I fell off the coupon wagon a few months ago, somewhere in the middle of the garden harvest when we were enjoying meals of fresh fruits and vegetables and had no desire for anything store-bought. Then I kind of got sick of couponing, the weekly sit-down of cutting out coupons and organizing them and pulling out expired ones. Going online to check for deals and sales and printing online coupons were starting to annoy me. I was experiencing coupon burn-out!
Of course, falling off the coupon wagon means money isn't being saved. Not that I stopped shopping the sales, but I wasn't searching out the best deals and my coupon inserts were piling up, waiting to be cut. Couponing is a lot of work, equivalent to a part-time job, at least, when you factor in all the time it takes to cut, sort, organize, search, find, and match up deals to coupons.
After awhile, I got tired of my grocery budget not going as far as it could be and sometime around November, I hopped back on the wagon. A break was just what I needed, to come back refreshed and eager to start making my dollars stretch again! Just in time, too, because I found a lot of deals for Christmas gifts and other items, and I'm pretty pleased to say that the majority of the gifts under the tree this year were bargains. I think there were only a few things we paid full price for and I'm happy with what we were able to give to others and not feel like we came out broke at the end of it all.
Now that a new year has begun, I've started off on the right foot and really stretched the food budget today while I was out shopping. I try not to buy too much processed foods, but sometimes, and especially with a big family, buying a box or two of macaroni and cheese really helps stretch the budget and the meals. In this case, I bought 18 boxes of Kraft macaroni and cheese!! Here's why: The local store advertised it as being on sale 3 for $1.25. That's a cheap price for a brand name! An added bonus is that I have 6 coupons for $1 off 3, which combined with the sale makes it 25 cents for 3 boxes!! No doubt, that's a stock-up price!! After sales, coupons, and taxes, I paid $1.75 for 18 boxes of macaroni and cheese!!
I can now take a box and then add to it to make a meal-- I might add a pound of ground beef, a jar of my home-canned tomatoes, a chopped onion and green pepper, some spices, and I've just made a home version of hamburger helper. Add a side of vegetables and a salad and it's enough for the seven of us to get filled up on. It's a little bit processed, but in general, it's a healthy meal, I'm not complaining.
Here's where going online helps to make a sale become a better deal: Target's ad states that when you buy 2 boxes of Digiorno pizza for $5 each, you get a free box of Edy's fruit bars. Pretty good. But going online to coupon websites, I discover there's an online coupon you can print to get 1 Digiorno pizza free when you buy 2. Even better! Now here's the best deal, print -2- of those coupons, buy 6 pizzas for $5 each, get 3 free boxes of fruit bars for $30 total before coupons. The coupon states it will give you a free pizza up to $7.01 and some stores will let you get the full value of the coupon, even if the pizza only cost $5. I was able to get the full value of the coupon twice, which means, after coupons, I paid $16 for 6 pizzas and 3 boxes of fruit bars!
Frozen pizza is not as good as eating out, but with this large family of mine, eating out often is not an option. Not as good as home made pizza, but that requires planning ahead and I usually come up with dinner ideas on the fly, meaning something gets whipped up at the last minute. I'll be saving those pizzas for those really crazy days, when we're all frazzled and tired and hungry and too pooped to cook.
I keep telling myself to keep track of how much I spent versus how much I should have spent, but after a week or two, I lose stamina and receipts get scattered. The easier way for me to know I'm saving money is when we continually stay under the grocery budget. I've been running out before the end of the month and that's a truly awful feeling to know I've spent the entire budget already. It's nice to get back on track again and I'm looking forward to seeing our budget carry over to the next month!
Showing posts with label money. Show all posts
Showing posts with label money. Show all posts
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Dropping In...
When I said I was going to take a bloggy break, I thought I would need all the way 'til Labor weekend. Turns out I am already itching to come back and I'm trying to decide if I should hold fast to my time-line or say the hell with it and start posting again. Maybe just writing this one post will be the release I need and I can hold off until Labor weekend.
A lot has happened around here-- some good, some bad. Nothing like a death in the family or a major illness, thank God, but definitely something that forces us to change and swallow our pride and to count our blessings even more. I know that things happen for a reason and what doesn't kill us makes us stronger. I also know you don't judge a man before you walk a mile in his shoes and don't count your chickens before they hatch. The point is, life happens, and not always the way you want it to. It's the journey, not the destination.
Andrew was let go from his job not too long ago. It's been a blow for us, but we're honestly doing ok. We're already used to living on less and we don't live the high life and keep up with the Joneses. It just means we have to tighten the belt up another notch. Shopping with coupons like I do is a major bonus, our pantry and closets are well-stocked with food and supplies and the only thing we really need to shop for would be milk, meat and diapers (though diapers will soon be dropped from the list!). He's been looking and applying for work and hopefully something will come along soon. We're happy to have him home, though, and we've been enjoying the extra family time together.
We've been blessed with good friends that are passing on their children's clothes to us, so I won't need to worry about that. One family has 2 children, a girl a year ahead of Evelyn and a boy 2 years ahead of Peter. Another has 2 girls, both a year or two ahead of Gretchen and Sylvia. I'm lucky that ever since the kids were born, I've always shopped second-hand clothing for the kids, so they absolutely don't mind getting hand-me-downs and actually, they think it's normal procedure. Pretty much the only things they get brand-new would be shoes and underclothes, but even then, it's clearance prices and sales from the year before. I just bought clearanced flip-flops for the kids for next summer.
What really hurts with not having Andrew's paycheck is the gas money. Living in the country, we have to drive so far to get places, so we do a lot of consolidating with our errands and shop at stores that give us gas discounts. We recently filled up the van on gas that cost us $2.97/gallon thanks to gas points at the food store. That same food store also doubles coupons so it gives me more incentive to shop there.
New friends we've made that live nearby do a lot of volunteer work (they're retirees) and recently let us know that they dropped our name into a hat at the ruritan club that sponsors a few families and pays their way into the county fair. We hadn't planned on going to the county fair this year, because we cannot afford both the entrance fee and the rides for the kids, so it's really nice to know that we'll be able to do both and for once, we don't have to tell the kids "no" when they ask to go on the rides. They are even paying for our meal at the fair which always smells so good, but again, too pricey for a family of six. The kids are really excited about going to the fair and they all want to make something and enter it at the fair. Evelyn and Sylvia both embroidered their own designs and Gretchen wants to bake a cake. I embroidered something as well, and I plan to enter a few jams. Fingers crossed the girls all get blue ribbons for their efforts!
Total neglect of the garden and yet we are drowning in tomatoes!! I feel so lucky! The kids love walking up and down the rows filling arms and buckets with tomatoes and bringing them into the house. I love that the girls eat tomatoes out of hand and sometimes they make a feast out of tomatoes for a snack. Peter doesn't quite understand just what is so great about tomatoes just yet, but hopefully, in time, he'll grow to love eating them, too. I don't hold much hope for the onions and the peppers-- the weeds have choked them out. I may be able to dig up a few taters, but I'm just not too sure about them. I'm already imagining next years garden and I'm thinking this is the year I try for a fall planting for a winter garden. I'd really like to try cold-weather gardening and see what that's like.
I recently lost a Speckled Sussex hen. She was one of the first 15 and I had only 2 left of the 6 Speckled Sussex I started out with. She wasn't looking so good for a day and I had a bad feeling when I shut the coop that night. Sure enough, the next morning, she was dead. Before Andrew was let go, I was thinking about ordering a batch of chicks. I'm tired of the Red hens and roosters and wanted to have some more colors in my flock, but that'll have to wait now. The Reds are not as friendly as the yellow Buffs and the Speckled Sussexs. They run and scatter when I come near and pretty much the only time I can handle them is when they're settled for the night in the coop. The Buffs and the Speckleds are super friendly and the girls love to hold them and enjoy their feathered company. I'll definitely order more of those two breeds next time.
I still have a bit of corn left from last summer's canning sessions. I hoped to plant corn this year, but that never happened. I hoped to score corn cheap from the food store like I did a few times last year, but it's been pretty pricey all summer long. I still have hope, though! Andrew's friend has a neighbor that recently complained he had too much corn-- eek!! Too much corn?!? How can that be?? I'm trying to get Andrew to talk to the nice man and convince him to sell his surplus of corn to us! After we've eaten our fill, I'll can the rest to enjoy during the cold winter months. Oh.. I hope so! I do love corn!
I think I'm done unloading the brain now. My shoulders feel lighter and my head doesn't hurt so much now. I'll stick to my original time-line and be back after Labor weekend.
~jenny
A lot has happened around here-- some good, some bad. Nothing like a death in the family or a major illness, thank God, but definitely something that forces us to change and swallow our pride and to count our blessings even more. I know that things happen for a reason and what doesn't kill us makes us stronger. I also know you don't judge a man before you walk a mile in his shoes and don't count your chickens before they hatch. The point is, life happens, and not always the way you want it to. It's the journey, not the destination.
Andrew was let go from his job not too long ago. It's been a blow for us, but we're honestly doing ok. We're already used to living on less and we don't live the high life and keep up with the Joneses. It just means we have to tighten the belt up another notch. Shopping with coupons like I do is a major bonus, our pantry and closets are well-stocked with food and supplies and the only thing we really need to shop for would be milk, meat and diapers (though diapers will soon be dropped from the list!). He's been looking and applying for work and hopefully something will come along soon. We're happy to have him home, though, and we've been enjoying the extra family time together.
We've been blessed with good friends that are passing on their children's clothes to us, so I won't need to worry about that. One family has 2 children, a girl a year ahead of Evelyn and a boy 2 years ahead of Peter. Another has 2 girls, both a year or two ahead of Gretchen and Sylvia. I'm lucky that ever since the kids were born, I've always shopped second-hand clothing for the kids, so they absolutely don't mind getting hand-me-downs and actually, they think it's normal procedure. Pretty much the only things they get brand-new would be shoes and underclothes, but even then, it's clearance prices and sales from the year before. I just bought clearanced flip-flops for the kids for next summer.
What really hurts with not having Andrew's paycheck is the gas money. Living in the country, we have to drive so far to get places, so we do a lot of consolidating with our errands and shop at stores that give us gas discounts. We recently filled up the van on gas that cost us $2.97/gallon thanks to gas points at the food store. That same food store also doubles coupons so it gives me more incentive to shop there.
New friends we've made that live nearby do a lot of volunteer work (they're retirees) and recently let us know that they dropped our name into a hat at the ruritan club that sponsors a few families and pays their way into the county fair. We hadn't planned on going to the county fair this year, because we cannot afford both the entrance fee and the rides for the kids, so it's really nice to know that we'll be able to do both and for once, we don't have to tell the kids "no" when they ask to go on the rides. They are even paying for our meal at the fair which always smells so good, but again, too pricey for a family of six. The kids are really excited about going to the fair and they all want to make something and enter it at the fair. Evelyn and Sylvia both embroidered their own designs and Gretchen wants to bake a cake. I embroidered something as well, and I plan to enter a few jams. Fingers crossed the girls all get blue ribbons for their efforts!
Total neglect of the garden and yet we are drowning in tomatoes!! I feel so lucky! The kids love walking up and down the rows filling arms and buckets with tomatoes and bringing them into the house. I love that the girls eat tomatoes out of hand and sometimes they make a feast out of tomatoes for a snack. Peter doesn't quite understand just what is so great about tomatoes just yet, but hopefully, in time, he'll grow to love eating them, too. I don't hold much hope for the onions and the peppers-- the weeds have choked them out. I may be able to dig up a few taters, but I'm just not too sure about them. I'm already imagining next years garden and I'm thinking this is the year I try for a fall planting for a winter garden. I'd really like to try cold-weather gardening and see what that's like.
I recently lost a Speckled Sussex hen. She was one of the first 15 and I had only 2 left of the 6 Speckled Sussex I started out with. She wasn't looking so good for a day and I had a bad feeling when I shut the coop that night. Sure enough, the next morning, she was dead. Before Andrew was let go, I was thinking about ordering a batch of chicks. I'm tired of the Red hens and roosters and wanted to have some more colors in my flock, but that'll have to wait now. The Reds are not as friendly as the yellow Buffs and the Speckled Sussexs. They run and scatter when I come near and pretty much the only time I can handle them is when they're settled for the night in the coop. The Buffs and the Speckleds are super friendly and the girls love to hold them and enjoy their feathered company. I'll definitely order more of those two breeds next time.
I still have a bit of corn left from last summer's canning sessions. I hoped to plant corn this year, but that never happened. I hoped to score corn cheap from the food store like I did a few times last year, but it's been pretty pricey all summer long. I still have hope, though! Andrew's friend has a neighbor that recently complained he had too much corn-- eek!! Too much corn?!? How can that be?? I'm trying to get Andrew to talk to the nice man and convince him to sell his surplus of corn to us! After we've eaten our fill, I'll can the rest to enjoy during the cold winter months. Oh.. I hope so! I do love corn!
I think I'm done unloading the brain now. My shoulders feel lighter and my head doesn't hurt so much now. I'll stick to my original time-line and be back after Labor weekend.
~jenny
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Sticker Shock
Our budget is tight. That means we hardly eat out, if at all. I make almost every meal, and sometimes I cheat and buy frozen pizzas or quickie foods, but it's cheaper than eating out. We got our tax refund and along with buying some long-desired, needed things around the house, I must admit, we have been eating out quite a bit. And feeling pretty sick about it, too. Not only are there 6 members in our family, but it looks like prices have gone up, not to mention the restuarant tax added onto the regular tax.
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The kids loooooooove Chick-Fil-a. I think more for the play area than the actual food, but still, it's always a big hit when we go there and there's never any food left to take home. I remember it used to cost us just around $20 to eat there some time last year and two recent excursions there cost us nearly $40 both times!! A trip into town last night and a quick drive-thru pick-up at Wendy's yielded us 4 kiddie meals and 2 adult combo meals that cost $32!
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I had to rescue Andrew from a locked-out truck at work when my sister and her family were here and I ran out just as it was time to make dinner after working outdoors most of the day on the swingset. After I gave Andrew the spare key, we decided to treat ourselves to dinner without the kids after he got off work. We love steak and cheese subs, and there was a Jerry's Subs in the mall, so we went there. The last time I ate there was before we moved up here nearly 6 years ago and even then, it was pricey, but not this much: $22 dollars for 2 meals and that's with the employee discount.
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We went to Subway the night we picked up the swingset and for 4 footlongs, chips and drinks, it cost us a little over $23. By far the best deal for the most food and the most filling. I can split two footlongs between 4 kids and they will eat every last bit of it, and be full for several hours afterwards.
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Andrew and I talked last night about the high cost of eating out and we both agreed it's just not
worth it. Needless to say, we will not be eating out anymore, except for our upcoming trip down to Florida and even then, we'll stick to Subway. At those prices, our tax refund won't last very long! We'll be packing our snacks like we always do on long trips, and maybe a picnic lunch as well, just to save on eating out at least one meal on the way down.
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Fast food isn't really fast if it takes us more than 30 minutes to get there in the first place. I could have made our meal in that time and enjoyed it much more, use zero gas to get there, and hardly any trash compared to all those wrappers and bags and cheap-o kiddie meal toys that end up scattered on the floor, waiting to be stepped on.
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We used to miss eating out at some of those places, liking the convience of it and hey-- I don't have to cook! But after so long of not going anywhere, we have come to find that we prefer to eat at home, whether it's home-cooked or quickie frozen pizza, it's still a home meal. Cheaper in cost maybe, but richer in every other way. -
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Bragging Rights: Couponing Edition
I had an extremely good shopping trip at the food and drug stores recently and I just have to share! But first, I wanted to explain something for those of you not familiar with couponing and the area where I live:
We live in the mountains and the closest 'big' food store is Food Lion 18 miles away. That's also where CVS and Rite Aid are located. Other big food stores are in a larger town 45 minutes away and if I go there, I try to consolidate errands so we are not running down there for just one store or one thing. Many couponers like to frequent stores that double coupons, price match competitors ads and/or accept other stores' coupons. The stores down south must be really nice because the coupon website I go to, people are consistently saving 80 - 90% of their totals while shopping.
The Food Lion where I shop at is just a plain, old, regular grocery store. They don't double coupons or price match because they don't have any competition from any other stores. They know that a lot of people in town go there because they have no other place to go. But still, there are deals to be found if you know what to look for and the coupon website I frequent says that if you learn when your store has their sales, anyone can turn any store into a good store. This such trip was one of those sales.
Because of the Super Bowl, a lot of the 'party foods' and snack foods are on sale. There were several special deals and lots of coupons and I was able to pick up all of the above for a good price. It's my best shopping trip at Food Lion and I'm really pleased with that. There are some items here that I don't ever buy, like the Otis Spunkmeyer cookie dough, the pasta mixes and TGIFriday's appetizer, but by combining coupons, sales, and deals, made it too good to pass up and will come in handy for those occasional meals I don't have time to cook from scratch.
We live in the mountains and the closest 'big' food store is Food Lion 18 miles away. That's also where CVS and Rite Aid are located. Other big food stores are in a larger town 45 minutes away and if I go there, I try to consolidate errands so we are not running down there for just one store or one thing. Many couponers like to frequent stores that double coupons, price match competitors ads and/or accept other stores' coupons. The stores down south must be really nice because the coupon website I go to, people are consistently saving 80 - 90% of their totals while shopping.
The Food Lion where I shop at is just a plain, old, regular grocery store. They don't double coupons or price match because they don't have any competition from any other stores. They know that a lot of people in town go there because they have no other place to go. But still, there are deals to be found if you know what to look for and the coupon website I frequent says that if you learn when your store has their sales, anyone can turn any store into a good store. This such trip was one of those sales.
Because of the Super Bowl, a lot of the 'party foods' and snack foods are on sale. There were several special deals and lots of coupons and I was able to pick up all of the above for a good price. It's my best shopping trip at Food Lion and I'm really pleased with that. There are some items here that I don't ever buy, like the Otis Spunkmeyer cookie dough, the pasta mixes and TGIFriday's appetizer, but by combining coupons, sales, and deals, made it too good to pass up and will come in handy for those occasional meals I don't have time to cook from scratch.- 2- Red Baron pizzas
- 3- Stouffer's French Bread pizzas
- 1- Gallon Milk
- 6- Ragu sauce
- 4- Minute Maid O.J.
- 6- Knorr Pastas
- 1- TGIFridays appetizer
- 2- NY Texas Toast
- 1- Farm Rich Mozzarella Sticks
- 1- Otis Spunkmeyer Cookie Dough
- 2- Jose Ole Taquitos
This next set of food was from CVS and Rite Aid-- drugstores. Before coupons, you'd never see me grocery shopping at drugstores. They're overpriced to begin with and why go there when I can usually get what I need with more choices at the food stores? But since learning how to extreme coupon, I just love drugstores! With the exception of the Vitaminwater, this is stuff we usually always have in the pantry.
- 2- V-8 Juice
- 4- Lipton 100 count Tea bags
- 4- Ocean Spray Cran-Raspberry juice
- 3- Ragu Sauce
- 4- Planters Cashews
- 2- Vitamin waters
Total retail (drugstore) value: $78.86 After sales and coupons: FREE! Yes, free. Actually, I made a profit of $4.96. They paid me! Sweet!
If you total up the two: $166.38 before sales and coupons; Actual out of pocket costs: $26.84!
That's money that stays in the bank account! I have to work a little bit:: cut out coupons and match them up with the sales, maybe save receipts and UPCs to submit for a rebate, but in the long run, I am saving us money and we are eating well. If it was not for coupons, I honestly think we'd be on food stamps by now, because we actually do qualify for food stamps. I see a lot of people here in our town on food stamps and I wish I could teach them to make their money go farther by using coupons and sales. I take it as a challenge sometimes to see how much I can get for the least amount of money possible.
Ok, I'm done with the bragging. I'm just so pleased and it's good to look in my pantry and my freezer and know that my family won't go hungry.
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Friday, January 14, 2011
Shopping Smart in 2011
I didn't really make any set in stone resolutions for this new year, just a few desires expressed to improve upon. Like learning to shoot a .22 and shoot it well. As always, improving the garden and harvesting. Nothing extreme like wanting to visit 50 countries or losing 100 pounds or some such goal.
I do want to do better on our financial situation, though. We have some home improvement projects we'd like to see accomplished, but we never have the money for it. Our Hall Bath is in desperate need of being redone and I think the most costly part of it will be the plumbing-- hiring a plumber to reroute the septic line and water line so we can relocate the toilet and shift the sink over. I like to imagine that we can do most of the work ourselves, but in reality, both of us are not carpenters and other than helping my dad, we don't know much about framing. So that's another job we'll need to hire out. I hope we can keep the budget for redoing the bathroom to under $1,000-- preferably in the $700 range.
Anyway, I'm going to step up on using coupons while I shop. I've made a good start this year and keeping track of receipt totals and actual out-of-pocket costs in a notebook. We sort of lived paycheck to paycheck last year, and more than a few times, we've had to go to the Bank of Mom and borrow a little bit to make it to the next paycheck. We've always paid her back, but I'd like to put an end to that this year. We want to start putting aside a little nest money for emergencies, and though Andrew still works part-time, I can see it happening if we tighten up our belts a bit more.
As of today, my total purchases from the beginning of the year is $545.73. That's a lot for only the first 2 weeks, but with coupons, I've managed to pay out-of-pocket only $150.41! That's over $395 saved! I told Andrew that my goal was to spend only $75 per week on groceries, including diapers. Peter should be out of diapers soon, so once that happens, our weekly total should come down a little bit.
In case you're wondering what I am buying with coupons, here's sampling of items I bought in the first 2 weeks: Diapers, wipes, toothpaste, toothbrushes, 20 boxes of macaroni and cheese, 24 cans (case) tomato soup, Christmas clearance chocolate candy (used for baking and ok, snacking!), cereal, oatmeal, laundry soap, and cough medicine. This is just a fraction of my purchases, but I am very pleased with what I have gotten for the prices I've paid.
The pantry is full; the bathroom closet is stocked; Peter has diapers to use; the cats and dogs are eating well; we're eating well. It's not easy to save and use coupons like this--it is work. I have to sit down at least an hour every day and search for deals and coupons to match, check internet postings from coupon sites and get multiple Sunday papers for coupons, not to mention cutting out coupons and sorting through them. In order to reduce my grocery bill from $57.20 to paying only $1.99 out-of-pocket, I have to do my homework.
Another thing I want to do this year is not buying clothing for any of us. I have gone through all our drawers and closets and we all have plenty of both warm and cold weather clothing; the kids all got new underwear and socks for Christmas; and so we should not need any more clothing at least until next year. They even have enough shoes, barring any growth spurts. We already shop thrift stores and yard sales, so it's not like we pay a lot for clothes, but still, we have more than enough clothes to wear. I have boxes set aside for the next size up for each child, plus we practice the hand-me-down ritual and thankfully, the girls don't mind.
A friend of mine gave me a stack of coupons yesterday that she doesn't want, so I cut and sorted through them last night. I found a few coupons that are money makers for me if I can get to the store tomorrow before the sale ends. Did you know that there are also several stores that give you a sneak peek at the next week's sales? So you can even decide not to buy this week when you know next week will be cheaper! I know one store is having a sale on mouthwash, which after coupons would cost me $1, but if I wait until next week, I can get the same mouthwash for free after coupons! I think I'll wait.
Any of you set up financial goals this year? Any money saving tricks or tips up your sleeves? I'd love to hear them! :o)
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I do want to do better on our financial situation, though. We have some home improvement projects we'd like to see accomplished, but we never have the money for it. Our Hall Bath is in desperate need of being redone and I think the most costly part of it will be the plumbing-- hiring a plumber to reroute the septic line and water line so we can relocate the toilet and shift the sink over. I like to imagine that we can do most of the work ourselves, but in reality, both of us are not carpenters and other than helping my dad, we don't know much about framing. So that's another job we'll need to hire out. I hope we can keep the budget for redoing the bathroom to under $1,000-- preferably in the $700 range.
Anyway, I'm going to step up on using coupons while I shop. I've made a good start this year and keeping track of receipt totals and actual out-of-pocket costs in a notebook. We sort of lived paycheck to paycheck last year, and more than a few times, we've had to go to the Bank of Mom and borrow a little bit to make it to the next paycheck. We've always paid her back, but I'd like to put an end to that this year. We want to start putting aside a little nest money for emergencies, and though Andrew still works part-time, I can see it happening if we tighten up our belts a bit more.
As of today, my total purchases from the beginning of the year is $545.73. That's a lot for only the first 2 weeks, but with coupons, I've managed to pay out-of-pocket only $150.41! That's over $395 saved! I told Andrew that my goal was to spend only $75 per week on groceries, including diapers. Peter should be out of diapers soon, so once that happens, our weekly total should come down a little bit.
In case you're wondering what I am buying with coupons, here's sampling of items I bought in the first 2 weeks: Diapers, wipes, toothpaste, toothbrushes, 20 boxes of macaroni and cheese, 24 cans (case) tomato soup, Christmas clearance chocolate candy (used for baking and ok, snacking!), cereal, oatmeal, laundry soap, and cough medicine. This is just a fraction of my purchases, but I am very pleased with what I have gotten for the prices I've paid.
The pantry is full; the bathroom closet is stocked; Peter has diapers to use; the cats and dogs are eating well; we're eating well. It's not easy to save and use coupons like this--it is work. I have to sit down at least an hour every day and search for deals and coupons to match, check internet postings from coupon sites and get multiple Sunday papers for coupons, not to mention cutting out coupons and sorting through them. In order to reduce my grocery bill from $57.20 to paying only $1.99 out-of-pocket, I have to do my homework.
Another thing I want to do this year is not buying clothing for any of us. I have gone through all our drawers and closets and we all have plenty of both warm and cold weather clothing; the kids all got new underwear and socks for Christmas; and so we should not need any more clothing at least until next year. They even have enough shoes, barring any growth spurts. We already shop thrift stores and yard sales, so it's not like we pay a lot for clothes, but still, we have more than enough clothes to wear. I have boxes set aside for the next size up for each child, plus we practice the hand-me-down ritual and thankfully, the girls don't mind.
A friend of mine gave me a stack of coupons yesterday that she doesn't want, so I cut and sorted through them last night. I found a few coupons that are money makers for me if I can get to the store tomorrow before the sale ends. Did you know that there are also several stores that give you a sneak peek at the next week's sales? So you can even decide not to buy this week when you know next week will be cheaper! I know one store is having a sale on mouthwash, which after coupons would cost me $1, but if I wait until next week, I can get the same mouthwash for free after coupons! I think I'll wait.
Any of you set up financial goals this year? Any money saving tricks or tips up your sleeves? I'd love to hear them! :o)
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Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Big Van, Little Van
With 4 children, my Mom, my Husband and I, we can fill up our little van pretty quickly. It gets tight in there sometimes, and we have to pass up going places just because there is no more room in the van. We have a Mazda MPV-- we bought it when I was pregnant with Evelyn. Used to drive a Jeep Cherokee and I loved that thing-- but after babysitting 2 toddlers and putting their car seats in the jeep, I realized that it was going to be tight, so we decided to trade it in for a van.
Anyone familiar with the Mazda MPV knows that it's a mini mini-van. It has served us well for 2 kids, even 3 kids, but with 4 kids and their things, it gets stuffed. And now that Mom comes along with us, we are shoving 3 kids in the 3rd row and Peter gets to stay in his car seat next to Grandma. Had I known back in 2001 when we bought the van that we would have 4 kids and Mom would move in with us, we probably would have bought something bigger.
We've been searching for a larger van for a while now, weighing pros and cons of going larger: pros- more room; cons- more gas; versus keeping our old van: pros- paid for; cons- costly engine repairs. We go back and forth but the biggest deciding factor is money. Or lack of it, anyway. Don't have money to fix the van, don't have money to buy a van. ~sigh~
We could swing car payments if we really tightened the belts and with my extreme coupon shopping habits, we are left with a little more money at the end of every month than before. It's a question of: Do we really want to do that?
Another question: How big do we go? We've been looking at Ford E-150 passenger vans. Boy those are hard to come across in the used car searches. After talking with people, we found that people hold on to these vans, which makes sense to me-- these big vans are bought with a set purpose in mind, like large families or sports teams or church groups and those purposes don't usually change for a good long time.
After one slipped through our fingers last summer, when another E-150 popped up on carmax, we called up right away to check it out. Sunday, we went to take a look at it, give it a test drive and talk business with the Man. I don't know, maybe it's me, but I hate being in places where salespeople circle like vultures and I'm afraid to say anything in front of them for fear they'll pounce on what I say and twist it to make it sound right. I'll tell you though, carmax is efficient. Their system is take the van for a test drive and while you're gone, they'll appraise your old van, so by the time we got back, everything was good to go.
They had a playroom for the kids (nice!), so Mom stayed behind with the kids and Andrew and I took the new van for a spin. He drove first and because the salesman was in the van with us, I felt a little bit stifled-- I didn't feel free to fiddle around with the dash or turn around and "practice" yelling at the imaginary kids back there. My turn to drive and I don't like how there's a rubber strip-thingy right next to the tiny accelerator and every time I stepped on the gas to go, my foot got caught on the rubber strip. Made me uncomfortable. I know it's also a matter of adjusting to a new car and deleting old habits from the old van, but still... it didn't feel safe to me.
Another thing about the E-150, it was very high-- that would make it harder for my Mom to get in and out of. I had her get in it before we took it out for a test drive and I worried she was going to fall. And for all the extra space we'd get in the van, it was tight in the front. Hardly any floor space for the front seat passenger and I'm not a small girl-- I'm tall with long legs and I like to be able to stretch them out, I wouldn't be able to do that in that van. The seat was back as far as it would go and there just wasn't any space for my feet.
After we got back, the salesman had the results of the appraisal for our old van and I was very disappointed at the amount. Not even close to what I expected and at that price, trade-in value would barely make a dent in the purchase price of the new van. It was easy to say "no", but we should have asked the guy to leave the room and give us a few moments to talk, because we had some tense moments on the way home before we figured out what was bothering each other. We drove a long way to see the van, and had high hopes we would be driving a new (to us) van home. Plus, the kids were really vocal in their disappointment and that just rubbed more salt in the wound.
I'm not sorry we didn't get the van. We are still on the look-out for another van, but maybe this time, a full size mini-van instead of the big, super-sized vans. It won't be a whole lot of extra space, but compared to our little van, it'll be more comfortable and won't be so hard on the wallet with the cost of gas compared to a larger full-sized van. We can't afford to keep pouring money into the old van if it won't stay fixed and I'd like to try and sell it before it gets any older and loses more value.
The one good thing about the appraisal by carmax, was they told us our van is in good condition, good engine and good interior (with 4 kids?!? that's a surprise!), so we should be able to get a nice amount for it, just not what carmax offered. Their offer was so low because the van had been in an accident and the frame was cracked and repaired. Carmax will not sell cars with major repairs like that, since it compromises their integrity to sell "like-new cars". So, we'll take the van elsewhere to sell, and then find another van to purchase. That's the plan anyway.
Any recommendations for vans?? I'd love to hear from people who have 4 kids and what they drive. We're looking at the Honda Odyssey as the best bet so far.
-
Anyone familiar with the Mazda MPV knows that it's a mini mini-van. It has served us well for 2 kids, even 3 kids, but with 4 kids and their things, it gets stuffed. And now that Mom comes along with us, we are shoving 3 kids in the 3rd row and Peter gets to stay in his car seat next to Grandma. Had I known back in 2001 when we bought the van that we would have 4 kids and Mom would move in with us, we probably would have bought something bigger.
We've been searching for a larger van for a while now, weighing pros and cons of going larger: pros- more room; cons- more gas; versus keeping our old van: pros- paid for; cons- costly engine repairs. We go back and forth but the biggest deciding factor is money. Or lack of it, anyway. Don't have money to fix the van, don't have money to buy a van. ~sigh~
We could swing car payments if we really tightened the belts and with my extreme coupon shopping habits, we are left with a little more money at the end of every month than before. It's a question of: Do we really want to do that?
Another question: How big do we go? We've been looking at Ford E-150 passenger vans. Boy those are hard to come across in the used car searches. After talking with people, we found that people hold on to these vans, which makes sense to me-- these big vans are bought with a set purpose in mind, like large families or sports teams or church groups and those purposes don't usually change for a good long time.
After one slipped through our fingers last summer, when another E-150 popped up on carmax, we called up right away to check it out. Sunday, we went to take a look at it, give it a test drive and talk business with the Man. I don't know, maybe it's me, but I hate being in places where salespeople circle like vultures and I'm afraid to say anything in front of them for fear they'll pounce on what I say and twist it to make it sound right. I'll tell you though, carmax is efficient. Their system is take the van for a test drive and while you're gone, they'll appraise your old van, so by the time we got back, everything was good to go.
They had a playroom for the kids (nice!), so Mom stayed behind with the kids and Andrew and I took the new van for a spin. He drove first and because the salesman was in the van with us, I felt a little bit stifled-- I didn't feel free to fiddle around with the dash or turn around and "practice" yelling at the imaginary kids back there. My turn to drive and I don't like how there's a rubber strip-thingy right next to the tiny accelerator and every time I stepped on the gas to go, my foot got caught on the rubber strip. Made me uncomfortable. I know it's also a matter of adjusting to a new car and deleting old habits from the old van, but still... it didn't feel safe to me.
Another thing about the E-150, it was very high-- that would make it harder for my Mom to get in and out of. I had her get in it before we took it out for a test drive and I worried she was going to fall. And for all the extra space we'd get in the van, it was tight in the front. Hardly any floor space for the front seat passenger and I'm not a small girl-- I'm tall with long legs and I like to be able to stretch them out, I wouldn't be able to do that in that van. The seat was back as far as it would go and there just wasn't any space for my feet.
After we got back, the salesman had the results of the appraisal for our old van and I was very disappointed at the amount. Not even close to what I expected and at that price, trade-in value would barely make a dent in the purchase price of the new van. It was easy to say "no", but we should have asked the guy to leave the room and give us a few moments to talk, because we had some tense moments on the way home before we figured out what was bothering each other. We drove a long way to see the van, and had high hopes we would be driving a new (to us) van home. Plus, the kids were really vocal in their disappointment and that just rubbed more salt in the wound.
I'm not sorry we didn't get the van. We are still on the look-out for another van, but maybe this time, a full size mini-van instead of the big, super-sized vans. It won't be a whole lot of extra space, but compared to our little van, it'll be more comfortable and won't be so hard on the wallet with the cost of gas compared to a larger full-sized van. We can't afford to keep pouring money into the old van if it won't stay fixed and I'd like to try and sell it before it gets any older and loses more value.
The one good thing about the appraisal by carmax, was they told us our van is in good condition, good engine and good interior (with 4 kids?!? that's a surprise!), so we should be able to get a nice amount for it, just not what carmax offered. Their offer was so low because the van had been in an accident and the frame was cracked and repaired. Carmax will not sell cars with major repairs like that, since it compromises their integrity to sell "like-new cars". So, we'll take the van elsewhere to sell, and then find another van to purchase. That's the plan anyway.
Any recommendations for vans?? I'd love to hear from people who have 4 kids and what they drive. We're looking at the Honda Odyssey as the best bet so far.
-
Monday, June 28, 2010
We went into the "Big City" on Friday to visit family and friends and make a couple stops here and there. We got caught in rush hour and it took us 40 minutes to go 11 miles on the beltway. Living in the mountains made us forget how to plan ahead and leave early to get to our destination on time in traffic. It was hot and humid and all the exhaust from the cars made my eyes water and gasp for air. You couldn't pay us to move back to the Big City!
It was a good trip, though, and we enjoyed our visits with everybody. We didn't return home until after midnight and it was so good to be home again, in the quiet, cool mountains, away from all the hustle and bustle of cars and smog and crowded homes.
We have our moments, sometimes, when we wonder why we moved more than 2 hours away from all our friends and family and all we need to do is visit them to be reminded why we love it where we are. We live where people go away to for the weekends.
The fourth of July is coming up and we may go back to the Big City for that day, depending on if Andrew has to work or not. Looking forward to being with friends, not so much the traffic. Wait and see what happens at work-- The Boss fired someone, so Andrew and his co-worker need to pick up the slack and work more hours. Good for the bank account, so I'm not complaining.
Speaking of the bank account, I've been doing really well with the couponing. People that save huge amounts and pay little are called 'extreme couponers' and I think I can join the ranks now. Sunday was a very good day for me at CVS (a drugstore). I sat down with the sales papers and my coupons and worked out a plan on Saturday night (no more partying for me on Saturday nights!) and then Sunday morning I went to CVS. My grand total came to $82 and I paid only $6 plus I got $11 back in CVS bucks! Whoo-hoo! I got stuff we needed, too:: paper towels, diapers, pads, razors and shaving cream. It's a thrill to see the cash register total go down, down, down as I hand over coupons and CVS bucks to pay only small amounts and get approving nods from the cashiers.
I was telling my friends about it and I was thinking of maybe hosting a workshop for other deaf people to show them how to use coupons to the extreme. It doesn't take a lot of time to use coupons, only a couple of hours a week to cut them out and match them up with sales and then comes the fun part-- shopping!
We used to struggle with the grocery bill every month and a lot of times we had to go without because our budget just couldn't allow it. Since I've been extreme couponing, the pantry has been consistently stocked and I find myself spending way less than we used to, even though we have more mouths to feed (Grandma moved in and Peter now eats regular foods). Even the bathroom cabinet is nearly overflowing with extra toiletries we use; like shampoo and soap, toothpaste, razors, body washes and band aids.
I get diapers for cheap, too. The other night, I didn't pack enough diapers for our trip to the Big City, so I made a last minute run to CVS for a big box of diapers. Usually, last minute purchases are expensive, but lucky me, I had my coupon book, so I bought a box of 54 diapers that normally cost $25, on sale for $19.99, used a $3 off $15 store coupon, a $3 manufacturer's coupon, a $3 store coupon, and $2 CVS bucks so I paid $9 plus tax and got back $10 in CVS bucks for my next shopping trip, so I ended up getting it for FREE! Sweet!
Then Sunday, airhead me forgot to pack more diapers in the diaper bag, so I needed to buy diapers, again, when Peter took a dump while we were in the store. I managed to get an 8-pack of paper towels, 2 packs of pads, and a pack of diapers and after using coupons and CVS bucks, I paid? 77 cents! Yes, 77 cents! How can you not enjoy shopping when you don't even have to touch the bank account??
Andrew used to get a little grumpy at me when I said I was heading out to the store for what seemed like the 18th time that week. It only looks like I am shopping a lot more, when in reality, I am spending a lot less, just making more purchases to spread out the coupon love. Some stores limit how many coupons I can use, like multiples of the same coupon are not allowed at one store; or another store will not take internet coupons that have 'buy one get one free' on it. So I have to get smart and spread 'em out a little bit. When Andrew checks the bank balance and sees that we still have money in there at the end of the month, in fact, more than he expected, he feels alright about my shopping practices. He likes to hear how much I saved or how much I paid for a certain item.
Target, this week, has Oscar Mayer hotdogs on sale for $1.39! That's the cheapest I've ever seen them, then add a $1 off 2 coupon and that makes it 89 cents each!! Good time to stock up and throw some in the freezer! That's really what extreme couponing is about: stocking up when the price and the coupons are right and then when you need it, you have it, instead of paying full price for it later on. I happened to have 6 coupons, so I bought 12 packages of hotdogs. Now for the summer, I won't need to buy any more hotdogs and I can focus my attention to other good buys and coupon matches. Oh, and to go with those hotdogs, Heinz 40oz ketchup is on sale at Target for $1!! Good deal! An even better deal is Hunt's ketchup for $1 at Food Lion and there is a $1 off 2 coupon which makes it 50 cents a bottle! My family prefers Heinz, but I bought Hunt's for cooking with-- like when I make sloppy joes or meatloaf.
Anyone interested in a couponing workshop?? Let me know and I'll see what I can do! :o)
-
It was a good trip, though, and we enjoyed our visits with everybody. We didn't return home until after midnight and it was so good to be home again, in the quiet, cool mountains, away from all the hustle and bustle of cars and smog and crowded homes.
We have our moments, sometimes, when we wonder why we moved more than 2 hours away from all our friends and family and all we need to do is visit them to be reminded why we love it where we are. We live where people go away to for the weekends.
The fourth of July is coming up and we may go back to the Big City for that day, depending on if Andrew has to work or not. Looking forward to being with friends, not so much the traffic. Wait and see what happens at work-- The Boss fired someone, so Andrew and his co-worker need to pick up the slack and work more hours. Good for the bank account, so I'm not complaining.
Speaking of the bank account, I've been doing really well with the couponing. People that save huge amounts and pay little are called 'extreme couponers' and I think I can join the ranks now. Sunday was a very good day for me at CVS (a drugstore). I sat down with the sales papers and my coupons and worked out a plan on Saturday night (no more partying for me on Saturday nights!) and then Sunday morning I went to CVS. My grand total came to $82 and I paid only $6 plus I got $11 back in CVS bucks! Whoo-hoo! I got stuff we needed, too:: paper towels, diapers, pads, razors and shaving cream. It's a thrill to see the cash register total go down, down, down as I hand over coupons and CVS bucks to pay only small amounts and get approving nods from the cashiers.
I was telling my friends about it and I was thinking of maybe hosting a workshop for other deaf people to show them how to use coupons to the extreme. It doesn't take a lot of time to use coupons, only a couple of hours a week to cut them out and match them up with sales and then comes the fun part-- shopping!
We used to struggle with the grocery bill every month and a lot of times we had to go without because our budget just couldn't allow it. Since I've been extreme couponing, the pantry has been consistently stocked and I find myself spending way less than we used to, even though we have more mouths to feed (Grandma moved in and Peter now eats regular foods). Even the bathroom cabinet is nearly overflowing with extra toiletries we use; like shampoo and soap, toothpaste, razors, body washes and band aids.
I get diapers for cheap, too. The other night, I didn't pack enough diapers for our trip to the Big City, so I made a last minute run to CVS for a big box of diapers. Usually, last minute purchases are expensive, but lucky me, I had my coupon book, so I bought a box of 54 diapers that normally cost $25, on sale for $19.99, used a $3 off $15 store coupon, a $3 manufacturer's coupon, a $3 store coupon, and $2 CVS bucks so I paid $9 plus tax and got back $10 in CVS bucks for my next shopping trip, so I ended up getting it for FREE! Sweet!
Then Sunday, airhead me forgot to pack more diapers in the diaper bag, so I needed to buy diapers, again, when Peter took a dump while we were in the store. I managed to get an 8-pack of paper towels, 2 packs of pads, and a pack of diapers and after using coupons and CVS bucks, I paid? 77 cents! Yes, 77 cents! How can you not enjoy shopping when you don't even have to touch the bank account??
Andrew used to get a little grumpy at me when I said I was heading out to the store for what seemed like the 18th time that week. It only looks like I am shopping a lot more, when in reality, I am spending a lot less, just making more purchases to spread out the coupon love. Some stores limit how many coupons I can use, like multiples of the same coupon are not allowed at one store; or another store will not take internet coupons that have 'buy one get one free' on it. So I have to get smart and spread 'em out a little bit. When Andrew checks the bank balance and sees that we still have money in there at the end of the month, in fact, more than he expected, he feels alright about my shopping practices. He likes to hear how much I saved or how much I paid for a certain item.
Target, this week, has Oscar Mayer hotdogs on sale for $1.39! That's the cheapest I've ever seen them, then add a $1 off 2 coupon and that makes it 89 cents each!! Good time to stock up and throw some in the freezer! That's really what extreme couponing is about: stocking up when the price and the coupons are right and then when you need it, you have it, instead of paying full price for it later on. I happened to have 6 coupons, so I bought 12 packages of hotdogs. Now for the summer, I won't need to buy any more hotdogs and I can focus my attention to other good buys and coupon matches. Oh, and to go with those hotdogs, Heinz 40oz ketchup is on sale at Target for $1!! Good deal! An even better deal is Hunt's ketchup for $1 at Food Lion and there is a $1 off 2 coupon which makes it 50 cents a bottle! My family prefers Heinz, but I bought Hunt's for cooking with-- like when I make sloppy joes or meatloaf.
Anyone interested in a couponing workshop?? Let me know and I'll see what I can do! :o)
-
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Drained
What a weekend it has been. I am drained-- quite literally, drained.
I found a good deal on a pool-- one of those pop-up jobs with the inflatable rings and as you fill it with water, it rises to hold the water in. Combined with a gift card, coupon and sale, we got a 12x3 feet pool for pretty cheap. Plenty big for us but not so big that we can't maintain it. It's something we have been throwing around for a long time, always talking about getting one, but never actually buying one. We have talked long and hard about the pros and cons of pool ownership, especially one that uses a filter and pool chemicals and we decided to bite the bullet and get one-- figuring out that it's cheaper in the long run to have a pool here that we can use daily versus driving and then paying to use the public pool/beach.
Anyway, after scouting out the most level area we could find (we live on a mountain, the whole yard is on a slant), we set it up inside the fenced garden area in a spot that I can see from the house and inside the fence where Peter can't get into the pool. A pool that size uses quite a bit of water, and we didn't want to use our well water if we don't have to, so we called a water guy and found out that 2000 gallons would cost $100. Not too bad, we thought, so we went ahead and told the guy to come. The pool holds just over 1700 gallons, and if I had several barrels, I would have put the surplus water in there for when the pool needs topping off.
The guy came and before filling the pool, he told my husband that the pool was not level. We told him we were aware of that but go ahead and fill the pool anyway. I didn't hear him say anything else, I was busy with the kids/keeping Peter away/making bottom of the pool smooth/hushing a barking dog... The pool was a little lopsided-- I quipped that there was a deep end and a shallow end and we were ok with that. Needless to say, there was a lot of excitement between the kids, but after the pool was filled, it was late, past 7:30 and we still hadn't had dinner which was quickly getting cold on the grill. Andrew and I put the pool cover on for the night and said we'd play in the pool the next day, Saturday, after we hooked up the filter and rigged up the steps.
In the morning, we told the kids over and over to stay away from the pool, wait for Mommy or Daddy to be there first. Andrew left for work at 9am and shortly after, I was outside hanging laundry on the line. Evelyn was near the pool in her bathing suit and swim goggles just bursting with anticipation. The next thing I see, Evelyn is walking towards me, she is near the burn pit and I see something glimmering, like one of those shimmery, hazy mirages you see on a hot day looking down the road. I look again at the glimmery sight and I realize the water is flowing from the pool!! All this feels like slow motion as I run as fast as I can to the pool and catch the side and pull it up, then turn around to see a small river flowing down into the woods. Might as well have been $100 in shiny pennies flowing away. There was about 8 inches of water left in the pool.
What am I going to do? What the hell happened? Did Evelyn do something? How do I call Andrew and tell him at work? Can I call the water guy and get the extra 200 or so gallons that we paid for but didn't get? $100 fucking dollars! Shit! Maybe the pool IS more trouble than it is worth! So much for a cheap pool if it is costing us this much in lost water. All this went through my head within seconds. What am I going to do??
Here's what I did: I called the water guy and asked them if they could give us the extra water and I was told that he warned us that this would happen-- the water flowed out because the pool was not level and if he came out and filled it again, it would happen again. Well shit. I didn't hear him say that. I think if I had I would have asked him what we can do to prevent it from happening. So I thanked him and hung up. Do I call Andrew and tell him what happened, thereby ruining his day at work or do I wait for him to come home all excited to go swimming only to find out there's no water to swim in? I opted not to call him.
I grabbed all the empty bins we had in the house, dumped out the ones that had stuff in them and brought them out to the pool. I was determined to salvage what water was left and to dig under the pool to make it level. From 10 am until nearly dinner time, I was out there scooping water into bins; shoving the pool aside; digging about 6 inches down on one side of the pool; taking the dirt and dumping it (might as well turn lemons into lemonade, I now have enough dirt for a raised bed). When Andrew came home at 4, he helped me finish the job. By then I had worked out all my anger and put it all into my shoveling, but Andrew was still angry, hissing and spitting.
The pool is level now and we dumped the rest of the water that was in the bins, the same water that I salvaged from the pool, because the kids used it as a dunking area and got it all muddy and we didn't want to put it back into the clean pool. Today is hot and humid-- 90 degrees at 9 this morning-- and would have been perfect for dipping in the pool, especially with the sunburn I have from being out there all day yesterday, but-- no pool.
We have a double birthday party planned for the 19th and we already told some people to bring swimsuits for the kids. We already had the pool opened and filled, then emptied and it's not possible at this point to return it. We already opened and used the pool cover and cannot return it. I already dug out underneath the pool so it's ready to be filled. We are going to swallow the very large lump and pay the water guy another $100 to come back out and fill the pool again. This time I am going to lock the over-excited kids and the barking dog in the house with Grandma so I can hear every word that comes out of the water guy's mouth and if he says something is wrong with how our pool looks, I want to know how I can fix it, so I don't ever have to see money flowing into the woods like that again.
~
I found a good deal on a pool-- one of those pop-up jobs with the inflatable rings and as you fill it with water, it rises to hold the water in. Combined with a gift card, coupon and sale, we got a 12x3 feet pool for pretty cheap. Plenty big for us but not so big that we can't maintain it. It's something we have been throwing around for a long time, always talking about getting one, but never actually buying one. We have talked long and hard about the pros and cons of pool ownership, especially one that uses a filter and pool chemicals and we decided to bite the bullet and get one-- figuring out that it's cheaper in the long run to have a pool here that we can use daily versus driving and then paying to use the public pool/beach.
Anyway, after scouting out the most level area we could find (we live on a mountain, the whole yard is on a slant), we set it up inside the fenced garden area in a spot that I can see from the house and inside the fence where Peter can't get into the pool. A pool that size uses quite a bit of water, and we didn't want to use our well water if we don't have to, so we called a water guy and found out that 2000 gallons would cost $100. Not too bad, we thought, so we went ahead and told the guy to come. The pool holds just over 1700 gallons, and if I had several barrels, I would have put the surplus water in there for when the pool needs topping off.
The guy came and before filling the pool, he told my husband that the pool was not level. We told him we were aware of that but go ahead and fill the pool anyway. I didn't hear him say anything else, I was busy with the kids/keeping Peter away/making bottom of the pool smooth/hushing a barking dog... The pool was a little lopsided-- I quipped that there was a deep end and a shallow end and we were ok with that. Needless to say, there was a lot of excitement between the kids, but after the pool was filled, it was late, past 7:30 and we still hadn't had dinner which was quickly getting cold on the grill. Andrew and I put the pool cover on for the night and said we'd play in the pool the next day, Saturday, after we hooked up the filter and rigged up the steps.
In the morning, we told the kids over and over to stay away from the pool, wait for Mommy or Daddy to be there first. Andrew left for work at 9am and shortly after, I was outside hanging laundry on the line. Evelyn was near the pool in her bathing suit and swim goggles just bursting with anticipation. The next thing I see, Evelyn is walking towards me, she is near the burn pit and I see something glimmering, like one of those shimmery, hazy mirages you see on a hot day looking down the road. I look again at the glimmery sight and I realize the water is flowing from the pool!! All this feels like slow motion as I run as fast as I can to the pool and catch the side and pull it up, then turn around to see a small river flowing down into the woods. Might as well have been $100 in shiny pennies flowing away. There was about 8 inches of water left in the pool.
What am I going to do? What the hell happened? Did Evelyn do something? How do I call Andrew and tell him at work? Can I call the water guy and get the extra 200 or so gallons that we paid for but didn't get? $100 fucking dollars! Shit! Maybe the pool IS more trouble than it is worth! So much for a cheap pool if it is costing us this much in lost water. All this went through my head within seconds. What am I going to do??
Here's what I did: I called the water guy and asked them if they could give us the extra water and I was told that he warned us that this would happen-- the water flowed out because the pool was not level and if he came out and filled it again, it would happen again. Well shit. I didn't hear him say that. I think if I had I would have asked him what we can do to prevent it from happening. So I thanked him and hung up. Do I call Andrew and tell him what happened, thereby ruining his day at work or do I wait for him to come home all excited to go swimming only to find out there's no water to swim in? I opted not to call him.
I grabbed all the empty bins we had in the house, dumped out the ones that had stuff in them and brought them out to the pool. I was determined to salvage what water was left and to dig under the pool to make it level. From 10 am until nearly dinner time, I was out there scooping water into bins; shoving the pool aside; digging about 6 inches down on one side of the pool; taking the dirt and dumping it (might as well turn lemons into lemonade, I now have enough dirt for a raised bed). When Andrew came home at 4, he helped me finish the job. By then I had worked out all my anger and put it all into my shoveling, but Andrew was still angry, hissing and spitting.
The pool is level now and we dumped the rest of the water that was in the bins, the same water that I salvaged from the pool, because the kids used it as a dunking area and got it all muddy and we didn't want to put it back into the clean pool. Today is hot and humid-- 90 degrees at 9 this morning-- and would have been perfect for dipping in the pool, especially with the sunburn I have from being out there all day yesterday, but-- no pool.
We have a double birthday party planned for the 19th and we already told some people to bring swimsuits for the kids. We already had the pool opened and filled, then emptied and it's not possible at this point to return it. We already opened and used the pool cover and cannot return it. I already dug out underneath the pool so it's ready to be filled. We are going to swallow the very large lump and pay the water guy another $100 to come back out and fill the pool again. This time I am going to lock the over-excited kids and the barking dog in the house with Grandma so I can hear every word that comes out of the water guy's mouth and if he says something is wrong with how our pool looks, I want to know how I can fix it, so I don't ever have to see money flowing into the woods like that again.
~
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Long Week
Being buried under nearly 4 feet of snow grinds everything down to a stop. After the shoveling, there is almost nothing we can do outdoors; inside, it's the same-old, same-old. This explains the long gaps between posts: nothing to say.
We have run out of fire wood. We knew that there might not be enough wood to make it through the winter and tried to make it last, only having a fire on the coldest of days, when the little electric space heaters seemed to make no difference in warming up our living spaces. The girls, though, seem to run on a higher temperature-- they are always trying to get away with just wearing summer dresses or shorts and short-sleeves. I have started to keep their summer clothes put away in my closet as I wash them, because if I put them back in their closets or drawers, they would surely be found and worn. We are forever asking the girls to put on sweaters or long pants.
Calling around to local people that sell fire wood has been a wasted effort. No one has any wood to sell. I think all the snow has people burning more wood lately. We are debating buying some oil for the oil heater, though we really don't want to do that. It's costly, and well, it's oil. There is also a minimum requirement to buy so many gallons of oil before they will send out a truck and we don't want to fill the tank, just want enough for a couple of weeks or so. Andrew is upset with himself for not having chopped more wood to keep his family warm. I try to reassure him, to tell him that a flaky chain-saw doesn't make his job easier and we have other ways of staying warm. Definitely, a new chain-saw is in the works if we get a nice tax refund.
We went into town on Friday. The whole family. Eager to get out and about, to hit a few stores and restock our pantry. We had plans! Andrew had to work from 2-5, so we were going to drop him off at work, do our shopping, then come back to pick him up and buy a frozen pizza to heat up when we got home. After dropping him off, I told him to take his key out of the ignition, I have my own key. I switched to the driver's side and the van would not start. Dead battery.
At least it was only the battery.
At least we near Sears, and they had the lowest price on batteries when we priced them a couple weeks ago.
At least it was right when we dropped him off and he was still there and Andrew has many friends in the Mall, friends that helped us out and there was a playroom for the kids to play in while we waited for the battery to be replaced.
At least we did not drive off, go shopping, and come back to a van that would not start far away from the Mall and me without a way to contact Andrew on his cell.
And you know what? That was the original battery when we bought the van new in 2001. 9 years-- that's a pretty good run if you ask me.
After a long delay, and a late co-worker coming in to relieve Andrew from his shift, we did everything we came into town to do, but did not get home until after 9pm. The kids were exhausted and tumbled into their beds without complaint. It started out rough, but turned out alright. I like to look at things positively and I am just happy that we happened to have the money to replace the battery at that moment. It was money meant for something else, but what are we gonna do? We need the van running.
The coming week looks to be more of the same-old, same-old. I have a few posts forming in my head, and when they are complete, I'll be posting soon. Stay warm and kiss your loved ones.
We have run out of fire wood. We knew that there might not be enough wood to make it through the winter and tried to make it last, only having a fire on the coldest of days, when the little electric space heaters seemed to make no difference in warming up our living spaces. The girls, though, seem to run on a higher temperature-- they are always trying to get away with just wearing summer dresses or shorts and short-sleeves. I have started to keep their summer clothes put away in my closet as I wash them, because if I put them back in their closets or drawers, they would surely be found and worn. We are forever asking the girls to put on sweaters or long pants.
Calling around to local people that sell fire wood has been a wasted effort. No one has any wood to sell. I think all the snow has people burning more wood lately. We are debating buying some oil for the oil heater, though we really don't want to do that. It's costly, and well, it's oil. There is also a minimum requirement to buy so many gallons of oil before they will send out a truck and we don't want to fill the tank, just want enough for a couple of weeks or so. Andrew is upset with himself for not having chopped more wood to keep his family warm. I try to reassure him, to tell him that a flaky chain-saw doesn't make his job easier and we have other ways of staying warm. Definitely, a new chain-saw is in the works if we get a nice tax refund.
We went into town on Friday. The whole family. Eager to get out and about, to hit a few stores and restock our pantry. We had plans! Andrew had to work from 2-5, so we were going to drop him off at work, do our shopping, then come back to pick him up and buy a frozen pizza to heat up when we got home. After dropping him off, I told him to take his key out of the ignition, I have my own key. I switched to the driver's side and the van would not start. Dead battery.
At least it was only the battery.
At least we near Sears, and they had the lowest price on batteries when we priced them a couple weeks ago.
At least it was right when we dropped him off and he was still there and Andrew has many friends in the Mall, friends that helped us out and there was a playroom for the kids to play in while we waited for the battery to be replaced.
At least we did not drive off, go shopping, and come back to a van that would not start far away from the Mall and me without a way to contact Andrew on his cell.
And you know what? That was the original battery when we bought the van new in 2001. 9 years-- that's a pretty good run if you ask me.
After a long delay, and a late co-worker coming in to relieve Andrew from his shift, we did everything we came into town to do, but did not get home until after 9pm. The kids were exhausted and tumbled into their beds without complaint. It started out rough, but turned out alright. I like to look at things positively and I am just happy that we happened to have the money to replace the battery at that moment. It was money meant for something else, but what are we gonna do? We need the van running.
The coming week looks to be more of the same-old, same-old. I have a few posts forming in my head, and when they are complete, I'll be posting soon. Stay warm and kiss your loved ones.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Shopping Frugally
Money is still an issue for us. Hubby is still working at his part-time job, and we are ever so grateful for it, knowing that there are many others without work. We have been doing alright, we have our moments when we have only $17 in the bank and we are left holding our breath until the next paycheck comes in, and sometimes, almost as soon as it gets deposited, it's spent already.
It helps that we don't keep up with all the newest toys and fashions, we are a low-tech family, which means we don't have any video games or ipods or any such electronica. We only have a computer, a TV with a DVD/Video player, and a plain and simple cell phone for Hubby. Oh, and an old handheld nintendo game player that gets used only in the bathroom. We are happy this way, with a simple lifestyle and less distractions that take away our time as a family.
It also helps that we raised maybe 30% of our own food-- hopefully more next year. I am still figuring out the balance and how much to plant to feed our growing family; for example: I planted 45 potato halves which gave us about 150 pounds of potatoes, and that lasted about 2 1/2 months. Definitely need to plant more next season.
That said, since my Dad's wife taught me some coupons tricks last August, I have been learning how to shop all over again. I've always used coupons before, but it never saved me much, maybe $10 at the most here and there, but still, it helped. I always wondered how those "coupon ladies" got $150 worth of groceries and only paid like $5 bucks! How did they do that??? I am slowly learning how!
I found out last week that Target was having a sale on a children's game-- connect 4x4. It was on sale for $14.99. There was a coupon out for $5 off, plus Target has a store coupon for $5 off. That makes it $5 after coupons. Then, I also had a $5 giftcard from buying something at Target, which made the game free and all I had to pay was the tax, which was 49 cents! Now, I have a game for all of us to play and I can put it under the tree this Christmas, and it didn't break the bank. Heck! It didn't even crack the wallet!
Do any of you shop at CVS? I never did. I thought it was an expensive store and I only shopped there if I needed something real quick, like cough medicine or a soda and a candy bar. Turns out, there is a trick to shopping at CVS... Get the membership card, cut out coupons in the Sunday papers, shop wisely and CVS will pay you to shop there! No, really! I'll show you-- this week, CVS is offering a nice selection of candies on sale.. buy $15 worth, and they'll give you $5 back on your receipt, which you can use to shop next time you go in. So here's the scenario:: Get 4 bags of chocolate kisses for a total of $12, 2 XL hershey bars for $3 which equals $15; use 2 $1 coupons for the kisses and a CVS coupon for $3 off $15. Ok, that sounds confusing, here...
4 kisses -- $12
2 XL bars-- $3
-----------------
equals $15
2-$1 coupon -$2
CVS 3 off 15 -$3
-----------------
total is $10 and CVS gives you $5 to use next time you shop!
So say next week, they offer the candy deal again, you now have $5 CVS cash along with whatever coupons you have and they give you more CVS cash for next time! It's a great little trick to keep you coming back, but when you use your own coupons, you actually kind of trick them a little bit. I don't know how they can afford to do it, but it works for me, so I'm not complaining. By using this way of shopping at CVS, I was able to get the newest Pixar UP movie on DVD for free! There goes another present under the tree this year! I also now have candies to use for my holiday baking-- the kisses go into cookies and the XL chocolate bars will be turned into fudge.
Last year, we could only afford one present for each child and then one present for all of them to share. On the one hand, we didn't mind, we wanted to teach them to appreciate their things and not get materialistic; on the other hand, we really wanted to be able to give them more, but just couldn't afford to. This year, we'd like to give each child 2 presents-- a new pair of jammies and one item, maybe a book or a toy, and then the game and the movie for them to share. With the money I am saving with my new way of shopping, I can see it happening.
I'm not super coupon lady yet, but I am getting there. It's a lot of work on my part, to search out online coupons and match up the coupons with the sales to make a good deal. I try to limit my computer time to a couple hours during the day and then a couple of hours after the kids go to bed. I am grateful that Hubby helps out and doesn't mind using coupons, too. He was the one that picked up the free game at Target for me last week and came home pretty pleased about it. We now have a little game we do with each other after I get home from the store and I point out something I got for free. I'll hold it up and we say "fuh-ree!" then laugh like crazy! Wait til he gets home tonight and I hold up the new UP movie... "fuh-ree!" then we'll cackle like a couple of crazy old loons!
-
It helps that we don't keep up with all the newest toys and fashions, we are a low-tech family, which means we don't have any video games or ipods or any such electronica. We only have a computer, a TV with a DVD/Video player, and a plain and simple cell phone for Hubby. Oh, and an old handheld nintendo game player that gets used only in the bathroom. We are happy this way, with a simple lifestyle and less distractions that take away our time as a family.
It also helps that we raised maybe 30% of our own food-- hopefully more next year. I am still figuring out the balance and how much to plant to feed our growing family; for example: I planted 45 potato halves which gave us about 150 pounds of potatoes, and that lasted about 2 1/2 months. Definitely need to plant more next season.
That said, since my Dad's wife taught me some coupons tricks last August, I have been learning how to shop all over again. I've always used coupons before, but it never saved me much, maybe $10 at the most here and there, but still, it helped. I always wondered how those "coupon ladies" got $150 worth of groceries and only paid like $5 bucks! How did they do that??? I am slowly learning how!
I found out last week that Target was having a sale on a children's game-- connect 4x4. It was on sale for $14.99. There was a coupon out for $5 off, plus Target has a store coupon for $5 off. That makes it $5 after coupons. Then, I also had a $5 giftcard from buying something at Target, which made the game free and all I had to pay was the tax, which was 49 cents! Now, I have a game for all of us to play and I can put it under the tree this Christmas, and it didn't break the bank. Heck! It didn't even crack the wallet!
Do any of you shop at CVS? I never did. I thought it was an expensive store and I only shopped there if I needed something real quick, like cough medicine or a soda and a candy bar. Turns out, there is a trick to shopping at CVS... Get the membership card, cut out coupons in the Sunday papers, shop wisely and CVS will pay you to shop there! No, really! I'll show you-- this week, CVS is offering a nice selection of candies on sale.. buy $15 worth, and they'll give you $5 back on your receipt, which you can use to shop next time you go in. So here's the scenario:: Get 4 bags of chocolate kisses for a total of $12, 2 XL hershey bars for $3 which equals $15; use 2 $1 coupons for the kisses and a CVS coupon for $3 off $15. Ok, that sounds confusing, here...
4 kisses -- $12
2 XL bars-- $3
-----------------
equals $15
2-$1 coupon -$2
CVS 3 off 15 -$3
-----------------
total is $10 and CVS gives you $5 to use next time you shop!
So say next week, they offer the candy deal again, you now have $5 CVS cash along with whatever coupons you have and they give you more CVS cash for next time! It's a great little trick to keep you coming back, but when you use your own coupons, you actually kind of trick them a little bit. I don't know how they can afford to do it, but it works for me, so I'm not complaining. By using this way of shopping at CVS, I was able to get the newest Pixar UP movie on DVD for free! There goes another present under the tree this year! I also now have candies to use for my holiday baking-- the kisses go into cookies and the XL chocolate bars will be turned into fudge.
Last year, we could only afford one present for each child and then one present for all of them to share. On the one hand, we didn't mind, we wanted to teach them to appreciate their things and not get materialistic; on the other hand, we really wanted to be able to give them more, but just couldn't afford to. This year, we'd like to give each child 2 presents-- a new pair of jammies and one item, maybe a book or a toy, and then the game and the movie for them to share. With the money I am saving with my new way of shopping, I can see it happening.
I'm not super coupon lady yet, but I am getting there. It's a lot of work on my part, to search out online coupons and match up the coupons with the sales to make a good deal. I try to limit my computer time to a couple hours during the day and then a couple of hours after the kids go to bed. I am grateful that Hubby helps out and doesn't mind using coupons, too. He was the one that picked up the free game at Target for me last week and came home pretty pleased about it. We now have a little game we do with each other after I get home from the store and I point out something I got for free. I'll hold it up and we say "fuh-ree!" then laugh like crazy! Wait til he gets home tonight and I hold up the new UP movie... "fuh-ree!" then we'll cackle like a couple of crazy old loons!
-
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Why Did The Turtle Cross The Road?
To get to the other side, not get hit by a car.
So this turtle shows up in my garden the other day. I was thrilled. I have a soft spot for turtles.
Then I took a closer look at it and realized there was something wrong. His eyes are not open. As I look closely, I can see there is a crack in his shell and it looks like his face got a rude introduction to a tire. There is an open wound on the top of his head that has a shell fragment stuck in it and it healed over, but I'm not too sure about his eyes... Can he open them at all? Is he blind now? He can walk fine, he has strength to push his sharp little turtle claws and scratch my hand while I hold him.
We called our local wildlife dept in town, the guy said put him back where I found him, they don't do turtles. No, no, no.. I can't do that. So I turn to the handy-dandy internet and search for box turtles and found a link with an email address. I didn't hold out much hope that I would hear from them the same day I sent the email, but lo and behold-- I did!
I sent pictures and she replied back that the turtle was likely dehydrated and needs water. When turtles get dehydrated, their eyes swell shut. I hope that's the reason why his eyes are shut. I have him soaking in a bucket with a little water in it and hope that helps. She referred me to a wildlife rehabilitation link and I found 2 not too far from here, so I am going to contact them in the morning and hope little turtle here can get some help.
Turtle has put things into perspective for me. I woke up feeling out of sorts, I didn't sleep well and had weird dreams. Our van being out of commission stresses out the Husband and he doesn't like taking the only vehicle that works and leaving me and the kids stranded. What if something happens and I need to go somewhere? Then we worry that it will cost more than we can afford to fix. We're working on the O2 sensors now, and if that doesn't work then it may be the thing-a-ma-jiggity-whazit (I forget the word, sorry) and it's not cheap and we don't have that kind of money in the bank.
Usually I am the go-with-the-flow kind of gal, but talking about money before I close my eyes at night screwed me up and it wove itself into my dreams. I know things will work out, they always do, and I need to give my worries up to God and focus on what I need to do.
At least my life is not as bad as poor turtle here-- getting run over by a car and then not being able to see. I can't imagine what kind of pain he must be in and how long has he been like that?
Speaking of not being able to see, my dad just had surgery for his eye today, unexpectedly and without the surgery, he would lose sight in that eye. I hope the surgery is a success; they won't know until next week. I love you Dad, hope everything goes alright. xoxo
So, perspective? We'll deal with the van, at least we have our health.
So this turtle shows up in my garden the other day. I was thrilled. I have a soft spot for turtles.Then I took a closer look at it and realized there was something wrong. His eyes are not open. As I look closely, I can see there is a crack in his shell and it looks like his face got a rude introduction to a tire. There is an open wound on the top of his head that has a shell fragment stuck in it and it healed over, but I'm not too sure about his eyes... Can he open them at all? Is he blind now? He can walk fine, he has strength to push his sharp little turtle claws and scratch my hand while I hold him.
We called our local wildlife dept in town, the guy said put him back where I found him, they don't do turtles. No, no, no.. I can't do that. So I turn to the handy-dandy internet and search for box turtles and found a link with an email address. I didn't hold out much hope that I would hear from them the same day I sent the email, but lo and behold-- I did!
I sent pictures and she replied back that the turtle was likely dehydrated and needs water. When turtles get dehydrated, their eyes swell shut. I hope that's the reason why his eyes are shut. I have him soaking in a bucket with a little water in it and hope that helps. She referred me to a wildlife rehabilitation link and I found 2 not too far from here, so I am going to contact them in the morning and hope little turtle here can get some help.
Turtle has put things into perspective for me. I woke up feeling out of sorts, I didn't sleep well and had weird dreams. Our van being out of commission stresses out the Husband and he doesn't like taking the only vehicle that works and leaving me and the kids stranded. What if something happens and I need to go somewhere? Then we worry that it will cost more than we can afford to fix. We're working on the O2 sensors now, and if that doesn't work then it may be the thing-a-ma-jiggity-whazit (I forget the word, sorry) and it's not cheap and we don't have that kind of money in the bank.
Usually I am the go-with-the-flow kind of gal, but talking about money before I close my eyes at night screwed me up and it wove itself into my dreams. I know things will work out, they always do, and I need to give my worries up to God and focus on what I need to do.
At least my life is not as bad as poor turtle here-- getting run over by a car and then not being able to see. I can't imagine what kind of pain he must be in and how long has he been like that?
Speaking of not being able to see, my dad just had surgery for his eye today, unexpectedly and without the surgery, he would lose sight in that eye. I hope the surgery is a success; they won't know until next week. I love you Dad, hope everything goes alright. xoxo
So, perspective? We'll deal with the van, at least we have our health.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Flea Market!
We went to the local flea market on Saturday. I can't tell you how much I love that place! It has grown over the years and now there are also a ton of little cafes that pop up. These little cooking trailers that travel from place to place and they set up tables under a canopy so you can eat in the shade. One of them was all mexican food and I really want to try them one day.
Before we had kids, a bunch of these cars would have made their way home with us. Hubby loves old toys and cars and through him, I have learned to appreciate them as well. We have a nice little collection of cars, so no more for us. 
I love the pattern on these punched tin cabinet doors. If the price was right I think this may have been mine on the spot, but they were asking a lot and at this point, I don't need any more furniture. We need to have a big yard sale of our own and clear out some stuff in the basement. But still.. if money was not an issue, this would have looked nice in the dining room with the yellow walls.
Don't you just love, love, love this chair?! Oh my gosh! This is so cute! I gushed over this-- a bad thing to do if you want to haggle the price down-- and it was a perfect fit for all the kids, but we don't need anymore kid-sized chairs. It was just so cute, though! Had it been an adult-sized chair, then that would have been a different story. I can just see that by my bed, sitting down to read for a bit, or using it for my future sewing room.
None of these items came home with us, but the girls all scored a bunch of barbie dolls to replace the ones the dog chewed up. There is always that one booth, though, that sells over-priced barbies and the girls beg and plead to get them, and then Hubby and I have to practically drag them away, kicking and screaming, looking for another booth selling barbies for $1 or less. They have to use their own money to get them so we are trying to teach them the value of money and looking around some more before buying the first thing you see.
Flea markets are so much fun! We get to go out and see all the stuff people bring out and it's a little history lesson sometimes for the kids. You never know what you'll find and we like that aspect of it.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Lost and Found
Now that I am not working for the kids' store anymore, I have been racking my brain trying to figure out how we are going to pay the upcoming car insurance bill. Usually, the money I make from selling stuff covers the twice-yearly bill which happens to perfectly coincide with the end of the sale.
I have been talking about opening up an etsy shop, but I haven't had the time to take pictures of the sale items and post them.
We're talking about a yard sale to sell many of those children's items we have, but again, haven't had the time to get everything together.
I tried to sell some bib and burpcloth sets and soaps on here, but apparently among my readers there is no need for them and they went unsold.
Our tax return is due to come in, but most of that is spoken for and there isn't much left over for the car insurance.
What to do, what to do?
I sat down today to write out some checks for a few bills that are due and opened up a bunch of mail that I put aside. You know how it is, get stuff in the mail and first, you sort out the junky stuff and get rid of that before it piles up (and it does pile up quickly!), then put the bills in the office and open anything that looks interesting. We had company a while back and I took everything that piled up on the counter and shoved it into a box and put it in the office.
Today, I needed the mortgage bill and it wasn't on my desk so it must have been swept into that box. I dig through it and found what I thought was the mortgage bill. It wasn't. It was something better! An escrow refund! And it was almost the perfect amount needed to pay both cars' insurance bills!
Hooray for "lost" mail! That'll teach me to open my mail right away!
I have been talking about opening up an etsy shop, but I haven't had the time to take pictures of the sale items and post them.
We're talking about a yard sale to sell many of those children's items we have, but again, haven't had the time to get everything together.
I tried to sell some bib and burpcloth sets and soaps on here, but apparently among my readers there is no need for them and they went unsold.
Our tax return is due to come in, but most of that is spoken for and there isn't much left over for the car insurance.
What to do, what to do?
I sat down today to write out some checks for a few bills that are due and opened up a bunch of mail that I put aside. You know how it is, get stuff in the mail and first, you sort out the junky stuff and get rid of that before it piles up (and it does pile up quickly!), then put the bills in the office and open anything that looks interesting. We had company a while back and I took everything that piled up on the counter and shoved it into a box and put it in the office.
Today, I needed the mortgage bill and it wasn't on my desk so it must have been swept into that box. I dig through it and found what I thought was the mortgage bill. It wasn't. It was something better! An escrow refund! And it was almost the perfect amount needed to pay both cars' insurance bills!
Hooray for "lost" mail! That'll teach me to open my mail right away!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Movin' On
Right now, I should be working at the kids' consignment shop. The shop opened yesterday and I was all set to work the next 6 weeks. I gathered up all the clothing the kids can't wear, the toys they don't play with, the books they don't read, and some of the maternity clothes that I won't need anymore. I sent an email to the Boss and told her of my intentions, that I planned to work for her again and was looking forward to seeing her and everyone else.She replied back and said that things were different now, that the store space was changed and would probably be difficult for me and the kids-- no heat and no bathroom anymore. She also said she had a new policy that staffers had to work 20 hours per week to qualify for first crack at shopping and the freebie clothes at the end and the 100% profits in the sale of your own items.
I was half disappointed and half expecting it. The last sale didn't end well and I had a feeling that it was going to be my last time working for her, but I admit, I had hoped it was because she was sick and that things would go back to the way they used to be. I had hoped that since I worked with her for 6 years that she would make an exception for me, especially since I have to drive 3 hours round trip just to get to the store. There's no way I can work 20 hours per week for her with my Husbands' schedule and not take the kids with me. And driving all that way, for only 50% of the profits?
So it's settled then. I won't bother pricing the rest of my items and we are going to try and sell them ourselves-- either at a yard sale or a flea market booth. We use the money to pay our car insurance, so it's not an option to donate them. I have to say, it's a load off my mind knowing I don't have to work for her and make the long drive to get there.
My kids get stressed out by the store, too. Middle starts to pull her hair out and leaves a small bald spot on her head until a few weeks after the sale is done and then finally her hair starts to grow back. All the girls pick up bad behavior from the other kids there, and start back-talking, getting sassy and picking up language that the Hubby and I don't use. Plus, our eating habits go out of whack and we all end up feeling poorly. And usually, the kids get sick from the other kids there, and our family has been lucky in that we don't get sick very often.
I'm a little sad to see it end, it's been a great sale to participate in all these years, and I have managed to make quite a bit of money selling stuff there. I've met some great people and made new friends, but nothing stays the same forever. It's just my time to move on and start something on my own. I'm content with my decision.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Modern Bartering
My husband and I have been fortunate in our experience with consignment stores. I used to think consignment places were overpriced and filled with junk, until we moved close to one that happened to be next door to our favorite chinese food place. Looking in the windows every time we picked up our order, we saw that there was some really nice stuff in there. Long story short, we started consigning with them and we made some nice money selling old stuff.
Then we discovered used books and music stores. We got lucky with our timing and we got rid of most of our cassette tapes before stores stopped taking them. The same with our videos, we sold or traded in a lot of our movies on tape before it was too late.
We are now trying to get rid of most of our music CDs before places stop taking them. With the popularity of downloading music onto various devices, CD sales have gone way down and we are trying to make a little money off our music before they are worthless. I've been holding onto my music for sentimental reasons, even though I no longer listen to them, and I have been working up the courage to get rid of them (so not my husband's taste in music!!).
There's a great big used bookstore that we frequent, which also has a music and movie section, too. We often trade in our books, music and movies there and it's a good feeling to walk out with an armful of "new" books and movies without ever having to take out the wallet.
Because we cut off our satellite service, and there is no TV here in the mountains without it, we have been expanding our selection of movies. We check out movies at the Library and if there was a movie we saw that we really liked, we try and get it at the used bookstore.
A couple of weeks ago, the Hubby and I went through all our music, and we got rid of a bunch (almost all of mine!) where there was maybe one song on the whole disc we liked-- wrote the title and singer of the song, for future downloading (when we can afford to buy our own music device) and traded it in for store credit. You get more in store credit than cash, so we always opt for credit and then we turn around and get movies or books. The last trade-in brought us over $150 in store credit, so we have been having fun picking out movies to watch.
Movies are priced (depending on how recently released it was) between $2 - $9, and most of the time, if you wait a little longer, the prices drop even lower. Most of the movies we get average $5 and we can expand our library of movies really nicely that way. The place we go to has a really nice selection and we have picked up movies ranging from classics (Bullit, Hell In The Pacific) to children's (Spongebob, Mouse Hunt) to comedy (Porky's, Monster-in-Law) to romance (Music and Lyrics). Granted, they don't have it all, and sometimes it takes a while to find a particular title, but we don't mind waiting and usually in our hunt for something, we find something else we weren't looking for. So it all works out.
If you haven't been to one already, check your local directory for a used books or music store near you. You're recycling by trading in old movies and books and not buying new. Plus, you're keeping money in your pocket when you opt for store credit.
Then we discovered used books and music stores. We got lucky with our timing and we got rid of most of our cassette tapes before stores stopped taking them. The same with our videos, we sold or traded in a lot of our movies on tape before it was too late.
We are now trying to get rid of most of our music CDs before places stop taking them. With the popularity of downloading music onto various devices, CD sales have gone way down and we are trying to make a little money off our music before they are worthless. I've been holding onto my music for sentimental reasons, even though I no longer listen to them, and I have been working up the courage to get rid of them (so not my husband's taste in music!!).
There's a great big used bookstore that we frequent, which also has a music and movie section, too. We often trade in our books, music and movies there and it's a good feeling to walk out with an armful of "new" books and movies without ever having to take out the wallet.
Because we cut off our satellite service, and there is no TV here in the mountains without it, we have been expanding our selection of movies. We check out movies at the Library and if there was a movie we saw that we really liked, we try and get it at the used bookstore.
A couple of weeks ago, the Hubby and I went through all our music, and we got rid of a bunch (almost all of mine!) where there was maybe one song on the whole disc we liked-- wrote the title and singer of the song, for future downloading (when we can afford to buy our own music device) and traded it in for store credit. You get more in store credit than cash, so we always opt for credit and then we turn around and get movies or books. The last trade-in brought us over $150 in store credit, so we have been having fun picking out movies to watch.
Movies are priced (depending on how recently released it was) between $2 - $9, and most of the time, if you wait a little longer, the prices drop even lower. Most of the movies we get average $5 and we can expand our library of movies really nicely that way. The place we go to has a really nice selection and we have picked up movies ranging from classics (Bullit, Hell In The Pacific) to children's (Spongebob, Mouse Hunt) to comedy (Porky's, Monster-in-Law) to romance (Music and Lyrics). Granted, they don't have it all, and sometimes it takes a while to find a particular title, but we don't mind waiting and usually in our hunt for something, we find something else we weren't looking for. So it all works out.
If you haven't been to one already, check your local directory for a used books or music store near you. You're recycling by trading in old movies and books and not buying new. Plus, you're keeping money in your pocket when you opt for store credit.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Welcome 2009!
2008, a year of living frugally, not only by choice, but because we had to, has proven to be a good year for us. There were many times when I worried about where we were going to get the money to pay the bills for that month or how I was going to keep food on the table. We always had just enough to pay the mortgage, but everything else-- gas, food, electricity, car payments, etc, was a stretch. We came up with a lot of ways to make the dollar go farther, and we learned to do without. Some things that we thought we just had to have, we discovered we were quite happy not having after all.
We gave new life to a lot of items we had around the house-- turning an old telephone wire into a clothesline; old curtains into cloth napkins; food boxes into drawer organizers to name a few. We also reused things far beyond their "one-time use", like yogurt containers and peanut butter jars that make great holders for buttons, beads and other little stuff. I learned a trick from fellow blogger, Sparx (you can find her blog on my blogroll titled "Notes From Inside My Head") and washed baby wipes to re-use over and over again, and also recycled ice cream buckets to hold the wipes-- both clean and dirty.
I am lucky enough to have a friend that runs a consignment shop and I was able to sell my children's too-small clothing and toys and buy clothing they needed at a fraction of the price. Unless I told you, you'd never know the clothes and shoes they wore were second-hand. The husband and I both scour thrift shops and yard sales for items we can use or sell and we have been able to keep from paying full price for brand new items that would have otherwise broke the bank. We cancelled our satellite TV and my pager and saved nearly $100 a month on those two alone!
We had a garden and, while it wasn't our biggest, it was enough to give us plenty to eat. I canned many jars of jams, applesauce and tomatoes; froze corn, strawberries, pumpkin, and zucchini; dried apples and bananas. I'm grateful that I had the know-how to do so and a husband that knew to keep the kids out of the kitchen while mama was "cannin' up a storm!" and didn't mind eating pizza or sandwiches because I was too tired from canning to cook dinner. Growing our own foods helped save us even more money by not having to buy certain items at the store. 2008 also saw us making more things from scratch and relying less on "ready-made" mixes and discovering the food we are eating from scratch wasn't that hard to make and tasted so much better than the box. The bonus? it was healthier for us, too! We now buy less and less boxed foods and make just about everything from cakes to flavored rices, baby food to soups.
I made and baked all our Christmas presents to family and friends and gave some of those canned jams as gifts as well. We didn't have to buy (not that we could have anyway) any presents and all the gifts were enjoyed by everyone. If we had spent an average of $20 per person for gifts, we would have spent well over $300. By making bird ornaments, monsters and dolls from fabric I already had, jams from food we grew, fudges and cookies from pantry items, I spent less than $35 total on gifts for over 16 people! That's monetary value, the time invested in making those gifts is far more valuable and I cannot calculate the time invested.
Another way we saved money was by chopping and splitting our own wood for heat. We scrimped and saved and managed to buy a log splitter from a friend which has saved us many hours (and our backs!) of splitting wood by axe. We no longer have to buy oil to heat our house and now with a new (to us) chain saw, we can cut down our own trees next year for wood to burn. That log splitter has already paid for itself because the amount of wood we use to heat the house would have cost us over $1000 without it.
2009 will still find us living frugally. Our circumstances haven't changed: my husband is still working the same part-time job and we still have the same mortgage and car payments to make, but we are doing more things to try and improve our circumstances. We are garden-dreaming and planning to plant a larger garden this year with emphasis on more herbs, a variety of vegetables, and potatoes. If money permits, I'm hoping to add apple and cherry trees to our tiny 3-tree orchard and I would also like to get some grapevines set in, too. The same friend we bought our log splitter from has a small tiller for sale and we are now putting aside money to buy that from him.
The cat food and litter we buy changed their packaging. More plastic, but we see the silver lining-- it's very similar to the plastic they use in weed blocking fabric, so we have been saving the bags to use in the garden this Spring. That will save us money and time! Less weed pulling to do, or at least we hope so!
I must add that we have been blessed with generous friends and family, who have been kind enough to help us out here and there. Barefoot from Barefoot in the Garden (also in my blogroll) sent us her daughter's car seat for Baby (Thanks again!). An old co-worker has kept in touch with me through my mom, gives us clothes from his own kids who happen to be a year ahead of my own children, many of them never worn and still with the tags on them. Members of my MIL's church, whom we have never met, bought us several hundred dollars worth of groceries and cash and gifts for Baby. Our own family members have also been extra generous with us, giving us more than usual for birthdays and Christmas gifts and "just because" and for that, we are forever grateful and humbled by all the support we have received. I know we would not have made it this far without their help and I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.
Here's hoping 2009 will be a good year for all of us, and may you be blessed with loving family and friends. Happy New Year, my friends!
Saturday, August 16, 2008
My husband's job search is proving to be a very frustrating and emotional experience for us. We never imagined it would be so hard for him to find a job and it doesn't help when everyday there are more businesses laying off people because the economy is tanking. Never mind what Bush says, because I can speak from experience, and he still has a job.
Anyway, my point is, without a job, the husband isn't bringing in any money. Without money, we are living off our savings and money we get here and there from selling things. Our savings are gone and we are getting to the nitty gritty of things now. Thank goodness we have no credit card debt, after struggling to pay off the many cards we had, and we paid off the van last year and all we have left is the mortgage and payments on an used suv we needed to get in and out of our driveway when it snows.
When we bought the suv, they gave us a payment booklet and we paid the bill every month, late sometimes, but it got paid. Our last payment is next month! Or so we thought. Got a bill in the mail today from the bank with a new and improved statement with the remaining balance. I had to look at it several times before it sank in: our last payment isn't next month-- it's next year. oh no... All this time, we were doing the 'happy dance', thinking we had only one more payment and then we could breathe a little easier and we started to think what we wanted to get next with the extra money we would have had.
Just goes to show you, things don't always work out like you hope and plans can come unraveled right before your eyes.
We had some extra bills come this month-- property tax on the cars and the house, car insurance on the suv, and license tag fees on the cars. Then to top it off, the suv failed inspection because of the two front tires going bald and we need to replace them. We don't drive the suv anymore because of the cost of gas, plus the 6 of us don't fit in it-- it's a 5-seater. And so it just sits there and we planned to sell it after making that last payment. So much for that.
A friend is selling us his log splitter, which would save us hours of work splitting wood the old fashioned way with an axe, and give us more time to do other things, but he won't let us have it until we pay in full, which we understand. If you've been burned by other people, you don't tend to be trusting with others. But now we can't come up with the extra money to buy the splitter because of all the other money-eating stuff that's come up.
sigh.. If it ain't one thing, it's another. When it rains, it pours.
We will be tightening the belt yet another notch and I am going to try selling things on a new (to me) site. I'll keep you all posted, but I'll be busy for the next couple of days working on items to sell.
One more thing, next week will be a special 'food' week for mountain mama! I'll be posting recipes and how-to's and delicious pictures of various foods for you all, starting Monday! Come back and come hungry!
Anyway, my point is, without a job, the husband isn't bringing in any money. Without money, we are living off our savings and money we get here and there from selling things. Our savings are gone and we are getting to the nitty gritty of things now. Thank goodness we have no credit card debt, after struggling to pay off the many cards we had, and we paid off the van last year and all we have left is the mortgage and payments on an used suv we needed to get in and out of our driveway when it snows.
When we bought the suv, they gave us a payment booklet and we paid the bill every month, late sometimes, but it got paid. Our last payment is next month! Or so we thought. Got a bill in the mail today from the bank with a new and improved statement with the remaining balance. I had to look at it several times before it sank in: our last payment isn't next month-- it's next year. oh no... All this time, we were doing the 'happy dance', thinking we had only one more payment and then we could breathe a little easier and we started to think what we wanted to get next with the extra money we would have had.
Just goes to show you, things don't always work out like you hope and plans can come unraveled right before your eyes.
We had some extra bills come this month-- property tax on the cars and the house, car insurance on the suv, and license tag fees on the cars. Then to top it off, the suv failed inspection because of the two front tires going bald and we need to replace them. We don't drive the suv anymore because of the cost of gas, plus the 6 of us don't fit in it-- it's a 5-seater. And so it just sits there and we planned to sell it after making that last payment. So much for that.
A friend is selling us his log splitter, which would save us hours of work splitting wood the old fashioned way with an axe, and give us more time to do other things, but he won't let us have it until we pay in full, which we understand. If you've been burned by other people, you don't tend to be trusting with others. But now we can't come up with the extra money to buy the splitter because of all the other money-eating stuff that's come up.
sigh.. If it ain't one thing, it's another. When it rains, it pours.
We will be tightening the belt yet another notch and I am going to try selling things on a new (to me) site. I'll keep you all posted, but I'll be busy for the next couple of days working on items to sell.
One more thing, next week will be a special 'food' week for mountain mama! I'll be posting recipes and how-to's and delicious pictures of various foods for you all, starting Monday! Come back and come hungry!
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