I got up this morning and started cooking. I made 2 meat loaves (thanks to Frugal Homemaker Plus for the recipe) a pan of lasangna, Tuna salad, Egg Salad and 2 loaves of banana bread. One of the meat loaves is in the freezer. This should keep us fed till Monday I hope. If not then I will put a chicken in the crockpot.
I have a few errands to run today too. I need to send back a pair of shoes I ordered. They are to small. So I will reorder them when I get the credit. Nice thing I ordered from zappos.com and they have free shipping, free returns and if you find them cheaper within 10 days. Give them proof and they refund the price difference plus 10%! So the shoes I wanted at www.crocs.com I got from zappos for the croc.com price. I did not want to wait 2 weeks for the shoes.
Since I don't have to be to work till 3 pm. I am sure I will not be posting here much till next week!
P.S. I turned off the heat for the season! We are on day 4 of no heat and not feeling colder than normal.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
More good news!
First let me confess I had a frugal step back. I bought a pair of shoes for $70.00! But I came to my senses and took them back! WHEW! not sure where the umemployed girl gets and idea that she can afford $70.00 SHOES!
Okay on to the good news. I was called for a second interview for the job I WANT! So I am THRILLED that I have a chance.
Next news.....I start at Walgreens on Friday. My drug test came back clean....not that I was worried about that. So starting this month I get the rebate stuff with a discount. LOL
That is all the news for now. I am going to be super busy starting Thursday. Since I have to work at both jobs on Friday and maybe over the weekend.
At least I have MONEY coming in!
Okay on to the good news. I was called for a second interview for the job I WANT! So I am THRILLED that I have a chance.
Next news.....I start at Walgreens on Friday. My drug test came back clean....not that I was worried about that. So starting this month I get the rebate stuff with a discount. LOL
That is all the news for now. I am going to be super busy starting Thursday. Since I have to work at both jobs on Friday and maybe over the weekend.
At least I have MONEY coming in!
March savings from hanging wash
I wonder if I will ever want to use the dryer downstairs again. For the month I have been saving quarters that would have normally gone into the dryer. I pay $1.00 for every load I dry. I know if I owned my own dryer it would be less than $1.00 per load to dry.
I know March is not over but with 3 days to go. I am not seeing anymore wash that will need to be done.
The savings for the month was $17.00! Which in a years time is over $200.00. Now that is enough of a savings for me to not use that dryer.
I took an empty coffee can and duct taped the lid and made a tiny slit in the top. Just so coins and folded bills can fit in. I am now going to be putting all the change, dryer money and found money in this can. I told my son that it is his money for back to school clothes. There is almost $50.00 in there right now. He can tell me in August or September when he wants to go shopping. We will cash it in and he can buy any clothes or shoes he wants for schoool. I also said I will not give him any extra money in the store. I will purchase undergarments. I figure that can should roughly have $250.00 in it. This is going to be a great tool for budgeting clothes money for him.
Once we do his shopping. I will start over on vacation savings for 2007!
I know March is not over but with 3 days to go. I am not seeing anymore wash that will need to be done.
The savings for the month was $17.00! Which in a years time is over $200.00. Now that is enough of a savings for me to not use that dryer.
I took an empty coffee can and duct taped the lid and made a tiny slit in the top. Just so coins and folded bills can fit in. I am now going to be putting all the change, dryer money and found money in this can. I told my son that it is his money for back to school clothes. There is almost $50.00 in there right now. He can tell me in August or September when he wants to go shopping. We will cash it in and he can buy any clothes or shoes he wants for schoool. I also said I will not give him any extra money in the store. I will purchase undergarments. I figure that can should roughly have $250.00 in it. This is going to be a great tool for budgeting clothes money for him.
Once we do his shopping. I will start over on vacation savings for 2007!
Monday, March 27, 2006
Back to work! and saved some money too!
I started one of my part time jobs this weekend. Not bad work for the money. Basically we stand in a trade show booth and ask people if they had been checked for spinal aligment. The goal is to get them to make a free apointment with a chiropractor. My biggest issue is standing for 5 or 6 hours. I did break down and buy a pair of shoes. I wanted a pair of crocs www.crocs.com. I did not want to spend that price though. So my sister I check the knock offs at payless. I did get a pair for 14.99. Then I wore them all day Sunday while I was working 5 hours on my feet. My feet were tender from the other 11 hours I had stood on them in the previous days. I actually felt better Sunday when I got off then I did the other two days. Today when I got up my feet did not hurt a bit! So these are going to be the shoes that I wear when I do trade shows or am on my feet a lot.
Enough of the shoes. On to the next part....Food and Drinks at the show. Now I am 99% for following the rules. I know that the rules of all venues say no food or drink to be brought in. So the first day I did not bring food. I ate before I went and did bring in a soda. I had out in the open and they did not question it. For dinner they served a free fish fry. So no money spent. I did take a peek at the concession stands. $6.00 for a cheeseburger and fry - $5.50 for a hot dog. $3.00 for a soda. I am not paying that price. So on the rest of the days I made a sandwich and brought a few drinks with me. I figured just bringing my own food saved me 27.00 for the 3 days I worked. That was having a 6.00 meal and one $3.00 drink a day. I will be doing the same thing next time I work too.
I wish I had the extra cash to throw in a can when I see how I saved money. It would be great to have that savings in hard cold cash!
Enough of the shoes. On to the next part....Food and Drinks at the show. Now I am 99% for following the rules. I know that the rules of all venues say no food or drink to be brought in. So the first day I did not bring food. I ate before I went and did bring in a soda. I had out in the open and they did not question it. For dinner they served a free fish fry. So no money spent. I did take a peek at the concession stands. $6.00 for a cheeseburger and fry - $5.50 for a hot dog. $3.00 for a soda. I am not paying that price. So on the rest of the days I made a sandwich and brought a few drinks with me. I figured just bringing my own food saved me 27.00 for the 3 days I worked. That was having a 6.00 meal and one $3.00 drink a day. I will be doing the same thing next time I work too.
I wish I had the extra cash to throw in a can when I see how I saved money. It would be great to have that savings in hard cold cash!
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Update on my week!
My interview on Tuesday went well. I will find out next week if I am going for a second interview. I really want this job, it is so up my alley. So keeping my fingers crossed.
I did get the job at Walgreens. I should start in a week or 2, first I have to pass the drug test. No issue there. So looks like I at least have some money coming in. Also I have the part time trade show job which I do my first show starting this weekend. It is a long show 11 days, and the money I make there will cover the May rent. I already have April's rent covered. I still have the cleaning job too. I will quit the cleaning job once I get a full time job.
Still working on my frugalness. Although we did go out to eat tonight but we really only go once or twice a month. I was at Target and found 2 small space heaters on clearance. It was a buy one get one for 20.00 orginally 30.00. I have one here already that we used this weekend. My son is very good about following the rules of it being used too. Since electric is cheaper here than gas and they do not use much electric this was a way to keep us a bit warmer cheap. I keep my heat on 60 degrees almost all the time. The only time it was higher was when I was sick or B was sick. And during our little cold snap. I don't expect gas to be cheaper next winter so just preparing early!
I did check out TJ Maxx tonight. I bought B a pair of jeans. He needed then and the price was good. I did see a few things for me but I don't have to buy them right now. I am looking for a pair of shoes for Walgreens. You can't wear tennis shoes, and all my other shoes are heels. No sandals either and I own a lot of those. I know what I want and am going to probably go and get them. They are not cheap but they will be comfortable since between the trade show and Walgreens I will be on my feet way longer than I want to be. I feel that I need to make a good investment in some deccent shoes.
Today for lunch was experiment day! I made a "tv" dinner a few weeks to a month ago. It was rice, pork chop and peas. I used the food saver and froze it. Let it unthaw cut open the top of the bag and nuked. It was yummy and fresh taking. I am going to try and find some cheap plates - corelle, tupperware -- something that can be nuked. And make up more. These would be great for taking my lunch. Just grab out of the freezer and leave on my desk or in my bag. Nuke at lunch. I will NOT be eating out when I go back to work.
It was nice to hang out a load of wash too. It dried outside and I saved money. I am going to be using one of my empty coffee can to start saving the dryer change and found money after this month. I wanted to see what a month of not using the dryer yielded me. I am guess it is close to 14 dollars. The can will be sealed and opened in August or September for B's back to school stuff.
That is about all over here! I may not be around much for the next week. I will be so busy that there may not be time to write. But I will say I will be continuing on my frugal journey!
I did get the job at Walgreens. I should start in a week or 2, first I have to pass the drug test. No issue there. So looks like I at least have some money coming in. Also I have the part time trade show job which I do my first show starting this weekend. It is a long show 11 days, and the money I make there will cover the May rent. I already have April's rent covered. I still have the cleaning job too. I will quit the cleaning job once I get a full time job.
Still working on my frugalness. Although we did go out to eat tonight but we really only go once or twice a month. I was at Target and found 2 small space heaters on clearance. It was a buy one get one for 20.00 orginally 30.00. I have one here already that we used this weekend. My son is very good about following the rules of it being used too. Since electric is cheaper here than gas and they do not use much electric this was a way to keep us a bit warmer cheap. I keep my heat on 60 degrees almost all the time. The only time it was higher was when I was sick or B was sick. And during our little cold snap. I don't expect gas to be cheaper next winter so just preparing early!
I did check out TJ Maxx tonight. I bought B a pair of jeans. He needed then and the price was good. I did see a few things for me but I don't have to buy them right now. I am looking for a pair of shoes for Walgreens. You can't wear tennis shoes, and all my other shoes are heels. No sandals either and I own a lot of those. I know what I want and am going to probably go and get them. They are not cheap but they will be comfortable since between the trade show and Walgreens I will be on my feet way longer than I want to be. I feel that I need to make a good investment in some deccent shoes.
Today for lunch was experiment day! I made a "tv" dinner a few weeks to a month ago. It was rice, pork chop and peas. I used the food saver and froze it. Let it unthaw cut open the top of the bag and nuked. It was yummy and fresh taking. I am going to try and find some cheap plates - corelle, tupperware -- something that can be nuked. And make up more. These would be great for taking my lunch. Just grab out of the freezer and leave on my desk or in my bag. Nuke at lunch. I will NOT be eating out when I go back to work.
It was nice to hang out a load of wash too. It dried outside and I saved money. I am going to be using one of my empty coffee can to start saving the dryer change and found money after this month. I wanted to see what a month of not using the dryer yielded me. I am guess it is close to 14 dollars. The can will be sealed and opened in August or September for B's back to school stuff.
That is about all over here! I may not be around much for the next week. I will be so busy that there may not be time to write. But I will say I will be continuing on my frugal journey!
Monday, March 20, 2006
The beginning of another frugal week!
Okay so the beginning of another frugal week here. The weekend was as frugal as I could get. I had to go and buy clothes for interviews. They are so freakin expensive. I did check the thrift stores but since I am larger they don't have a lot of large sizes.
Again this weekend I hung up the laundry. Waiting for a few things to still dry. I did use the dryer for the towels and nope they did not dry. I even tried a trick suggested of putting a clean dry towel in there. But I hung them to dry the rest of the way. When the weather is on my side I will put them outside. My savings though is adding up. I am still putting the money aside from not drying. Since I am such a visual person I like to see what I am saving.
Busy week here and not spending much money at all. We really do not need anything and since my son is on punishment he will not be getting money to spend anywhere this week either.
Not much else going on.
Again this weekend I hung up the laundry. Waiting for a few things to still dry. I did use the dryer for the towels and nope they did not dry. I even tried a trick suggested of putting a clean dry towel in there. But I hung them to dry the rest of the way. When the weather is on my side I will put them outside. My savings though is adding up. I am still putting the money aside from not drying. Since I am such a visual person I like to see what I am saving.
Busy week here and not spending much money at all. We really do not need anything and since my son is on punishment he will not be getting money to spend anywhere this week either.
Not much else going on.
Friday, March 17, 2006
Some things finally clicked
I spent my day at the cleaning job. I love the thinking time. I seem to get so many ideas and understand concepts when I am alone with just my thoughts. Lately my thoughts have been what am I going to do when I have a job and am making decent money again. The last 6 months of my frugality was forced not by choice. I have been wanting to be frugal and have thought of about all the frugal things I should be doing. Sometimes I would do then other times I would not. Well now I have not had a choice.
Example:I hang laundry because I know it can save me 1.00 each time. Last month in Feb. when I tracked the savings for a few weeks it was $6 or $7. Now add that up over time and it becomes a much larger amount. Doing those little things has saved me a lot of money that I did not have to spend.
Example:I went on the budget billing. Now that did not give me the excuse to crank my heat or waste lights. So right now I have a blanket over me instead of turning up the heat. I will have to pay the overage sooner or later and I prefer not to have one to pay.
I have read many frugal books or debt reduction books. All I can on message boards. So many of them talk about having a freedom account and an Emergency Fund. I did not have neither of those. How do you get there when you are living day to day and dollar to dollar? Well today it finally clicked. All those people with freedom accounts and emergency accounts did not start with 100 dollars or 100,000 dollars.
So I started with 1.00! Yep and that is all I need to start. Heck I figure I could start with one penny. The point is you can not have either of those accounts if you don't Start. So for now till I am in a better postion. I will add 5.00 to each account each week. Once I have enough I will open 2 seperate savings accounts for them.
It is so important I think in the beginning of frugality to think about it a lot. Not thinking just about what you are doing but also thinking about what you are not doing. When you think of what you are not doing....why are you not doing it? Is it because you don't want to do it? or don't know where to start? Spending that time thinking about things may turn on a few lightbulbs for you too.
__________________
Example:I hang laundry because I know it can save me 1.00 each time. Last month in Feb. when I tracked the savings for a few weeks it was $6 or $7. Now add that up over time and it becomes a much larger amount. Doing those little things has saved me a lot of money that I did not have to spend.
Example:I went on the budget billing. Now that did not give me the excuse to crank my heat or waste lights. So right now I have a blanket over me instead of turning up the heat. I will have to pay the overage sooner or later and I prefer not to have one to pay.
I have read many frugal books or debt reduction books. All I can on message boards. So many of them talk about having a freedom account and an Emergency Fund. I did not have neither of those. How do you get there when you are living day to day and dollar to dollar? Well today it finally clicked. All those people with freedom accounts and emergency accounts did not start with 100 dollars or 100,000 dollars.
So I started with 1.00! Yep and that is all I need to start. Heck I figure I could start with one penny. The point is you can not have either of those accounts if you don't Start. So for now till I am in a better postion. I will add 5.00 to each account each week. Once I have enough I will open 2 seperate savings accounts for them.
It is so important I think in the beginning of frugality to think about it a lot. Not thinking just about what you are doing but also thinking about what you are not doing. When you think of what you are not doing....why are you not doing it? Is it because you don't want to do it? or don't know where to start? Spending that time thinking about things may turn on a few lightbulbs for you too.
__________________
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Frugal doings!
Wow! This week just flew by! I can't believe tomorrow is Friday and St. Patty's Day. We are not Irish but I will make cornbeef and potatoes. No cabbage in this house.
I spent the day doing some frugal things. I went to the store and got the loss leaders and I only got loss leaders. We had some great ones this week. Toothpaste for 88 cents and I had a coupon for 75 cents off, Dish soap, pop tarts and stuff like that.
Paid another 20.10 towards the medical bills. I am working on paying off two of them right now. I have a total of 6 of them to pay off. 2 of them are huge and going to take a bit of time. So I started with 2 small ones. I have paid off almost 400.00 worth of medical bills. I do have a ways to go but at least I am getting them paid.
I did get a call back from Walgreens so I will have my second interview next week Tuesday at 3:30 pm. I have a busy day that week with interviews that day.
Still living on the frugal homefront. I did a freezer inventory. So I know what we have on hand and I can plan meals off of it. Also still not using the dryer and trying hard to keep the heat low.
I keep wondering what else I need to do frugaly that I am not doing.
I spent the day doing some frugal things. I went to the store and got the loss leaders and I only got loss leaders. We had some great ones this week. Toothpaste for 88 cents and I had a coupon for 75 cents off, Dish soap, pop tarts and stuff like that.
Paid another 20.10 towards the medical bills. I am working on paying off two of them right now. I have a total of 6 of them to pay off. 2 of them are huge and going to take a bit of time. So I started with 2 small ones. I have paid off almost 400.00 worth of medical bills. I do have a ways to go but at least I am getting them paid.
I did get a call back from Walgreens so I will have my second interview next week Tuesday at 3:30 pm. I have a busy day that week with interviews that day.
Still living on the frugal homefront. I did a freezer inventory. So I know what we have on hand and I can plan meals off of it. Also still not using the dryer and trying hard to keep the heat low.
I keep wondering what else I need to do frugaly that I am not doing.
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Energy Bill since getting the freezer
I got the first energy bill since getting the free freezer. It is an older model so I knew it was going to take more than a newer one would.
It was $8.00 a month for me to run it. Now that is expensive but for now I am saving that and more with my bulk shopping and hitting the sales.
So the new plan is...once I start working I am going to be putting $50.00 away each check to get a brand new freezer. With watching the sales is should be under $200.00.
I will then get rid of this one. Today alone with the loss leaders and coupons I had I ended up saving $21.00. So far over $70.00 saved on food this month. All I need is milk till next month. Nothing else do we need. I even got extra bread in the freezer since it was on sale.
It was $8.00 a month for me to run it. Now that is expensive but for now I am saving that and more with my bulk shopping and hitting the sales.
So the new plan is...once I start working I am going to be putting $50.00 away each check to get a brand new freezer. With watching the sales is should be under $200.00.
I will then get rid of this one. Today alone with the loss leaders and coupons I had I ended up saving $21.00. So far over $70.00 saved on food this month. All I need is milk till next month. Nothing else do we need. I even got extra bread in the freezer since it was on sale.
Thrift Store shopping
At www.frugal-families.com where I spend a lot of my time. One of the members lives in the same city as me. Funny we actually lived 20 blocks from each other at one time. She talks about this thrift store. So I went and checked it out. Now I have been to some of them and I did not care to much for them. The smell alone killed me.
Well I got 4 things I could wear to work for 10.00. One pair of pants still had the tags on them. I did not like looking through all the clothes since nothing is seperated by size. Other than that it was okay.
I did go and get the loss leaders - pizza for $1.58 - cookies 98 cents and some other things. I do make homemade pizzas. B can eat these on the days I am working the part time job I got.
Well Walgreens did not call today so I am not going to get that job. Can't get them all! I am really hoping that I do get the one I am going for next week. We are okay through April but after that we are going to have major issues.
Tomorrow I have no where to go. So I will be spending all day looking for a job. That is my goal. B will be at school and things are pretty kept up here. So job hunting all day.
I do go and clean agian on Friday. So that money will also get saved. I need to this weekend figure out what I am wearing to my interview. I will have to go and purchase a blouse though since I don't have one that works with the jacket I am planning on wearing.
Well I got 4 things I could wear to work for 10.00. One pair of pants still had the tags on them. I did not like looking through all the clothes since nothing is seperated by size. Other than that it was okay.
I did go and get the loss leaders - pizza for $1.58 - cookies 98 cents and some other things. I do make homemade pizzas. B can eat these on the days I am working the part time job I got.
Well Walgreens did not call today so I am not going to get that job. Can't get them all! I am really hoping that I do get the one I am going for next week. We are okay through April but after that we are going to have major issues.
Tomorrow I have no where to go. So I will be spending all day looking for a job. That is my goal. B will be at school and things are pretty kept up here. So job hunting all day.
I do go and clean agian on Friday. So that money will also get saved. I need to this weekend figure out what I am wearing to my interview. I will have to go and purchase a blouse though since I don't have one that works with the jacket I am planning on wearing.
Sunday, March 12, 2006
Weekend of frugal doings!
Okay the weekend is over. I am watching Grey Anatomy! I do love that show. Time to reflect on what I did right!
Used the FREE windy air outside to dry all the clothes. I even dried the towels outside. I can live with the towels drying outside. They are a little hard but not to bad. If my son can live with his jeans being hung to dry then his mother can live with the towels.
I smoke -- not frugal health wise or money wise. So that is something I am working on. I have cut back on how much. I do plan before Oct. to quit. I did go and buy a carton of smokes which I had a $4.00 coupon for. So in the end it is cheaper for me to buy a carton then to go and buy single packs. Reason being...I don't just buy a pack I end up buying a soda, gum,etc. Also when you divide the total cost by 10 packs. I saved about 50 cents a pack. All makes sense to me.
All meals where here at the house. I made a ham today and will get a ton of meals out of it. I keep thinking of all the things I can make with the extra ham. 2 soups and greens, scallop potatoes and some for sandwiches. And that is not even using the ham bone.
Now if anyone has a good recipe for navy bean soup - let me know.
Okay this coming week I am going to really work on NO Spending! I have $10.00 in my wallet and 56.00 in the bank. Bills are paid and we do not need ANYTHING! So the $10.00 can go towards laundry and the money in the account can sit there. That is the goal for the week.
I think that is about all for the weekend. We did not do much else this weekend. Just kind of lazy.
Used the FREE windy air outside to dry all the clothes. I even dried the towels outside. I can live with the towels drying outside. They are a little hard but not to bad. If my son can live with his jeans being hung to dry then his mother can live with the towels.
I smoke -- not frugal health wise or money wise. So that is something I am working on. I have cut back on how much. I do plan before Oct. to quit. I did go and buy a carton of smokes which I had a $4.00 coupon for. So in the end it is cheaper for me to buy a carton then to go and buy single packs. Reason being...I don't just buy a pack I end up buying a soda, gum,etc. Also when you divide the total cost by 10 packs. I saved about 50 cents a pack. All makes sense to me.
All meals where here at the house. I made a ham today and will get a ton of meals out of it. I keep thinking of all the things I can make with the extra ham. 2 soups and greens, scallop potatoes and some for sandwiches. And that is not even using the ham bone.
Now if anyone has a good recipe for navy bean soup - let me know.
Okay this coming week I am going to really work on NO Spending! I have $10.00 in my wallet and 56.00 in the bank. Bills are paid and we do not need ANYTHING! So the $10.00 can go towards laundry and the money in the account can sit there. That is the goal for the week.
I think that is about all for the weekend. We did not do much else this weekend. Just kind of lazy.
Saturday, March 11, 2006
Saturday doings!
It is a beautiful day out. Sun is shining most of the time and there is a nice breeze. So it is 10;45 am here and I have 2 loads of wash outside on my drying racks. One of the loads is towels. I refuse to put $2.00 in that dryer for my towels. I figure if my son can live with his jeans not going in the dryer his mother can live with the towels not going in the dryer. It is nice enough out that I even opened the kitchen window.
I put $3.00 in my tin for the clothes that did not go in the dryer. I am thinking they should be dry about 3 pm or so.
Mailed off the rebate from the shopping trip yesterday. So that should come in a few months. Right at the time you forget you sent it in.
The only spending will be getting some lost leaders we need. Eggs for sure! Of course all meals are at home since I have totally cut eating out for now.
I have to tell you about yesterday:
I ate breakfast before I left to go cleaning. I took soda with me and told myself you WILL not stop for a bagel and coffee. I have noticed that is becoming something I am doing on a weekly basis. Well at 4.00 a crack...it needs to stop. Even though I was hungry after cleaning. I went to my Dad's house. I wanted him to hold the money I made for me. Since I am feeling a bit spendy these last few days. I got a soda to drink and on to the grocery store. It was nice to see myself stick to that not eating out plan. Next week though I will bring a sandwich with me and a bottle of water.
That one little change saves me $20.00 a month. So many times we only think well I am just saving $4.00. It is the bigger picture you have to look at. In the matter of 2 days I have saved $24.00 by making a different choice. Remember I saved $20 by not going out one night.
I put $3.00 in my tin for the clothes that did not go in the dryer. I am thinking they should be dry about 3 pm or so.
Mailed off the rebate from the shopping trip yesterday. So that should come in a few months. Right at the time you forget you sent it in.
The only spending will be getting some lost leaders we need. Eggs for sure! Of course all meals are at home since I have totally cut eating out for now.
I have to tell you about yesterday:
I ate breakfast before I left to go cleaning. I took soda with me and told myself you WILL not stop for a bagel and coffee. I have noticed that is becoming something I am doing on a weekly basis. Well at 4.00 a crack...it needs to stop. Even though I was hungry after cleaning. I went to my Dad's house. I wanted him to hold the money I made for me. Since I am feeling a bit spendy these last few days. I got a soda to drink and on to the grocery store. It was nice to see myself stick to that not eating out plan. Next week though I will bring a sandwich with me and a bottle of water.
That one little change saves me $20.00 a month. So many times we only think well I am just saving $4.00. It is the bigger picture you have to look at. In the matter of 2 days I have saved $24.00 by making a different choice. Remember I saved $20 by not going out one night.
Friday, March 10, 2006
Grocery Shopping! Blew the Monthly Goal
Okay if you look at the sidebar I am $2.41 over my goal. Well I could be upset over this but I have to admit with the price of food could I really keep it under $100.00 for one adult and one teenage boy. The teenage boy who is 6 foot 2 and 220 pounds and works out 3 to 5 times a week?
When I exam the trip today. Total spent: $93.17 by using coupons and the store card I saved $51.60! That is HUGE! I really looked over the ads and applied coupons where I could.
A few examples:
Popcorn B1G1 - and then I had a coupon for a free 2 liter bottle of soda up to $1.25. Well the store had their brand on sale B1G1 for 89 cents. So I was getting 2 bottles of soda for free. The scanner took off $1.25 for the coupon. So basically I got 36 cents off the popcorn too.
I had 2 of these coupons.
Cereal - B1G1 free so I got 2 boxes of cereal for $2.79 (I had a dollar off coupon)
Green Giant frozen veggies $1.00 a bag. I have a rebate for buy 10 GG products and get $5.00 rebate. So I have now spent 5.00 for 10 bags of veggies. Rebate is ready to be mailed tomorrow. I have also put some of those veggies in food saver bags so they do not go bad.
I took advantage of the loss leaders. Froze anything that was freezeable. Now I do plan on keeping this month's spending to 125.00. Since we are going to need things like eggs, milk and bread yet for the month. And one store has eggs 2/$1.oo. I can make 2 dozen eggs last for a month. There is also a sale on bread 75 cents a bag. I will get about 4 loaves and put them in the freezer. I did test a loaf to see if we would eat it out of the freezer. Well that lasted 2 days when I pulled it out. It was just like I had just bought it. My son eats 3 to 4 sandwiches at a time. Thank goodness he likes PB&J!
Well that was my shopping trip! And the whole $93.17 was food. No HBA products at all. Not that we need them after my trip to Walgreens.
When I exam the trip today. Total spent: $93.17 by using coupons and the store card I saved $51.60! That is HUGE! I really looked over the ads and applied coupons where I could.
A few examples:
Popcorn B1G1 - and then I had a coupon for a free 2 liter bottle of soda up to $1.25. Well the store had their brand on sale B1G1 for 89 cents. So I was getting 2 bottles of soda for free. The scanner took off $1.25 for the coupon. So basically I got 36 cents off the popcorn too.
I had 2 of these coupons.
Cereal - B1G1 free so I got 2 boxes of cereal for $2.79 (I had a dollar off coupon)
Green Giant frozen veggies $1.00 a bag. I have a rebate for buy 10 GG products and get $5.00 rebate. So I have now spent 5.00 for 10 bags of veggies. Rebate is ready to be mailed tomorrow. I have also put some of those veggies in food saver bags so they do not go bad.
I took advantage of the loss leaders. Froze anything that was freezeable. Now I do plan on keeping this month's spending to 125.00. Since we are going to need things like eggs, milk and bread yet for the month. And one store has eggs 2/$1.oo. I can make 2 dozen eggs last for a month. There is also a sale on bread 75 cents a bag. I will get about 4 loaves and put them in the freezer. I did test a loaf to see if we would eat it out of the freezer. Well that lasted 2 days when I pulled it out. It was just like I had just bought it. My son eats 3 to 4 sandwiches at a time. Thank goodness he likes PB&J!
Well that was my shopping trip! And the whole $93.17 was food. No HBA products at all. Not that we need them after my trip to Walgreens.
Friday morning and the sun is shining!
Okay the sun is shining and it is a nice day out. I was planning on hanging was but since the people I clean for asked if I would come today. I jumped at the chance. That is 72.00 I make doing the house. It is not bad work, peaceful at times. So I am off to do that soon.
I have to go to at least one of the 3 stores I plan on hitting this week. I will check my list and decide which one. I will get to the other ones tomorrow morning.
B and I are fighting again. He has a HUGE issue getting to school on time every day. I am pretty fed up with him. He is never going to get into college this way. And I try and stress just how broke he will be. And we all know being broke is so stressful. I hope to have a talk with him this weekend.
Paid the gas/electric bill this morning. I was late on the bill by 4 days. I did not write the due date in my book for some reason. So I will get an .82 late fee. I hate that! Not only the fee but just being late. They do read the meter today and I am hoping to see a small increase in my electric. I added that freezer and a decrease in the heat. We did have a small cold snap but other than that I have been keeping my heat down or off. It show up online tomorrow.
Well time to get moving. I also have a book to pick up from the library. Frugal Living for Dummies. I have read it once but I want to go back and read it again and copy down some of the things I want to do.
I have to go to at least one of the 3 stores I plan on hitting this week. I will check my list and decide which one. I will get to the other ones tomorrow morning.
B and I are fighting again. He has a HUGE issue getting to school on time every day. I am pretty fed up with him. He is never going to get into college this way. And I try and stress just how broke he will be. And we all know being broke is so stressful. I hope to have a talk with him this weekend.
Paid the gas/electric bill this morning. I was late on the bill by 4 days. I did not write the due date in my book for some reason. So I will get an .82 late fee. I hate that! Not only the fee but just being late. They do read the meter today and I am hoping to see a small increase in my electric. I added that freezer and a decrease in the heat. We did have a small cold snap but other than that I have been keeping my heat down or off. It show up online tomorrow.
Well time to get moving. I also have a book to pick up from the library. Frugal Living for Dummies. I have read it once but I want to go back and read it again and copy down some of the things I want to do.
Thursday, March 09, 2006
It has been a crazy week! Frugal but crazy!
Okay this week has been crazy. Emotions running high and low. So I am glad tomorrow is Friday.
Started off with me being bummed about money. I am still but I see a plan and I am making a plan and putting it in motion.
My cleaning job cancelled and that was $72.00 gone. So I knew then I had to tighten up a bit more this week. I bought B's bus pass for next week. Also looked at what I had to do and would a bus pass be frugal for me. If I am not going to make 8 trips then it is not cost effective for me to have one. So I have not bought one for me yet. I wait till Saturday to decide since I usually know what my plan is for the following week.
I need to update my grocery spending but I am under $15.00 still for the month. I do however have to get to the store this week. I was going today but it was raining and I was not in the mood.
Was suppose to go out with some friends tonight. I really did not want to waste $20.00 on booze. I did not want to waste $5.00 on booze. So instead I stayed home. When I start looking at the fact that $20.00 could pay for a month of washing clothes. So not worth it.
Finished one of my March goals. I paid another $25.00 to medical bills. I sent 2 checks to the place . Since they were for different accounts, I figured two checks would make it easier for them. I did enclose a note for them. Since I don't pay for checks I was not wasting anything and since I pay for stamps I sent them together. My goal was to pay off $50.00 and I did $58 something. I don't have the total in front of me right now.
Other frugal doings:
My zipper pull on my purse broke. Normally I would throw it away and get a new one. I do really like this purse. So now I am going to go and buy a zipper pully thing and fix it.
Did hang wash when I washed. I ended up using the dryer on one since it is so damp here. And I did not want to wait 2 days for things to dry. This weekend should be better to do wash and hang to dry.
Meals have been at home! I even ran out of creamer and waited till I got to a store instead of paying the higher Walgreens prices.
Jobs:
1. I got the part time weekend job! I start at the end of the month!
2. Had a first interview with Walgreens for a cashier job - who would have thought they do 2 interviews.
3. I have another interview for a "career" job on March 21. So keep those fingers crossed!
4. The search continues till I get an offer letter.
Off to bed so I can get up and do a load of wash and hang before I go clean. That money is going right in the bank.
I have $34.00 in my wallet and want to see how long can I make that last without going near the bank.
Started off with me being bummed about money. I am still but I see a plan and I am making a plan and putting it in motion.
My cleaning job cancelled and that was $72.00 gone. So I knew then I had to tighten up a bit more this week. I bought B's bus pass for next week. Also looked at what I had to do and would a bus pass be frugal for me. If I am not going to make 8 trips then it is not cost effective for me to have one. So I have not bought one for me yet. I wait till Saturday to decide since I usually know what my plan is for the following week.
I need to update my grocery spending but I am under $15.00 still for the month. I do however have to get to the store this week. I was going today but it was raining and I was not in the mood.
Was suppose to go out with some friends tonight. I really did not want to waste $20.00 on booze. I did not want to waste $5.00 on booze. So instead I stayed home. When I start looking at the fact that $20.00 could pay for a month of washing clothes. So not worth it.
Finished one of my March goals. I paid another $25.00 to medical bills. I sent 2 checks to the place . Since they were for different accounts, I figured two checks would make it easier for them. I did enclose a note for them. Since I don't pay for checks I was not wasting anything and since I pay for stamps I sent them together. My goal was to pay off $50.00 and I did $58 something. I don't have the total in front of me right now.
Other frugal doings:
My zipper pull on my purse broke. Normally I would throw it away and get a new one. I do really like this purse. So now I am going to go and buy a zipper pully thing and fix it.
Did hang wash when I washed. I ended up using the dryer on one since it is so damp here. And I did not want to wait 2 days for things to dry. This weekend should be better to do wash and hang to dry.
Meals have been at home! I even ran out of creamer and waited till I got to a store instead of paying the higher Walgreens prices.
Jobs:
1. I got the part time weekend job! I start at the end of the month!
2. Had a first interview with Walgreens for a cashier job - who would have thought they do 2 interviews.
3. I have another interview for a "career" job on March 21. So keep those fingers crossed!
4. The search continues till I get an offer letter.
Off to bed so I can get up and do a load of wash and hang before I go clean. That money is going right in the bank.
I have $34.00 in my wallet and want to see how long can I make that last without going near the bank.
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
I have 2 job interviews!
I have 2 job interviews. Both are for part-time jobs, but they will get us through until I find a full time job in my field. One is right by the house at Walgreens. So no transportation costs since I can walk to work and back. Plus I can come home on my breaks and check on B.
The other is for a part time weekend job doing Marketing. Which is in my field. That one pays more so I hope I can do that one also.
I still have my cleaning job once a week which pays roughly $75.00 a week. If cut back and watch the spending I can get through this. Not gracefully all the time but we can make it.
God has a plan for me. I just need to be learn to let him take me down the path he plans for me.
I have sure learned some lessons from this. That is for sure and will be putting a better plan in motion if this should ever happen again.
The other is for a part time weekend job doing Marketing. Which is in my field. That one pays more so I hope I can do that one also.
I still have my cleaning job once a week which pays roughly $75.00 a week. If cut back and watch the spending I can get through this. Not gracefully all the time but we can make it.
God has a plan for me. I just need to be learn to let him take me down the path he plans for me.
I have sure learned some lessons from this. That is for sure and will be putting a better plan in motion if this should ever happen again.
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Really sat and thought of things today!
The job scene is just not looking good for me as far as me finding a job in my field. Last night I was sad, depressed and just not happy. So I spent sometime in my room thinking about what am I going to do.
I have no one but myself to blame for not looking sooner. The days of me applying and getting hired within a week. So now I have to come up with plan B. I had to do some soul searching of why I did this to myself and my family. I can not allow B to suffer because of my dumb mistakes.
Now this morning I woke up feeling much better. I sat down and applied for a job. I know only one but I am qualified for it. I also have some others to work on too. I did spend a lot of time looking and saving them so tomorrow I can sit down and apply for all of them at once. Tonight I will be writing cover letters.
I made a list of all the temp agencies in the area. So I am going to call them and see if they can find me work. Tomorrow is going big day for job hunting.
I do have an interview at Walgreens Thursday. I hope to get at least part time there. I would keep this after I found my "career" job. As it is close to home and would help to pay off bills faster. And be able to afford all the sports and clothes for the coming year.
This will work out according to the plan. I figured if I get the 2 part time jobs and keep my cleaning job. We can afford to keep living!
I went through the budget and figured out what 2 things I can cut if needed:
Cable and Netflix and keep the grocery bill to 100.00 a month. I know my food stamps will get cut when I start working. Which is fine so I will have to use what I have wisely and shop well.
Holding out till July to change my cell phone contract. I can't wait to lower that bill by at least 50.00 a month.
Just have to stay in Guerrilla mode of frugality and we will be fine. The more I cut back and keep it cut back. The sooner we can go to Disney World. Always in the forefront of my mind.
I have no one but myself to blame for not looking sooner. The days of me applying and getting hired within a week. So now I have to come up with plan B. I had to do some soul searching of why I did this to myself and my family. I can not allow B to suffer because of my dumb mistakes.
Now this morning I woke up feeling much better. I sat down and applied for a job. I know only one but I am qualified for it. I also have some others to work on too. I did spend a lot of time looking and saving them so tomorrow I can sit down and apply for all of them at once. Tonight I will be writing cover letters.
I made a list of all the temp agencies in the area. So I am going to call them and see if they can find me work. Tomorrow is going big day for job hunting.
I do have an interview at Walgreens Thursday. I hope to get at least part time there. I would keep this after I found my "career" job. As it is close to home and would help to pay off bills faster. And be able to afford all the sports and clothes for the coming year.
This will work out according to the plan. I figured if I get the 2 part time jobs and keep my cleaning job. We can afford to keep living!
I went through the budget and figured out what 2 things I can cut if needed:
Cable and Netflix and keep the grocery bill to 100.00 a month. I know my food stamps will get cut when I start working. Which is fine so I will have to use what I have wisely and shop well.
Holding out till July to change my cell phone contract. I can't wait to lower that bill by at least 50.00 a month.
Just have to stay in Guerrilla mode of frugality and we will be fine. The more I cut back and keep it cut back. The sooner we can go to Disney World. Always in the forefront of my mind.
Organized the bathroom closet
I keep opening up that closet and thinking I need to clean it. Finally today as I was cleaning the bathroom I just decided to do it. So I threw out all the gross old stuff and organized the rest of the stuff.
I wanted those little baskets to keep things organized and controled. I figure it would cost about $2.00 each. I would need a total of 4 of them. So $8.00 plus tax.
Instead I had some empty 12 packs that needed to go to the garbage. I cut the ends off and made my baskets. I also had an empty kleenex box and used that for one too. So now everything is cleaned and organized. When the homemade boxes get old or dirty I can throw them out (recycle of course) and start fresh.
Sure it probably does not look the best but how many people are going to look in my bathroom closet. If they choose to hey at least it is cleaned out now.
I wanted those little baskets to keep things organized and controled. I figure it would cost about $2.00 each. I would need a total of 4 of them. So $8.00 plus tax.
Instead I had some empty 12 packs that needed to go to the garbage. I cut the ends off and made my baskets. I also had an empty kleenex box and used that for one too. So now everything is cleaned and organized. When the homemade boxes get old or dirty I can throw them out (recycle of course) and start fresh.
Sure it probably does not look the best but how many people are going to look in my bathroom closet. If they choose to hey at least it is cleaned out now.
We got the wallet back!
My son just called and someone took his wallet to the school. His school id was in there with his name on it and our address. I don't like our address being on it but that is the school's policy.
I am so happy! The bus pass was in there too! Whoever turned it in had to go out of there way to do it. Since the bus he lost it on is a ways away from the school. You have to take another bus to get to the school.
I am very thankful that someone was kind enough to do that for us.
I am so happy! The bus pass was in there too! Whoever turned it in had to go out of there way to do it. Since the bus he lost it on is a ways away from the school. You have to take another bus to get to the school.
I am very thankful that someone was kind enough to do that for us.
Monday, March 06, 2006
Today SUCKED!
Okay I just have to vent. Today just sucked! I knew it sucked when I was having a beer at 4:30 pm!
Job hunting not great- hardly anything out there. Did not hear from any of the jobs I applied for.
My son lost his wallet with the brand new bus pass in it. So there went $14.00 down the drain. He felt so bad. I could not be upset with him. So now I have to come up with money for him to get to and from school. I do have some tickets so that is a good thing.
Good news is my deposit showed up in the bank today! I was getting a tad bit worried.
We did have a good frugal weekend though. I will post more about int when I am in a much better mood.
Job hunting not great- hardly anything out there. Did not hear from any of the jobs I applied for.
My son lost his wallet with the brand new bus pass in it. So there went $14.00 down the drain. He felt so bad. I could not be upset with him. So now I have to come up with money for him to get to and from school. I do have some tickets so that is a good thing.
Good news is my deposit showed up in the bank today! I was getting a tad bit worried.
We did have a good frugal weekend though. I will post more about int when I am in a much better mood.
My $41.13 trip to Walgreens! Boy did I save
Here is everything I got:
Here is what I got:2 liter of soda -1.00
2 liter of soda - 1.00
Coke classic -1.29
Bandaids-3.99 -- FAR
huggies body wash- 4.99 - FAR
huggies body wash - 4.99 (had coupon for one free up to $4.15)
Lorel Make up- 8.99 (had coupon for 2.00 off)
Lorel make up 4.99 (had coupon for 2.00 off)
colgate toothbrush -3.49 - FAR and had coupon for 75 cents off
Lorellip stick (B1G1) and I had 2 coupons each 2.00 off
Colgate toothpaste -- FAR and had coupon for 75 cents off
Fructis hair gel 3.99 - FAR and had 1.00 off coupon
2 packs of gum -- 2 for 99cents (had coupon for B1G1)
I saved with my coupons 17.14 and then 21.47 with walgreens coupons.
So I saved a grand total of 39.59 with all my coupons and Walgreens coupons and sales!
Will get a rebate of: $21.07
So in the end I only spent $20.06 for all that stuff! NOT to shabby!
Here is what I got:2 liter of soda -1.00
2 liter of soda - 1.00
Coke classic -1.29
Bandaids-3.99 -- FAR
huggies body wash- 4.99 - FAR
huggies body wash - 4.99 (had coupon for one free up to $4.15)
Lorel Make up- 8.99 (had coupon for 2.00 off)
Lorel make up 4.99 (had coupon for 2.00 off)
colgate toothbrush -3.49 - FAR and had coupon for 75 cents off
Lorellip stick (B1G1) and I had 2 coupons each 2.00 off
Colgate toothpaste -- FAR and had coupon for 75 cents off
Fructis hair gel 3.99 - FAR and had 1.00 off coupon
2 packs of gum -- 2 for 99cents (had coupon for B1G1)
I saved with my coupons 17.14 and then 21.47 with walgreens coupons.
So I saved a grand total of 39.59 with all my coupons and Walgreens coupons and sales!
Will get a rebate of: $21.07
So in the end I only spent $20.06 for all that stuff! NOT to shabby!
Friday, March 03, 2006
Busy weekend planned!
There is no sense in me even putting leftover day on the menu for the week. Again this week we did not have any leftovers. Well we had the beef roast - but since we are not big fans I just used the food saver to seal it up. We can eat in later down the road. I did however take out cooked chicken that I had sealed with the food saver. It was awesome! I mixed it in some rice stuff I had in the cupboard. It was good and my son ate it all. So once again no leftovers.
So this weekend! I am going to make up more pizzas, quiche, and spaghetti pie for the freezer. I also have some steaks out to throw on the grill. Hey it may be cold in Wisconsin but how can you resist a steak on the grill.
More job hunting too. Also need to go to the library to return some books and pick up my book. I will do that early in the morning.
I am doing well resisting my son asking for money to run to the store. We live 1/2 block from Walgreens. Which is good when you are sick and bad when you are not. A lot of money gets burned up running for this that and the other. I am so trying to STOP that now.
I did take $10.00 out of my wallet and threw it in last month's change. I am taking out all the quarters to do laundry tomorrow. Which will get hung up. I did not want to waste another bus ticket on the way home from my interview. The interveiw went well. Nothing to exciting. I am sure I have the job. Only part time but at this point anything will help.
I need to make a list of all the things I need to do. Make a grocery list is one of those things.
So this weekend! I am going to make up more pizzas, quiche, and spaghetti pie for the freezer. I also have some steaks out to throw on the grill. Hey it may be cold in Wisconsin but how can you resist a steak on the grill.
More job hunting too. Also need to go to the library to return some books and pick up my book. I will do that early in the morning.
I am doing well resisting my son asking for money to run to the store. We live 1/2 block from Walgreens. Which is good when you are sick and bad when you are not. A lot of money gets burned up running for this that and the other. I am so trying to STOP that now.
I did take $10.00 out of my wallet and threw it in last month's change. I am taking out all the quarters to do laundry tomorrow. Which will get hung up. I did not want to waste another bus ticket on the way home from my interview. The interveiw went well. Nothing to exciting. I am sure I have the job. Only part time but at this point anything will help.
I need to make a list of all the things I need to do. Make a grocery list is one of those things.
Frugal Friday!
I am up and DS is off to school - on time for once too. That child has a big issue with time management.
Did the excerises for my back. I am going to do them at least 2 times a day. I got to get my back stronger. It has really been bothering me. And I hate having the pain!
Now the big news I have an interview for a part time job today. So I will be getting in the shower and getting ready for that soon. When I am done I am going to stop at the library. I have a book on hold.
The book is "Debt proof your kids" by Mary Hunt. This is something that I want to read and get my son on it. Basically it is giving him a set amount of money each month and teaching him how to manage his money. My goal is to get him on this come Sept. I would have to start with a weekly amount. So now I want to read the book - take notes and get him on the plan. Honestly this is going to be hard on me. I see him NOT budgeting in the beginning and me wanting to "help" him out. So I will have to strong. LOL
The only money I plan on spending is for my library fine. Under $1.00 and I know better. So no more of that. A friend stopped over last night and brought me a gallon of milk. Since she was stopping at the grocery store, I asked her to pick up the milk. She was so sweet and did not let me pay her. So I saved $3.00. I did sit catch up on the gossip and we had a few Blue Moon beers.
I hope everyone is having a great day and saving money!
Did the excerises for my back. I am going to do them at least 2 times a day. I got to get my back stronger. It has really been bothering me. And I hate having the pain!
Now the big news I have an interview for a part time job today. So I will be getting in the shower and getting ready for that soon. When I am done I am going to stop at the library. I have a book on hold.
The book is "Debt proof your kids" by Mary Hunt. This is something that I want to read and get my son on it. Basically it is giving him a set amount of money each month and teaching him how to manage his money. My goal is to get him on this come Sept. I would have to start with a weekly amount. So now I want to read the book - take notes and get him on the plan. Honestly this is going to be hard on me. I see him NOT budgeting in the beginning and me wanting to "help" him out. So I will have to strong. LOL
The only money I plan on spending is for my library fine. Under $1.00 and I know better. So no more of that. A friend stopped over last night and brought me a gallon of milk. Since she was stopping at the grocery store, I asked her to pick up the milk. She was so sweet and did not let me pay her. So I saved $3.00. I did sit catch up on the gossip and we had a few Blue Moon beers.
I hope everyone is having a great day and saving money!
Thursday, March 02, 2006
$6.86 is my checkbook balance!
After I paid the bills and the rent all I have left is $6.86 and unemployment is running out in 5 weeks. I need to call and find out if I can get an extension. I am busting my butt looking for a job. I applied for 11 jobs this week. One I am so qualified for and that is the one I WANT. I do have an interview for a part-time marketing job tomorrow. Only problem is I am not sure if it starts soon.
Today I go and clean for a lady. She pays me about $75.00 which is great since that is all I will have till next week. I will use B's bus pass to get there so no money will be spent. I also will get him a new bus pass right away. I do plan on watching super close anything that is spent. I guess it is a good time to cut back.
I will be going through the house again and looking for things we don't need or use and selling them. At this time I don't sell anything I will have to replace. That is just not frugal and makes no sense.
Time to get going and get to the house. I really hate doing it but I keep telling myself that the money is so helpful that I can do this while I look for a job.
Today I go and clean for a lady. She pays me about $75.00 which is great since that is all I will have till next week. I will use B's bus pass to get there so no money will be spent. I also will get him a new bus pass right away. I do plan on watching super close anything that is spent. I guess it is a good time to cut back.
I will be going through the house again and looking for things we don't need or use and selling them. At this time I don't sell anything I will have to replace. That is just not frugal and makes no sense.
Time to get going and get to the house. I really hate doing it but I keep telling myself that the money is so helpful that I can do this while I look for a job.
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Another medical bill paid --- Happy Dance
Sat down this afternoon and got the medical bills in order. I listed each one in my notebook. I have the following informaton in there:
Payee name
Address
Phone
Account number
Amount
Some of them do not send out updated statements so I need to keep good records of what is paid. As I make a payment I will put the date and check number next to the pay amount.
I was able to pay off one of the smaller ones. I have one more small one till I have only the large $$ left. I figure the place that is holding most of them. Will have a harder time sueing me if I am sending them something every month. I figure at least $10.00. Honestly I know some of them have not moved to the lawyers office because they know I have no job. And it is a waste of their time to sue me right now. So I hope to prevent that.
Now I am going to finish with putting the rest of the debt in my notebook. Again one bill for each page. I hope to have the medical bills paid off by August. That is with me finding a job. I hope to be working agian by April.
In the mean time at least one more bill is paid in full!
Payee name
Address
Phone
Account number
Amount
Some of them do not send out updated statements so I need to keep good records of what is paid. As I make a payment I will put the date and check number next to the pay amount.
I was able to pay off one of the smaller ones. I have one more small one till I have only the large $$ left. I figure the place that is holding most of them. Will have a harder time sueing me if I am sending them something every month. I figure at least $10.00. Honestly I know some of them have not moved to the lawyers office because they know I have no job. And it is a waste of their time to sue me right now. So I hope to prevent that.
Now I am going to finish with putting the rest of the debt in my notebook. Again one bill for each page. I hope to have the medical bills paid off by August. That is with me finding a job. I hope to be working agian by April.
In the mean time at least one more bill is paid in full!
March Grocery Budget
This month my goal is to only spend $100.00 on food for our house. We have a freezer full of food and cupboards are full enough to last for the month. Towards the end I will notice that we will be doing a huge stock up for April.
I shop at Pick n Save, Aldi's and the neighborhood butcher. Once in awhile I also go to Jewel. If they have something worth going. I can hit Pick N Save and Jewel in the same trip. I do use coupons and hit loss leaders.
Every month the local butcher has a meat deal for $20.06. I started doing this in Jan. I love the meats they are really good quality and the people are so nice. Here is the deal for March:
2 lbs Fresh Corned Beef
1 Whole or Cut-up Chicken
1 lb Ground Chuck
2 Boneless Stuffed Pork Chops
1 lb Cole Slaw
2 Chicken Patties (pre-cooked)
I am not 100% yet sure if I am going to do this. I do not care for the stuffed pork chops. It is the stuff part not the chop. I also know I can make cole slaw for B. We have corn beef and a whole chicken already. So I may save the $20 and use it for something else. I probably could go the whole month without buying meat. Of course if there is a really good price on meat. I would be all over it. The joys of having a freezer.
Right now I will not be doing any shopping till March 9. Since I am unemployed I signed us up for Food Stamps. That is the day I will get them. Some may disagree with it, but that is what is best for my family. As soon as I am working again then I will not be getting them. I will have to get a gallon of milk before the 9th but that is the only thing I will be buying. In fact I am not stepping foot in the store until then.
I know I can keep us under $100 for the month. Now next month it will probably be $300 on food.
Time to get moving. I think I will make up some small pizzas today for the freezer. Quick snacks for DS.
I shop at Pick n Save, Aldi's and the neighborhood butcher. Once in awhile I also go to Jewel. If they have something worth going. I can hit Pick N Save and Jewel in the same trip. I do use coupons and hit loss leaders.
Every month the local butcher has a meat deal for $20.06. I started doing this in Jan. I love the meats they are really good quality and the people are so nice. Here is the deal for March:
2 lbs Fresh Corned Beef
1 Whole or Cut-up Chicken
1 lb Ground Chuck
2 Boneless Stuffed Pork Chops
1 lb Cole Slaw
2 Chicken Patties (pre-cooked)
I am not 100% yet sure if I am going to do this. I do not care for the stuffed pork chops. It is the stuff part not the chop. I also know I can make cole slaw for B. We have corn beef and a whole chicken already. So I may save the $20 and use it for something else. I probably could go the whole month without buying meat. Of course if there is a really good price on meat. I would be all over it. The joys of having a freezer.
Right now I will not be doing any shopping till March 9. Since I am unemployed I signed us up for Food Stamps. That is the day I will get them. Some may disagree with it, but that is what is best for my family. As soon as I am working again then I will not be getting them. I will have to get a gallon of milk before the 9th but that is the only thing I will be buying. In fact I am not stepping foot in the store until then.
I know I can keep us under $100 for the month. Now next month it will probably be $300 on food.
Time to get moving. I think I will make up some small pizzas today for the freezer. Quick snacks for DS.
Another blog --
Heads up! I started another blog -- Smaller clothes. I am going to lose weight and I am going to do it in a frugal manner. Heck 50 years ago people did not have to buy slim fast bars and weight watchers dinners. So I don't have to either. Change a few things and I will lose weight. Might be slower process, but hey it is all about sticking to it and getting what needs to be done -- DONE!
March Madness
We love March in this family! College basketball. We spend a lot time watching all the games. I am a Wisconsin girl so I am always happy to see Marquette and UW-Milwaukee in the games.
Last night I went through the checkbook and it is up to date. I want to point out the name of my journal..is what brought me to being frugal. I had a big issue with keeping my checkbook straight and paid more fees then I care to admit too. I am happy to say it has been almost 6 months and I have not had one check bounce. I never did this on purpose but my math was always wrong.
I started tracking what I was saving from hanging wash. From Feb. 12 to Feb. 28 I saved $6.00. So I figure it should be at least $10.00 a month. Again I am starting the tin for March. I also save pennnies in my pig and silver in a tin. For Feb. I saved $20.10 in silver. I did not count the pennies there are not that many in Mr. Piggy.
So goals for March:
1. Keep hanging wash - save the money saved
2. Save all silver
3. Track spending
4. No eating out - we have a ton of food so no need to pay for someone else to cook it.
Of course any where else I can save money will be great. As this month is going to be very tight.
Good News:
I have an interview on Friday for a part time job. Doing Trade shows. Which March-Nov. is Trade show season. I love doing it and the extra money will nice.
Spending so far today: $9.00 to B for game tickets and lunch. He lost his lunch tickets. Tomorrow he packs a lunch.
Last night I went through the checkbook and it is up to date. I want to point out the name of my journal..is what brought me to being frugal. I had a big issue with keeping my checkbook straight and paid more fees then I care to admit too. I am happy to say it has been almost 6 months and I have not had one check bounce. I never did this on purpose but my math was always wrong.
I started tracking what I was saving from hanging wash. From Feb. 12 to Feb. 28 I saved $6.00. So I figure it should be at least $10.00 a month. Again I am starting the tin for March. I also save pennnies in my pig and silver in a tin. For Feb. I saved $20.10 in silver. I did not count the pennies there are not that many in Mr. Piggy.
So goals for March:
1. Keep hanging wash - save the money saved
2. Save all silver
3. Track spending
4. No eating out - we have a ton of food so no need to pay for someone else to cook it.
Of course any where else I can save money will be great. As this month is going to be very tight.
Good News:
I have an interview on Friday for a part time job. Doing Trade shows. Which March-Nov. is Trade show season. I love doing it and the extra money will nice.
Spending so far today: $9.00 to B for game tickets and lunch. He lost his lunch tickets. Tomorrow he packs a lunch.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
