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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Showing posts with label money savers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label money savers. Show all posts
Friday, January 14, 2011
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)
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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)
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Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Shopping for the Kids
Over a year and a half ago, I used to work for a children's consignment shop, and then it kind of went sour and I stopped working there. I blogged about it here. I have since looked for other consignment shops, hoping to find something closer to home, but nothing is as good as what I had with her. A friend of mine tried to get me to go 50/50 on opening up our own consignment shop, but she moved way too fast on it and it was at a time when Andrew and I had absolutely no money to spare; how in the hell could I start up a business when I can barely scrounge up enough money to make the next car payment? Plus, she wanted to do it in one weekend and I just cannot fathom how to pull of a consignment sale in just 3 days, not after seeing first-hand how much work is involved with setting up a sale. My friend went ahead with someone else, and they lost money in the sale. Can't say I'm surprised.
Anyway, I still get the flyer from the old consignment shop whenever her Spring and Fall sales come up. I didn't consign or shop at the last 2 sales; I had gotten enough free clothing to last for quite awhile, but now, with Peter quickly out-growing his 18-month sizes, I really needed to shop. Yard sales are a great way to pick up kids' clothing for 25-50 cents apiece, but sometimes, it's hard to find the things you need when you need them right now! After much thought, I decided to go to her 50% off sale on Monday.
It felt a little strange to be there, but my kids needed things and I can't deny that her sale is one of the best places I have ever been to for children's things and at 50% off, I can find plenty of clothes for the kids at sweet prices. I sent the girls off to the racks and told them to find a few clothes each, and I went through the boys' clothes for Peter. I set a limit for no more than $100 to spend. Boss Lady was there and we hugged and caught up a bit, the usual chit-chat when you haven't seen someone in awhile. I'm glad we went, I found some nice clothing for the kids-- they all got 2 swimsuits/trunks each; several tops, bottoms, and dresses per girl; tops, bottoms, sandals and pj's for Peter. I picked up 49 items, so that works out to just about $2 per item. Not too bad, considering a majority of the things were top brand-name quality clothing and in excellent condition.
On the drive back home, I knew I made the right decision not to force myself to work there and bend to her new rules. A hour and a half drive really is a bit long to go one way and with 4 children it's just too much for them. Also, with no bathroom, I would be spending most of my time escorting the kids to the food store next door to use their bathroom. If one kid has to pee, I'd have to take them all with me, whether or not they have to pee. Then as soon as I got back to the shop, I can guarantee you that another kid will pipe up and say they have to pee and it starts all over again. Gretchen pulled her hair out in clumps each time we worked there and her hair is finally nice and thick again. And all of us suffered with the disruption in our meals and home routine. As much as I miss the freebies and the full amount of my consigned items, my family comes first, and it is best that we not work there anymore.
I will, however, try to consign with her in the Fall and unload the closet-full of clothes I have. I never did find anyplace here to sell them and selling at yard sale prices, when I know I can get more selling through her sale, is just not an easy thing to do. I took some clothing to a place that pays you cash right off the bat, but out of 25 outfits, they only took maybe 10 of them and when I asked why they didn't take the others, they just shrugged and never gave me an answer. I know it's not because of stains because I looked them over, so I asked if it was a seasonal thing and they told me they take all seasons any time. I didn't get much for the 10 items they did take. The frustration alone is not worth taking them there.
The kids are happy with what they got and they were happy to see Boss Lady, though they were disappointed not to see any of the other staff kids there (school hours). I am happy to have clothing for them that fit and some are even in sizes that they'll be able to use next year too, provided they don't have growth spurts and shoot up a couple sizes. Sylvia will at least be able to get the hand-me-downs from her older sisters anyway. Everybody is happy and I didn't have to break the bank for clothing.
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Anyway, I still get the flyer from the old consignment shop whenever her Spring and Fall sales come up. I didn't consign or shop at the last 2 sales; I had gotten enough free clothing to last for quite awhile, but now, with Peter quickly out-growing his 18-month sizes, I really needed to shop. Yard sales are a great way to pick up kids' clothing for 25-50 cents apiece, but sometimes, it's hard to find the things you need when you need them right now! After much thought, I decided to go to her 50% off sale on Monday.
It felt a little strange to be there, but my kids needed things and I can't deny that her sale is one of the best places I have ever been to for children's things and at 50% off, I can find plenty of clothes for the kids at sweet prices. I sent the girls off to the racks and told them to find a few clothes each, and I went through the boys' clothes for Peter. I set a limit for no more than $100 to spend. Boss Lady was there and we hugged and caught up a bit, the usual chit-chat when you haven't seen someone in awhile. I'm glad we went, I found some nice clothing for the kids-- they all got 2 swimsuits/trunks each; several tops, bottoms, and dresses per girl; tops, bottoms, sandals and pj's for Peter. I picked up 49 items, so that works out to just about $2 per item. Not too bad, considering a majority of the things were top brand-name quality clothing and in excellent condition.
On the drive back home, I knew I made the right decision not to force myself to work there and bend to her new rules. A hour and a half drive really is a bit long to go one way and with 4 children it's just too much for them. Also, with no bathroom, I would be spending most of my time escorting the kids to the food store next door to use their bathroom. If one kid has to pee, I'd have to take them all with me, whether or not they have to pee. Then as soon as I got back to the shop, I can guarantee you that another kid will pipe up and say they have to pee and it starts all over again. Gretchen pulled her hair out in clumps each time we worked there and her hair is finally nice and thick again. And all of us suffered with the disruption in our meals and home routine. As much as I miss the freebies and the full amount of my consigned items, my family comes first, and it is best that we not work there anymore.
I will, however, try to consign with her in the Fall and unload the closet-full of clothes I have. I never did find anyplace here to sell them and selling at yard sale prices, when I know I can get more selling through her sale, is just not an easy thing to do. I took some clothing to a place that pays you cash right off the bat, but out of 25 outfits, they only took maybe 10 of them and when I asked why they didn't take the others, they just shrugged and never gave me an answer. I know it's not because of stains because I looked them over, so I asked if it was a seasonal thing and they told me they take all seasons any time. I didn't get much for the 10 items they did take. The frustration alone is not worth taking them there.
The kids are happy with what they got and they were happy to see Boss Lady, though they were disappointed not to see any of the other staff kids there (school hours). I am happy to have clothing for them that fit and some are even in sizes that they'll be able to use next year too, provided they don't have growth spurts and shoot up a couple sizes. Sylvia will at least be able to get the hand-me-downs from her older sisters anyway. Everybody is happy and I didn't have to break the bank for clothing.
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Monday, January 25, 2010
Makeover!
A while back, on one of the blogs I like to read, she posted about taking a wooden Ikea end table and turning it into a little kitchen for her kiddies. It was inspiring, really. She took this little table and transformed it into a nifty play area-- cutting out a hole to slip a bowl into for a sink, painting rings for the stove area, a curtain for the front to hold dishes and pots. It's been a while since I read that post, so I can't remember all the details, but it stuck in my head. I'd been on the look-out for a little table like that on my jaunts to the thrift shops and yard sales, but had no luck. Of course, I am specifically looking for something and it is nowhere to be found!
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We had a plastic kitchen, but it was big and awkward and frankly, I didn't really care for it. It was down in the basement in the playroom and it was more trouble that it was worth. We sold it at a yard sale over the summer and I was glad to see it go, along with all the cheap plastic food bits as well.
In our effort to clean and declutter the house this year, we are moving stuff around, sorting through odds and ends, and downsizing on pieces of furniture.
This, used to house my sewing machine and my fabrics were in the cupboards beneath. It was getting to be an eyesore, plus the kids never left the sewing machine alone, always fiddling with the thread or flipping the switches or yanking on the cord. I was going to move it downstairs and add it to the sell pile, when it hit me-- this could be the kitchen for the kids!!
It's an old dry sink, not an antique. I could never cut up a perfectly good antique, but this is maybe 70's or 80's, made from pine, and has a cheap, fiber-board back. Nothing to cry over if I cut into it. After getting the go-ahead from Andrew, I spent the day yesterday transforming it into a kitchen for the kids.
Ta-dah!Oh my! The kids LOVE it! They couldn't wait to move in and make it their own!
I knocked off the front part of the dry sink area, cut a hole in the top for a stainless steel bowl I never use for the sink, then painted rings for the stove area. 2 wooden knobs painted red and blue for the water and later, I'll make a faucet from pipes and add that.
Down below, I added thumbtacks on the back of one door for their utensils, and 2 screw hooks on the other door. I'll replace the thumbtacks with screw hooks later, we're afraid the kids may pull it out and Peter might put it in his mouth or someone steps on it. For now, it's pretty secure, so I'll just keep my eye on it.
My very own Vanna!
Down below, I added thumbtacks on the back of one door for their utensils, and 2 screw hooks on the other door. I'll replace the thumbtacks with screw hooks later, we're afraid the kids may pull it out and Peter might put it in his mouth or someone steps on it. For now, it's pretty secure, so I'll just keep my eye on it.My very own Vanna!
The kids have played with this non-stop since I finished it and I am so glad for the inspiration from a fellow blogger. How nice to re-purpose something that would have otherwise been taking up space. It's also the kind of toy that I don't mind people seeing, it looks like a piece of furniture and it doesn't stand out like a purple, plastic kitchen would have.
Grandma gave Sylvia and Gretchen some kitchen play things for their birthdays: A wooden and fabric cupcake making set, and a stainless steel pots, pans and utensils set (all from Target). The girls got a Christmas tin tea set from Santa that includes the tray, 4 tea cups, saucers, plates and a tea pot. I saw one on clearance from Walmart exactly like the one we have from Target, but with a circus design instead, and I would have gotten it if we didn't already have this one.
I don't want any more plastic food or plastic dishes. They're cheap and the dog thinks they're chew toys for her. I'll be making felt foods to add to their cupboard. There are lots of food patterns on the internet, so I'll be getting ideas from there. A few ideas: eggs made with white felt and a yellow felt circle in the middle; light tan felt bread slices; red circles for tomatoes; yellow squares for cheese; pink squares or circles for ham and bologna.... oh! the possibilities are endless!!
Maybe this post could inspire you! :o)
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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
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equals $15
2-$1 coupon -$2
CVS 3 off 15 -$3
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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!
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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
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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!
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Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Random Tidbits
I have some random things and pictures I need to unload out of my head. You know the feeling, stuff that clutters up your brain and rattles around in there until you decide what to do with it. Well, I've decided to put it all in one post, tidbits and stuff that's happened this month, sort of a way to sweep out the old and welcome in October! Dang! October already? Really?
The garden is still giving us tomatoes. The temps are going anywhere from the 60s to the 80s during the day and drop to the 50s and sometimes lower at night. It was pretty chilly today, most of the windows stayed shut, so I may have to pick all the green ones and make that green tomato salsa I've heard about. We haven't been overwhelmed with tomatoes but I did manage to can 10 pints of chopped tomatoes and it looks like I may be able to can a few more tomorrow.
One day, when the husband had a day off from work, I made up some pie crusts and chopped up some apples for making and freezing mini apple pies. Hubby picked up a mini pie maker at a yard sale somewhere so we tried it out and it's a nifty little thing. One side cuts out the crust, other side folds and seals the edges.
Pretty soon, the girls took over and edged me and the husband out of the pie-making operation. We ended up with about 50 mini pies to go in the freezer and the ones with ripped crusts got baked and eaten. They were tasty! I also made and froze 2 regular size pies. I planned to make 4, but my pie crust was not cooperating with me that day and kept crumbling. I gave up and pressed the crust into a rectangular cake pan and made a deep dish apple pie with crumb topping. We are still eating that, it was so good, but it's a lot of pie! I would make it again if there was going to be a crowd coming over to eat.
*
*
The garden is still giving us tomatoes. The temps are going anywhere from the 60s to the 80s during the day and drop to the 50s and sometimes lower at night. It was pretty chilly today, most of the windows stayed shut, so I may have to pick all the green ones and make that green tomato salsa I've heard about. We haven't been overwhelmed with tomatoes but I did manage to can 10 pints of chopped tomatoes and it looks like I may be able to can a few more tomorrow.*
One day, when the husband had a day off from work, I made up some pie crusts and chopped up some apples for making and freezing mini apple pies. Hubby picked up a mini pie maker at a yard sale somewhere so we tried it out and it's a nifty little thing. One side cuts out the crust, other side folds and seals the edges.
*
Pretty soon, the girls took over and edged me and the husband out of the pie-making operation. We ended up with about 50 mini pies to go in the freezer and the ones with ripped crusts got baked and eaten. They were tasty! I also made and froze 2 regular size pies. I planned to make 4, but my pie crust was not cooperating with me that day and kept crumbling. I gave up and pressed the crust into a rectangular cake pan and made a deep dish apple pie with crumb topping. We are still eating that, it was so good, but it's a lot of pie! I would make it again if there was going to be a crowd coming over to eat.
*
I finally used up the last of the apples from the 6 bushels we bought. I canned another 6 quarts of applesauce tonight for a grand total of 70 quarts! I originally planned to can 100 quarts, since the 52 quarts I canned last year didn't make it to the next apple season, but I got to thinking-- Baby is not eating applesauce daily like he did before, so 70 ought to do it. Plus, I'm tired of apples. I'm tired of peeling them, coring them, chopping them, stirring them, eating them. And being chased by bees when I take the apple leftovers to the compost...*
My coupon-cutting is time-consuming, but effective in saving us money. I have to do my "homework" to search out different websites for coupons and deals and then sit down to match up coupons with prices for cheap deals. I am not complaining, we are eating well. My local food store had a bargain sale on store-brand mac 'n cheese for 10 cents a box and spaghetti for 59 cents. The husband loves spaghetti, it's his #1 favorite meal, so we eat a lot of that, at least once a week. And I love mac 'n cheese-- who doesn't? With trying to save money, I have been making it from scratch, but with a deal like this, I'll happily buy some. The photo above is what happens when you let your 3 year old put away pantry items: boxes of spaghetti and mac 'n cheese stacked anywhere she could put them. We ended up buying 60 boxes of mac 'n cheese (do the math, that equals $6!) and 60 boxes of spaghetti.
*
I made a meal tonight that cost less than $2.00 to feed the 6 of us:
1 box of mac 'n cheese- .10
1/2 lb ground beef- .75
2 tomatoes- free (garden)
1 carrot- .20
1 tube biscuits- .75
Total: $1.80 for a yummy tomato/mac 'n cheese/beef (with grated carrot hidden in the sauce) dinner
*
The bright side of saving all this money is that we have a little extra money for other things-- like fixing my van. We have been having trouble with it lately. The tires needed to be replaced- they were bald in front and leaky in the back; we had to pump air into the back tire before we went somewhere. Bought 4 new tires and now something else is happening to the engine. It sputters and lurches and then shuts down. Our neighbor mechanic is working with us, replaced this and that, still no go. Hopefully we will pinpoint the trouble soon and it won't cost too much.
I have been "trapped" at home lately, because the one vehicle that works is the husband's truck, which is a stick-shift and 6 of us don't all fit. I am counting my blessings, we have a truck that works and if that means I have to stay home and give him the grocery list to shop for me, then so be it.
*
I think my head is not rattling anymore. Thanks for listening. :o)
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Harvesting and Canning
All the apples are gone. They were made into crispy apple chips, dried apples and eaten out of hand. It was nearly a week of daily morning and night peeling and slicing, before I finally ran out of apples. Good thing, I was starting to get sick of arranging apple slices neatly on the dehydrator trays for maximum effect.
My break from apples won't be for very long, they just advertised Gala apples and I like to use those in my applesauce, along with jonagolds. As soon as the jonagolds are ready, I'll buy several bushels of each and get to saucing!
After I made the Damson plum liquors, I waited a little too long (I got busy with the apple chips) to make plum jam, and found that about half had gone moldy. I was able to salvage enough for two batches of plum jam and the rest went to the chickens and compost. It was my first time making plum jam and it's very good! When I mentioned the jam to my mom, her eyes lit up and she said she has not had plum jam since she left home for college. My grandmother had a plum tree behind the shed and made jam with the plums. I am eager for my mom to taste my plum jam and see if it compares to my grandmother's.
We have gotten 4 eggs so far from our chickens. I think it is a possibility that some of the chickens are laying in the woods, because there should be more than just four. We passed some one's home with a pile of rolled up chain link fencing for sale. I think I'll stop by and see how much they are asking, and if it is reasonable, get some for making an enclosure around the coop. Fall is in the air around here, and fallen leaves will make it hard for me to search for eggs, so as much as I want them to free-range, I also want them to lay eggs in the coop.
Our tomatoes are finally starting to come in. It was just a trickle these past couple of weeks, with a tomato here and there. When I was canning the plum jam, I had enough tomatoes to can a quart. Only a quart, I know, but it's a start. Checking on the plants today, I am hoping that by next week, I'll have at least enough ripe tomatoes for 10 more quarts. Not even enough to last the whole winter, but that's what I get for not being more careful where I put my tomato and pepper starts and then getting a puppy that thinks the plants were for her to chew on. I consider myself lucky to have found tomato starts when I did. So I'll take what I can get and have better hopes for next year's garden.
I am considering getting a bushel of tomatoes from the farm market, they ask $15 for a bushel, but every time I inquire about them, they tell me not today, maybe next week. Meanwhile, there are plenty of tomatoes for sale on the table. I suspect they pick the best looking ones for sale and save the ugly ones for canning tomatoes. This is what makes me hesitate.. Why can't they just sell me a bushel of those tomatoes when I want them now? Maybe I'll just do without and concentrate on apples. I will miss not having rows of pretty canned tomatoes in my basement, but I have plenty of other lovely canned goods to make up for it.
I am also harvesting items from the stores, buying a little extra here and there, when we can afford it, to get ready for the winter months. My step-mom taught me some tricks for shopping with coupons, and I am getting some pretty good deals, now that I know where to find them. Recently at the rite-aid, they had a pretty good sale for certain items-- buy one get one free type sales and combined with manufacturer's coupons, store coupons and rebates, I managed to get about $75 worth of items for about $15. I'm pretty pleased about that. It's a thrill to see the total on the register go down, down, down and walk away with quite a few bags of items.
I am trying a batch of peach wine. It's made the same way I made the strawberry wine and it is smelling mighty fine. I strain the peaches out in a couple days, then add the sugar, stir daily for another week, then divide into gallon jars and let it sit for a couple of months. I won't wait a year this time around, before checking them, to make sure I don't end up with 50/50 vinegar and wine.
I am going to enjoy this little break from canning anything, catching up on things I need to do around the house. I have a project going on right now and I look forward to sharing it with you as soon as I am finished.
My break from apples won't be for very long, they just advertised Gala apples and I like to use those in my applesauce, along with jonagolds. As soon as the jonagolds are ready, I'll buy several bushels of each and get to saucing!
After I made the Damson plum liquors, I waited a little too long (I got busy with the apple chips) to make plum jam, and found that about half had gone moldy. I was able to salvage enough for two batches of plum jam and the rest went to the chickens and compost. It was my first time making plum jam and it's very good! When I mentioned the jam to my mom, her eyes lit up and she said she has not had plum jam since she left home for college. My grandmother had a plum tree behind the shed and made jam with the plums. I am eager for my mom to taste my plum jam and see if it compares to my grandmother's.
We have gotten 4 eggs so far from our chickens. I think it is a possibility that some of the chickens are laying in the woods, because there should be more than just four. We passed some one's home with a pile of rolled up chain link fencing for sale. I think I'll stop by and see how much they are asking, and if it is reasonable, get some for making an enclosure around the coop. Fall is in the air around here, and fallen leaves will make it hard for me to search for eggs, so as much as I want them to free-range, I also want them to lay eggs in the coop.
Our tomatoes are finally starting to come in. It was just a trickle these past couple of weeks, with a tomato here and there. When I was canning the plum jam, I had enough tomatoes to can a quart. Only a quart, I know, but it's a start. Checking on the plants today, I am hoping that by next week, I'll have at least enough ripe tomatoes for 10 more quarts. Not even enough to last the whole winter, but that's what I get for not being more careful where I put my tomato and pepper starts and then getting a puppy that thinks the plants were for her to chew on. I consider myself lucky to have found tomato starts when I did. So I'll take what I can get and have better hopes for next year's garden.
I am considering getting a bushel of tomatoes from the farm market, they ask $15 for a bushel, but every time I inquire about them, they tell me not today, maybe next week. Meanwhile, there are plenty of tomatoes for sale on the table. I suspect they pick the best looking ones for sale and save the ugly ones for canning tomatoes. This is what makes me hesitate.. Why can't they just sell me a bushel of those tomatoes when I want them now? Maybe I'll just do without and concentrate on apples. I will miss not having rows of pretty canned tomatoes in my basement, but I have plenty of other lovely canned goods to make up for it.
I am also harvesting items from the stores, buying a little extra here and there, when we can afford it, to get ready for the winter months. My step-mom taught me some tricks for shopping with coupons, and I am getting some pretty good deals, now that I know where to find them. Recently at the rite-aid, they had a pretty good sale for certain items-- buy one get one free type sales and combined with manufacturer's coupons, store coupons and rebates, I managed to get about $75 worth of items for about $15. I'm pretty pleased about that. It's a thrill to see the total on the register go down, down, down and walk away with quite a few bags of items.
I am trying a batch of peach wine. It's made the same way I made the strawberry wine and it is smelling mighty fine. I strain the peaches out in a couple days, then add the sugar, stir daily for another week, then divide into gallon jars and let it sit for a couple of months. I won't wait a year this time around, before checking them, to make sure I don't end up with 50/50 vinegar and wine.
I am going to enjoy this little break from canning anything, catching up on things I need to do around the house. I have a project going on right now and I look forward to sharing it with you as soon as I am finished.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Birthday / Easter Gifts
Last weekend, we went to the Husband's parent's house for Easter dinner. It was fun, we got to see everyone and we left with full bellies and smiling faces.
We missed our two nephew's and niece's birthday parties because Hubby works on Saturdays and we can't afford to have him miss a day. So when we got together for Easter, I wanted to make a birthday / Easter gift for the kids. I'm tired of all the crappy Easter toys they sell at the stores, you know the kind, the ones that break within minutes and little plastic pieces end up all over the floor. I wanted to make something that was more useful and would last much longer than 5 minutes.
I see these great pencil rolls all over blogland and I knew that they would be in my sewing future. I used what fabric I had on hand and I already had several sets of colored pencils bought cheap. I made 2 orange ones like this for the boys and I made flowers and butterflies for the girls. Oldest liked it so much I made another one for her and I am in the process of sewing up some more for the other children.
I also made these bags to put the pencil rolls in and added a blank coloring pad, pencil sharpener, and some of those melted crayon flowers and soap flowers my girls made. If I had planned my time better, I would have added a few more items, but as it was, the kids loved them. I thought they would be great for those doctor appointments and the kids need something to do while in the waiting room.
We missed our two nephew's and niece's birthday parties because Hubby works on Saturdays and we can't afford to have him miss a day. So when we got together for Easter, I wanted to make a birthday / Easter gift for the kids. I'm tired of all the crappy Easter toys they sell at the stores, you know the kind, the ones that break within minutes and little plastic pieces end up all over the floor. I wanted to make something that was more useful and would last much longer than 5 minutes.
I see these great pencil rolls all over blogland and I knew that they would be in my sewing future. I used what fabric I had on hand and I already had several sets of colored pencils bought cheap. I made 2 orange ones like this for the boys and I made flowers and butterflies for the girls. Oldest liked it so much I made another one for her and I am in the process of sewing up some more for the other children.
I also made these bags to put the pencil rolls in and added a blank coloring pad, pencil sharpener, and some of those melted crayon flowers and soap flowers my girls made. If I had planned my time better, I would have added a few more items, but as it was, the kids loved them. I thought they would be great for those doctor appointments and the kids need something to do while in the waiting room. These would be great party favors, too, if you made a smaller bag and put together a mini notebook of papers. The bags I made were large (about 12 x 16 ) and the kids could pack in a toy or two if they wanted. I whipped up all 3 bags in a little more than an hour (unlined) and once I got the pencil roll figured out, I rolled (ha!) them on out in about 30 minutes each.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Pallet Chicken Coop: part1
Work has begun on our chicken coop. We are making it from pallets and leftover construction materials we have gathered over the past year.
Previous owners had a couple of heavy railroad ties stacked behind the pole barn. We are using that as the base with scrap boards on top for the flooring. I moved the ties myself using old egyptian methods-- a couple of short logs underneath and rolling them by moving the logs from the back to the front. The girls helped until they started to hamper and my back was screaming at all the stop and go. I had to shoo them away and finish it myself.
Part of the walls are up. This took the better part of the morning/afternoon because the girls wanted to help hammer the nails in. I would start a couple nails for them and then let them take over hammering it in. And they hammered. Hammered some more. Finally, a nail was all the way in. It took a long time for Oldest to hammer one nail in. Had to go look for another hammer so I could work at the same time. I'm not the most patient person in the world when I want to work on a project.
Inside view... That little log in front was part of my egyptian log moving tool. Underneath the scrap boards are cinderblocks for support so the floor doesn't sag. The husband has a day off tomorrow, so weather permitting, we will be working on the chicken coop. It's still too chilly for the chicks to be outside 24/7, but hopefully, they can be out there soon. They are getting big and the big box they are in is all of a sudden looking mighty small now.
Previous owners had a couple of heavy railroad ties stacked behind the pole barn. We are using that as the base with scrap boards on top for the flooring. I moved the ties myself using old egyptian methods-- a couple of short logs underneath and rolling them by moving the logs from the back to the front. The girls helped until they started to hamper and my back was screaming at all the stop and go. I had to shoo them away and finish it myself.
Part of the walls are up. This took the better part of the morning/afternoon because the girls wanted to help hammer the nails in. I would start a couple nails for them and then let them take over hammering it in. And they hammered. Hammered some more. Finally, a nail was all the way in. It took a long time for Oldest to hammer one nail in. Had to go look for another hammer so I could work at the same time. I'm not the most patient person in the world when I want to work on a project.Inside view... That little log in front was part of my egyptian log moving tool. Underneath the scrap boards are cinderblocks for support so the floor doesn't sag. The husband has a day off tomorrow, so weather permitting, we will be working on the chicken coop. It's still too chilly for the chicks to be outside 24/7, but hopefully, they can be out there soon. They are getting big and the big box they are in is all of a sudden looking mighty small now.Sunday, March 22, 2009
Inside Connections
There are advantages to my husband working at the Mall. He's the friendly sort, the kind of guy that can strike up a conversation with just about anybody. I love that about him. He has made friends out of a lot of the other people that work at the Mall: the security guard, other sales clerks from the shops, the janitors, even the regular Mall walkers.
Because of these friendships, he comes home full of new information about all kinds of things; interesting tidbits from conversations held with people of all ages and cultures; and sometimes, pretzels!
Oh, yes! Pretzels! The kind you find only at the Mall. The big, soft, warm kind of pretzels that cost an arm and a leg to buy. Mmmm, pretzels!
A friendship with the janitor has proven to be very smart, indeed! Turns out that the pretzel place does not throw away the extra unsold pretzels at the end of the day and instead, they give them away to the Mall workers. Mr. Janitor has connections to the pretzel place. One of the other workers told Husband that if he wanted free pretzels, talk to Mr. Janitor.
`
"Mr. Janitor, I hear you're the guy to talk to about pretzels."
"Why, you want some? How many you want? I can get you as many as you want."
Thus began our love affair with the pretzels.
The Husband only gets pretzels when he and Mr. Janitor work the evening shift. Then, just before closing and the Mall shuts down, here comes Mr. Janitor with a bag full of pretzels! Just the other night, Husband came home with 20 pretzels! Mmmm! What am I going to do with 20 pretzels? Well, freeze them, of course!
I got a Foodsaver for Christmas from my Dad and his Wife and I've been putting it to use, saving those extra pretzels in the freezer. (Thanks for the Foodsaver! I love it!)
Thanks to Mr. Janitor, we now have a nice stash of pretzels in our freezer. Inside information, it's priceless!
Because of these friendships, he comes home full of new information about all kinds of things; interesting tidbits from conversations held with people of all ages and cultures; and sometimes, pretzels!
Oh, yes! Pretzels! The kind you find only at the Mall. The big, soft, warm kind of pretzels that cost an arm and a leg to buy. Mmmm, pretzels!
A friendship with the janitor has proven to be very smart, indeed! Turns out that the pretzel place does not throw away the extra unsold pretzels at the end of the day and instead, they give them away to the Mall workers. Mr. Janitor has connections to the pretzel place. One of the other workers told Husband that if he wanted free pretzels, talk to Mr. Janitor.
`
"Mr. Janitor, I hear you're the guy to talk to about pretzels."
"Why, you want some? How many you want? I can get you as many as you want."
Thus began our love affair with the pretzels.
The Husband only gets pretzels when he and Mr. Janitor work the evening shift. Then, just before closing and the Mall shuts down, here comes Mr. Janitor with a bag full of pretzels! Just the other night, Husband came home with 20 pretzels! Mmmm! What am I going to do with 20 pretzels? Well, freeze them, of course!
I got a Foodsaver for Christmas from my Dad and his Wife and I've been putting it to use, saving those extra pretzels in the freezer. (Thanks for the Foodsaver! I love it!)
Thanks to Mr. Janitor, we now have a nice stash of pretzels in our freezer. Inside information, it's priceless!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!
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Make Your Own: Baby Food!
Has anyone priced baby food lately?
Good grief! That stuff's expensive! The last time I bought jarred baby food for my Youngest was nearly 2 years ago and it didn't cost as much as it does now. So, as any mother would do on a tight budget, I make my own baby food.
It's not hard, I did it with the first 3, but the jarred baby food was a convenience factor, when I was too lazy to make some or we were eating pop tarts for dinner. What? Don't tell me you don't have pop-tarts for dinner, too!
You could use a blender or food processor, but I happen to have one of these human-powered food mills. I had a hard time finding mine 6 years ago when I popped out my first baby, but they might be easier to find now with the whole organic/grow your own/ green movement.
Anyway, whatever I make for dinner that night, I'll cook extra and grind it up in the handy-dandy food mill. Tonight was pot pie, so I had both peas and carrots to grind. Grind it up then freeze in little portions in an ice cube tray.
After freezing for a couple of hours, pop the veggie cubes out and then put in separate zippy bags and keep it in the freezer until needed.
I take a couple of cubes at a time, and I use these vintage glass custard cups. You could use whatever is handy, but I like vintage stuff. Reheat in the microwave (30 seconds for mine) then I also add a little bit of rice cereal and water to make it a little more filling.
Baby is smacking his lips and saying, "more more!"
I can't get it in his mouth fast enough! Oh, like the bib? I made it. It's pink, I know. It's from when Oldest was a baby and why should I get rid of it just because my latest baby is a boy? A bib is a bib!
See? Good food makes a happy Baby!
Good grief! That stuff's expensive! The last time I bought jarred baby food for my Youngest was nearly 2 years ago and it didn't cost as much as it does now. So, as any mother would do on a tight budget, I make my own baby food.
It's not hard, I did it with the first 3, but the jarred baby food was a convenience factor, when I was too lazy to make some or we were eating pop tarts for dinner. What? Don't tell me you don't have pop-tarts for dinner, too!
You could use a blender or food processor, but I happen to have one of these human-powered food mills. I had a hard time finding mine 6 years ago when I popped out my first baby, but they might be easier to find now with the whole organic/grow your own/ green movement.
Anyway, whatever I make for dinner that night, I'll cook extra and grind it up in the handy-dandy food mill. Tonight was pot pie, so I had both peas and carrots to grind. Grind it up then freeze in little portions in an ice cube tray.
After freezing for a couple of hours, pop the veggie cubes out and then put in separate zippy bags and keep it in the freezer until needed.
I take a couple of cubes at a time, and I use these vintage glass custard cups. You could use whatever is handy, but I like vintage stuff. Reheat in the microwave (30 seconds for mine) then I also add a little bit of rice cereal and water to make it a little more filling.Baby is smacking his lips and saying, "more more!"
I can't get it in his mouth fast enough! Oh, like the bib? I made it. It's pink, I know. It's from when Oldest was a baby and why should I get rid of it just because my latest baby is a boy? A bib is a bib!
"Hellooooo! I'm waiting!"
Oh, sorry, Baby. Here ya go! Yum-yum-mum-mum-mmmmm!
See? Good food makes a happy Baby!Aren't you a happy Baby. Yes you are! Yes you are! Such a happy baby boy! Aren't you a Hap--
Sorry. I'll go now.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Stocking Up
If certain people saw this post, I would be accused of being a hoarder. I certainly do hoard, but only items that my family can use-- like food and soap and shampoo. I don't hoard clothing, or books or newspapers, I routinely go through rooms and discard, donate or sell items that are no longer being used or broken, or if it can be recycled and reused, it goes out to the garage or basement.
I was once accused of hoarding cats. I was 'sick' for having so many cats. We had 7 at the time. I admit, kittens are a weakness of mine, my kryptonite, and I found it hard to say no while looking at a kitten. I've gotten stronger now, and have been able to "just say no" when someone offers a free kitten. Unlike cat hoarders you read about in the news, our cats are all fixed and in good health and have plenty of food and water. We have 4 left from the original 7, plus 1 from my aunt and uncle that we took in when they had to spend lots of time in the hospital following an accident.
Anyway, I was reading an article recently about how people save money when it comes to food. It listed many ways to save, such as more home cooked meals and less eating out; more cooking from scratch and less heat-and-eat meals; using coupons; waiting for sales; and making menu plans that turn leftovers into a whole 'nother meal. It listed nothing new for me to learn, I already use a lot of those ideas and have been for years.
For example, I get coupons from my MIL who gets coupons from an aunt and her daughter. By the time they get to me, I will have several duplicates of the same coupon. The local food store is having a 2-day special on tomato soup-- 3 for $1. Limit 6. Limits don't stop me, I'll just go back in after I buy 6 and get 6 more. I also happened to have coupons, multiple coupons. With the sale price and the coupon, I've picked up 6 cans for 26 cents each. That's a good deal.
Is that hoarding to you? Buying 24 cans of tomato soup for 26 cents a can? We use a lot of tomato soup, in several kinds of dishes such as stews, shepard's pie, and sloppy joes and then also as, well, soup.
I will also do price comparison. Which store charges less for similar items. I'll try the store brand, which is often cheaper than name brands. Sometimes, though, the name brand really does taste better. Those big warehouse places? They don't always have the best bang for your buck. A couple weeks ago, I saw a sale on canned corn. My corn in the garden did poorly this year, so we have to buy instead and we also have a preference for this particular brand. One store had them on sale; 2 for $1 (they have been cheaper in past years, but with inflation... this is the best I have seen). I happened to be at the warehouse store where they had a pack of 8 cans for $6 (or something like that). Do the math. I sent Hubby to buy me 24 cans of corn on his way to work one day.
Sometimes, in the coupons, there will be a 'free' coupon. I might not use that particular item, but if it's free, I'll get it. Then I'll take that item and donate it to the food banks or to an organization that helps people. We don't have a dog (yet), but I frequently see coupons for free bags of treats, a can of food or a bag of dry food. I'll use them, then take the dog food to the animal shelter. They are always in need of food and other items, and it didn't cost me anything, except a little detour to the shelter.
I don't consider what I do as hoarding. I consider it being a smart shopper, saving money that we don't have a lot of, and making sure my family has what it needs to be healthy. We practice FIFO- First In, First Out- and rotate the pantry items accordingly. We freeze what we cannot eat fast enough, like when the local produce store had green peppers on sale for cheap and I bought 10 on the spot (another garden item that didn't do well this past summer). And I will also keep my eye out for 'day old' items, such as bread or meat. Prices get slashed half off sometimes, and I can modify my meal plan to accommodate purchases like these.
Any other "hoarders" like me out there?
I was once accused of hoarding cats. I was 'sick' for having so many cats. We had 7 at the time. I admit, kittens are a weakness of mine, my kryptonite, and I found it hard to say no while looking at a kitten. I've gotten stronger now, and have been able to "just say no" when someone offers a free kitten. Unlike cat hoarders you read about in the news, our cats are all fixed and in good health and have plenty of food and water. We have 4 left from the original 7, plus 1 from my aunt and uncle that we took in when they had to spend lots of time in the hospital following an accident.
Anyway, I was reading an article recently about how people save money when it comes to food. It listed many ways to save, such as more home cooked meals and less eating out; more cooking from scratch and less heat-and-eat meals; using coupons; waiting for sales; and making menu plans that turn leftovers into a whole 'nother meal. It listed nothing new for me to learn, I already use a lot of those ideas and have been for years.
For example, I get coupons from my MIL who gets coupons from an aunt and her daughter. By the time they get to me, I will have several duplicates of the same coupon. The local food store is having a 2-day special on tomato soup-- 3 for $1. Limit 6. Limits don't stop me, I'll just go back in after I buy 6 and get 6 more. I also happened to have coupons, multiple coupons. With the sale price and the coupon, I've picked up 6 cans for 26 cents each. That's a good deal.Is that hoarding to you? Buying 24 cans of tomato soup for 26 cents a can? We use a lot of tomato soup, in several kinds of dishes such as stews, shepard's pie, and sloppy joes and then also as, well, soup.
I will also do price comparison. Which store charges less for similar items. I'll try the store brand, which is often cheaper than name brands. Sometimes, though, the name brand really does taste better. Those big warehouse places? They don't always have the best bang for your buck. A couple weeks ago, I saw a sale on canned corn. My corn in the garden did poorly this year, so we have to buy instead and we also have a preference for this particular brand. One store had them on sale; 2 for $1 (they have been cheaper in past years, but with inflation... this is the best I have seen). I happened to be at the warehouse store where they had a pack of 8 cans for $6 (or something like that). Do the math. I sent Hubby to buy me 24 cans of corn on his way to work one day.Sometimes, in the coupons, there will be a 'free' coupon. I might not use that particular item, but if it's free, I'll get it. Then I'll take that item and donate it to the food banks or to an organization that helps people. We don't have a dog (yet), but I frequently see coupons for free bags of treats, a can of food or a bag of dry food. I'll use them, then take the dog food to the animal shelter. They are always in need of food and other items, and it didn't cost me anything, except a little detour to the shelter.
I don't consider what I do as hoarding. I consider it being a smart shopper, saving money that we don't have a lot of, and making sure my family has what it needs to be healthy. We practice FIFO- First In, First Out- and rotate the pantry items accordingly. We freeze what we cannot eat fast enough, like when the local produce store had green peppers on sale for cheap and I bought 10 on the spot (another garden item that didn't do well this past summer). And I will also keep my eye out for 'day old' items, such as bread or meat. Prices get slashed half off sometimes, and I can modify my meal plan to accommodate purchases like these.
Any other "hoarders" like me out there?
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