classes. My resume is looking so much better. I did apply for 3 jobs and actually had a phone interview with one. It is a part time marketing job so we shall see. It is more important for me to get out there and start interviewing. It has been a long time since I have done that.
Did my cleaning job today. Which was not fun since my back is really bothering me. And cleaning did not help it. But I could not stay home and lose $80.00 not when I can think of so many things that $80 can pay for in a week. Today I took some of it and bought dinner (not frugal) but since the plan was to have leftovers and my son ate them all this week. None to eat. With my back hurting I did not feel like cooking and we don't have any "fast" foods ready. That is my goal for OAMC to get some quick things done. I also bought B a bus pass for next week and me some tickets. I don't have many plans of going anywhere so I won't use them all. If I paid cash for the 4 bus trips I will have to make it would be $7.00 by buying bus tickets at 10 for 14.00 it is only 1.40 so I end up saving 1.40 going this route. If any of my trips can wait till B gets home then I can just use his pass. I did put $40.00 of it in my saving change tin.
I stocked up on meat. I spent $35.00 the other day on nothing but meat. And I did get a lot of meat. Off the top of my head I got chicken patties, 5 pounds of hamburger, pork ribs, pork tenderloin, bacon and some other things that I can't think of. My goal for March is to only spend $100.00 on food. So we will be using up some of the meat that is packed in my freezers.
I did purchase a mixer this week. I have carpal tunnel or the start of it. I notice that mixing really hurts my hand. So I needed to get something to help. I was going to put that on my Christmas list but I can't wait that long. My son did say when he gets his first job he is going to save his money and buy me a Kitchen Aid mixer. What a sweet boy! I told him I wanted the pink one.
Remember those free cleaners I posted about. The Envy (which you can't buy in stores or I have never seen it. I know it can be bought at the S.C. Johnson company store. ) cleaned the blinds in my kitchen and bedroom to look brand new. They were bad but now they look like I went out and spent money to get new ones. And I did it for free...just some elbow grease and the free cleaner. I will do the rest of the blinds when I take off the plastic in the spring.
Tomorrow is laundry day here. So I will be hanging up wash and putting the quarters in my did not dry can.
Tomorrow is also OAMC time too. I am going to FINALLY make my pea soup and freeze most of that. Also going to bake some potatoes and make hashbrowns for the freezer. Also have to plan next weeks menu. The menu planning worked great this week. Also I am going to make 1 extra pizza tomorrow and freeze them for future use. It is a test since I have never done that and I hate to waste food.
Also I have to go through the checkbook. I would like to make a payment on at least one more medical bill for the month of Feb. Get that total closer to $300.00. I did pay the phone bill and cell phone bill on time this month. This has been one goal that I have been able to stick with in changing my money habits.
Right now I have 3 places I am saving change:1. The heart tin is saving all the silver and any cash I put in there.2. The pig is saving pennies. 3. The not using the dryer money and my child support checks. In a tin in the curio cabinet.
Now my child support checks are tiny and I mean tiny -- under 1.00 most of the time. Yes I know it costs more to process them then what they are worth. Not my fault. So I am putting them in the dryer money since I have decided that whatever I save in the not using dryer fund and child support will be used for my son when he goes back to school in the fall. It will be interesting to see what can be saved by Sept.
The pennies and heart tin when they are full or almost full. I will cash them in and throw them on my debt too. Saving change is so easy and really painless. Of course if you never use cash then it is a tad bit harder. I do try and take out so much money in cash in for a week. I don't do well using my debit card.
My GF (Gurellia Frugal - meaning pinching so hard pennies cry) for the next week is to NOT spend one dime on food. We have bread, milk, and everything else we need. So unless my son has a milk craving we should be fine.
Beginning to live frugal - Where to begin
I have been thinking a lot of the early years of raising my son. When I was in college and raising my son. I sure wish I had known some things then that I know now.
So if you are wondering where do I begin? How do I do all these frugal things? Well let's talk about it.
When B was born I moved a lot. Partially because my ex husband was not the best person to raise a child with. He did work but wanted to spend money on fun things not the things we needed to spend money on. Like rent. By the time my son was 3 years old I had moved 13 times from the time of conception to his 3rd birthday. In Nov. of 1994 I was lucky to get into low income housing. We finally had our own apartment. It was furnished with mostly used furniture but hey it was ours. I was in college and on welfare. So I only paid $49.00 a month in rent. I also got food stamps and $440 a month. Knowing what I know now I could have lived off of that and only took out money for tution, books and daycare. I probably would have taken an extra 1,000 so I could put in the bank for a REAL emergency.
I would have hung up our laundry. Saving at ton of money right there, NEVER went out to eat. When they are little they don't know what McDonald's is until you take them there. Buy his clothes at second hand stores (my mom bought him clothes while I was in college.) Christmas and Birthday would have been one or two gifts. No need to get a ton of stuff. Save the money. They are just as happy.
I did not grow up having to be frugal. We should have been since I came from a single mom. We went out to eat all the time, 99% of the time I got what I wanted. Which just made my mom get into debt. The thought of cooking at home, hanging laundry and all the other frugal things I can do now. Was not even thought of. Even now my mom puts down what I do to save money.
So back to the beginning what would I do now if I was starting out (please don't take this that I think I am some frugal queen)
1. Start by looking at your income - can you make it bigger.
2. Spending - start tracking what you are spending. Can't control it till you find the leaks.
3. Laundry - use less then what the bottle says. You do not need that much. Believe me. Hang up the wash to dry. Get some racks or a retractable clothsline. The clothes will last longer and you will save money. I pay 1.00 a load to dry my clothes. In 2 weeks of hanging clothes I saved $6.00. That comes out to 156.00 a year.
4. I know this sounds very simple and obvious. Cook and eat at HOME! Yep that small sentence will make a huge difference in your checking account balance. Start a pantry. Shop for loss leaders. Pack your lunch for work and for the kids for school.
5. Read all the frugal journals, blogs and websites you can find. Some people are way out there. I don't do things everyone mentions. But I find the things that work for me.
6. Turn down the heat and turn off those lights. Look at your energy bill and try and make it lower the following month.
Those are just to start. I know there are more but I don't want to overwhelm a beginner.
So if you are wondering where do I begin? How do I do all these frugal things? Well let's talk about it.
When B was born I moved a lot. Partially because my ex husband was not the best person to raise a child with. He did work but wanted to spend money on fun things not the things we needed to spend money on. Like rent. By the time my son was 3 years old I had moved 13 times from the time of conception to his 3rd birthday. In Nov. of 1994 I was lucky to get into low income housing. We finally had our own apartment. It was furnished with mostly used furniture but hey it was ours. I was in college and on welfare. So I only paid $49.00 a month in rent. I also got food stamps and $440 a month. Knowing what I know now I could have lived off of that and only took out money for tution, books and daycare. I probably would have taken an extra 1,000 so I could put in the bank for a REAL emergency.
I would have hung up our laundry. Saving at ton of money right there, NEVER went out to eat. When they are little they don't know what McDonald's is until you take them there. Buy his clothes at second hand stores (my mom bought him clothes while I was in college.) Christmas and Birthday would have been one or two gifts. No need to get a ton of stuff. Save the money. They are just as happy.
I did not grow up having to be frugal. We should have been since I came from a single mom. We went out to eat all the time, 99% of the time I got what I wanted. Which just made my mom get into debt. The thought of cooking at home, hanging laundry and all the other frugal things I can do now. Was not even thought of. Even now my mom puts down what I do to save money.
So back to the beginning what would I do now if I was starting out (please don't take this that I think I am some frugal queen)
1. Start by looking at your income - can you make it bigger.
2. Spending - start tracking what you are spending. Can't control it till you find the leaks.
3. Laundry - use less then what the bottle says. You do not need that much. Believe me. Hang up the wash to dry. Get some racks or a retractable clothsline. The clothes will last longer and you will save money. I pay 1.00 a load to dry my clothes. In 2 weeks of hanging clothes I saved $6.00. That comes out to 156.00 a year.
4. I know this sounds very simple and obvious. Cook and eat at HOME! Yep that small sentence will make a huge difference in your checking account balance. Start a pantry. Shop for loss leaders. Pack your lunch for work and for the kids for school.
5. Read all the frugal journals, blogs and websites you can find. Some people are way out there. I don't do things everyone mentions. But I find the things that work for me.
6. Turn down the heat and turn off those lights. Look at your energy bill and try and make it lower the following month.
Those are just to start. I know there are more but I don't want to overwhelm a beginner.
Moved my blog over from AOL -
I have decided to move my blog from AOL. So for now I am going to go and past my old entries here. I don't like how my journal looks on AOL so time for a move.
Stay tuned for more info.
Stay tuned for more info.
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