My cart included ...
1/2 gallon Meijer milk: $1.19
2 8oz Philly cream cheese: $2.09 each
4 Ekrich hot dogs: reg. $1.96 each, on sale 78c/ea - $1/2 coupons = 28c/ea.
4 16oz Breakstone sour cream: reg. $1.87, on sale 90c/ea - $1/2 coupons = 40c/ea.
10 Ronzoni whole wheat pasta: reg. $1.48, on sale 90c/ea - $1/2 store coupons = 40c/ea.
4 boxes of Kraft premium mac and cheese: reg. $1.23, on sale 90c/ea - B3G1 coupon = 68c/ea.
3 ChiChi's salsa: reg. $2.65, on sale 90c/ea - 55c/1 coupons = 35c/ea.
8 boxes Totino's pizza rolls: reg. $1.67, on sale 90c/ea.
3 packs Dentek floss picks: reg. $2.79, on sale 90c/ea - $1/1 coupons = FREE!
1 Heluva Good Dip: reg. $1.50, on sale $1.19 - 75c/1 coupon - 25c/1 store coupon = 19c.
1 Bumblebee pouch: reg. $1.98, price dropped to $1.90 - $1/1 coupon = 90c.
2 loaves Brownberry Bread: reg. $3.98, price dropped to $1.94 - $1/1 store coupon = 94c/ea.
2 bags Lays chips: reg. $3.99, on sale $1.99 - $3/2 Pepsi Rebate coupon = 49c/ea.
2 bottles Wishbone Western dressing: reg. $2.84, on sale $1.50 - $1.25/2 coupons = 88c/ea.
2 pkgs Meijer pitas: reg. $3.18, on sale $1.50/ea.
4 ICBINB (3 tubs, 1 sticks): reg. $2.19, on sale $1.34 - $1.25/1 (3) and $1/1 (1) coupons = 15c/ea.
2 100 cal pack Nabisco cookies: reg. $3.19, on sale $2 - $1/1 coupons = $1/ea.
1 pkg Oreo Cakesters: reg. $3.19, on sale $2.50 - $1/1 coupon = $1.50.
4 bottles Old Orchard juice: reg. 2.89, on sale $1.67 - 50c/1 store coupons - $1/2 coupons = 67c/ea.
4 24pks Pepsi products: reg. $6.49, on sale $3.99 - $2/1 Pepsi Rebate coupons = $1.99/ea.
2 boxes Bagelfuls (as promised): reg. $3.09, on sale $2 - $1/1 coupons = $1/ea.
2 rolls Bounty paper towels (I'm hiding these for emergency super gross clean-ups): reg. $2.78, on sale 90c/ea - $1/2 coupons = 40c/ea.
1 can Mighty Dog wet food: reg. 88c - freebie coupon = FREE!
- $17.55 from 10% off grocery purchase catalinas
+ $1 OYNO catalina from buying 2 Western dressings
Total Spent: $46.06 (incl $2.40 aluminum deposit)
Total Savings: $130.42
That's 74.3% savings!
Thank you, Meijer!
We have $153.94 left in the grocery budget for July. The deals for next week (5-11 July) are less stellar so I'm likely sticking to produce only this week and won't be doing any sweet match ups unless something amazing strikes my fancy. I hope you had a great week shopping (and most important, saving!).
Simply,
Em.
Showing posts with label budget. Show all posts
Showing posts with label budget. Show all posts
01 July 2009
Top 'O the Month: July 2009
We are closer to a resolution of the employment problem than we previously were. The countdown until Be's next court date is under a month (in fact, just over 2 weeks), and we're hoping to settle this whole thing before then. Keep hoping the other side gets their acts in gear, ok? Then, my lovely can finally go back to work ... assuming he can find a new job in this market, and I can stop biting my lip in anxious anticipation while opening the electric bill.
Here's the debt update ...
EFund: $1000
(I'm busting my rear end to make sure this gets paid back every time we use it. So far, so good. One day soon, I'd really love to not worry about this anymore ...)
Dream Savings: $0
(On hold until the employment crisis is remedied.)
Jeep: $0
PAID OFF! YAY!
GP: $3522.14
C1: $186.34
AV: $0
PAID OFF! YAY!
VSA: $90
(Going back down, yay!)
I'm also going to add a new feature to TOTM, including a glimpse into our budget. It's primarily a reason for me to remain accountable to myself (because, what better for that than posting it on the internet for all to see?). We'll start with the discretionary spending first as an experiment, and if it goes well, we may go to full budgets at some time in the future. The following are the budgeted discretionary amounts for the month of July ...
Track Our Spending!
Grocery/Household: $200
(family of 5 adults, includes all food, supply, toiletry, and cleaning purchases)
-$46.06 2 July
-$16.24 9 July
-$37.30 10 July = $100.40 remaining
Car Fuel: $150
(one car, shared between Be and I)
-$45.00 1 July
-$37.30 9 July = $67.70 remaining
We'll see how this goes. I'm going to endeavor to find a way to link an ongoing update to the discretionary amounts so you can watch them dwindle as the month goes if you'd like. Blogger and I are not best friends always, so it make take me a hot second to figure out stable secondary page creation. Haha.
Simply,
Em.
Here's the debt update ...
EFund: $1000
(I'm busting my rear end to make sure this gets paid back every time we use it. So far, so good. One day soon, I'd really love to not worry about this anymore ...)
Dream Savings: $0
(On hold until the employment crisis is remedied.)
Jeep: $0
PAID OFF! YAY!
GP: $3522.14
C1: $186.34
AV: $0
PAID OFF! YAY!
VSA: $90
(Going back down, yay!)
I'm also going to add a new feature to TOTM, including a glimpse into our budget. It's primarily a reason for me to remain accountable to myself (because, what better for that than posting it on the internet for all to see?). We'll start with the discretionary spending first as an experiment, and if it goes well, we may go to full budgets at some time in the future. The following are the budgeted discretionary amounts for the month of July ...
Track Our Spending!
Grocery/Household: $200
(family of 5 adults, includes all food, supply, toiletry, and cleaning purchases)
-$46.06 2 July
-$16.24 9 July
-$37.30 10 July = $100.40 remaining
Car Fuel: $150
(one car, shared between Be and I)
-$45.00 1 July
-$37.30 9 July = $67.70 remaining
We'll see how this goes. I'm going to endeavor to find a way to link an ongoing update to the discretionary amounts so you can watch them dwindle as the month goes if you'd like. Blogger and I are not best friends always, so it make take me a hot second to figure out stable secondary page creation. Haha.
Simply,
Em.
10 June 2009
Summer Fun! (on the cheap ...)
If you happen to be relatively local to me, there's a list of great stuff going on to fill your summer date book with below. If you aren't so local, check out your local chamber of commerce, library, or civic association for events calendars. Summertime is always full of pretty cheap or free community events, no matter where you live. Don't miss out because you aren't in the know. Just google your town and find some freebie fun for your family (hooray alliteration ... haha). Festivals, library reading programs, fireworks, and car cruises abound. I cannot wait!
On the Lakeshore ...
Brown Bag Film Series at the MMA
Grab your lunch and meet up at the art museum for a 30 minute film. Admission to the film is free, though I think they still charge for museum admission if you want to browse the galleries afterward, and there are cookies! Check out the downtown schedule for details.
Movie Nights at the LST
Bring a blanket or a lawn chair and head down to the Mart Dock for a free movie every Friday on the deck of the historic LST (Landing Ship Tank ... it's a boat ... a huge one, if you haven't seen it). The deck opens at 7pm, and the movie begins at dusk. You can bring a cooler and snacks, or purchase them on site for $1. A schedule of films can be seen on the downtown schedule. Although there's no admission cost, donations are accepted and all proceeds go to the Restoration Fund of the LST. Movies under the stars ... for free ...?! Score!
Parties in the Park
Live music (the link has the schedule), kids' games, and positively a ton of people you forgot you knew will be at Hackley Park in the middle of downtown every Friday from 5pm-930pm. Entrance is free, but food and beverages are a little on the pricey side so I suggest eating an early dinner at home before heading down there. I don't honestly remember if they let you bring food in or not, but I do know outside beverages aren't allowed. The best part, all proceeds go to the organization that is "sponsoring" each week. They provide the volunteers and the PITP organization compensates them according. Come out to the park, hang out with your friends, and support the organizations you know and love.
Summer Celebration
Most of the events surrounding SummerCel have some kind of cost associated, sometimes a rather significant cost if you're considering a night out with one of the live 'big name' bands. However, a number of the events going on around the Main Stage are free, especially the ones targeted at kids. Be careful to avoid the midway if you're not into dropping tons of cash on junk food and stomach turning carnival rides. Flip through the schedule, though, there may be something going on for free or pretty low cost that may interest you, like the Community Picnic where each food item costs only a quarter or the Safari-Me Petting Zoo. Also, scope out a free spot to park your car and catch the fireworks on July 4.
Star Gazing ... Inside
The Carr-Fles Planetarium at MCC offers free planetarium shows to the public on Tuesday and Thursday nights at 7pm.
Vacation with Purpose
If you're so inclined, the Maranatha Bible Conference offers free entertainment on Saturday nights at 7pm. There are other free events as well mixed in with their admission required ones. You can check the summer program schedule here.
Tons More!
Events can be found here, here, here, and here. There are also library programs going on all over the area, so check out your local LLC library for details, or the Hackley Library which even has an Adult Summer Reading Program in conjunction with their kids' programs.
Surrounding the Lakeshore ...
Fishing Weekend
Don't have the cash for a fishing license?
(although, I would strongly advocate the purchase if you have the time, location, and fish population since it's ... free food that can easily recoup the cost of the year long license)
Join in the fishing fun anyway by participating in the Michigan Free Fishing Weekend. No license required, just grab your pole and head to the closest stream (in MI that's approximately 12 feet from anywhere you live) for some quiet time and hopefully some free dinner!
Anything Else?
Are there other sweet freebie events going on that I don't know about? Nation wide programs you want to tell me about? Great local programs in your community that you'd like to brag about? Let me know in the comments! I'm looking for freebie summer fun and date night ideas (remember, we need those date nights ... badly).
Simply,
Em.
On the Lakeshore ...
Brown Bag Film Series at the MMA
Grab your lunch and meet up at the art museum for a 30 minute film. Admission to the film is free, though I think they still charge for museum admission if you want to browse the galleries afterward, and there are cookies! Check out the downtown schedule for details.
Movie Nights at the LST
Bring a blanket or a lawn chair and head down to the Mart Dock for a free movie every Friday on the deck of the historic LST (Landing Ship Tank ... it's a boat ... a huge one, if you haven't seen it). The deck opens at 7pm, and the movie begins at dusk. You can bring a cooler and snacks, or purchase them on site for $1. A schedule of films can be seen on the downtown schedule. Although there's no admission cost, donations are accepted and all proceeds go to the Restoration Fund of the LST. Movies under the stars ... for free ...?! Score!
Parties in the Park
Live music (the link has the schedule), kids' games, and positively a ton of people you forgot you knew will be at Hackley Park in the middle of downtown every Friday from 5pm-930pm. Entrance is free, but food and beverages are a little on the pricey side so I suggest eating an early dinner at home before heading down there. I don't honestly remember if they let you bring food in or not, but I do know outside beverages aren't allowed. The best part, all proceeds go to the organization that is "sponsoring" each week. They provide the volunteers and the PITP organization compensates them according. Come out to the park, hang out with your friends, and support the organizations you know and love.
Summer Celebration
Most of the events surrounding SummerCel have some kind of cost associated, sometimes a rather significant cost if you're considering a night out with one of the live 'big name' bands. However, a number of the events going on around the Main Stage are free, especially the ones targeted at kids. Be careful to avoid the midway if you're not into dropping tons of cash on junk food and stomach turning carnival rides. Flip through the schedule, though, there may be something going on for free or pretty low cost that may interest you, like the Community Picnic where each food item costs only a quarter or the Safari-Me Petting Zoo. Also, scope out a free spot to park your car and catch the fireworks on July 4.
Star Gazing ... Inside
The Carr-Fles Planetarium at MCC offers free planetarium shows to the public on Tuesday and Thursday nights at 7pm.
Vacation with Purpose
If you're so inclined, the Maranatha Bible Conference offers free entertainment on Saturday nights at 7pm. There are other free events as well mixed in with their admission required ones. You can check the summer program schedule here.
Tons More!
Events can be found here, here, here, and here. There are also library programs going on all over the area, so check out your local LLC library for details, or the Hackley Library which even has an Adult Summer Reading Program in conjunction with their kids' programs.
Surrounding the Lakeshore ...
Fishing Weekend
Don't have the cash for a fishing license?
(although, I would strongly advocate the purchase if you have the time, location, and fish population since it's ... free food that can easily recoup the cost of the year long license)
Join in the fishing fun anyway by participating in the Michigan Free Fishing Weekend. No license required, just grab your pole and head to the closest stream (in MI that's approximately 12 feet from anywhere you live) for some quiet time and hopefully some free dinner!
Anything Else?
Are there other sweet freebie events going on that I don't know about? Nation wide programs you want to tell me about? Great local programs in your community that you'd like to brag about? Let me know in the comments! I'm looking for freebie summer fun and date night ideas (remember, we need those date nights ... badly).
Simply,
Em.
31 May 2009
Top 'O the Month: June
Summer is almost here, and I absolutely love how renewed everything feels. The trees have new leaves. The little green lovelies in the garden are starting to get new shoots. There are baby birds and bunnies all over the place, and the closest farm now has calves roaming in the pasture. I love the edge of summer, and it is speaking to me metaphorically as far as our budgeting is concerned. We've had some dark moments through the winter, and we will be moving toward correcting them in the near future. We aren't perfect, by far, even though I write about money and budgets and the adoration of the Dave Ramsey. We have been slipping, and although I don't count any of my explanations as really valid (everyone can rationalize a solid excuse, right?), I think they're probably at least a little true.
Be is jobless, afterall, and unable to even seek employment currently because of theridiculous unfortunate circumstances of his at work injury. There are far more complicated details than that which I'm prevented from talking about because of attorneys and judges and the like. I wish I could lay it all out there so others, if there are any, could know they aren't alone in the nonsense complicated process that is dealing with workman's comp disputes. This job prohibition, as I've mentioned before, coupled with my already irregular income makes for a budgeting nightmare. I can write the numbers down all I want to, but they don't really matter when the money doesn't show up when it's supposed to. There are great methods for budgeting irregular income out there, but we're in survival mode rather than a place where we can sock away a ton of savings to compensate for later shortfalls. Every minute is a darn shortfall, I swear.
When your money doesn't have a plan, it wanders off. When you don't make a plan for your money because you don't know when/if it's going to show up, it also makes a run at wandering off once you get it. It's all a big gross mess, and I cannot wait until the day we can go back to real (budgeted) life instead of this wandering craziness. That said, wacky inflow/outflow is not a solid reason for not being super cautious about spending. We have not been super cautious this month, or the month before that to be honest. I feel pretty awful about it this moment, and I'm trying to embrace the 'lessons learned' philosophy and let go of the guilt I'm carrying around for not paying better attention for the both of us.
And now, the numbers ...
EFund: $924.00
(See, I told you we'd have to use it eventually.)
Dream Savings: $0
(At least I used this first ...)
Jeep: $0
PAID OFF! YAY!
GP: $3742.14
C1: $236.02
(It's going back down at least ...)
AV: $0
PAID OFF! YAY!
VSA: $112.92
(Ah, the curse of minimum payments ... back in the snowball it goes.)
*sigh*
Simply,
Em.
Be is jobless, afterall, and unable to even seek employment currently because of the
When your money doesn't have a plan, it wanders off. When you don't make a plan for your money because you don't know when/if it's going to show up, it also makes a run at wandering off once you get it. It's all a big gross mess, and I cannot wait until the day we can go back to real (budgeted) life instead of this wandering craziness. That said, wacky inflow/outflow is not a solid reason for not being super cautious about spending. We have not been super cautious this month, or the month before that to be honest. I feel pretty awful about it this moment, and I'm trying to embrace the 'lessons learned' philosophy and let go of the guilt I'm carrying around for not paying better attention for the both of us.
And now, the numbers ...
EFund: $924.00
(See, I told you we'd have to use it eventually.)
Dream Savings: $0
(At least I used this first ...)
Jeep: $0
PAID OFF! YAY!
GP: $3742.14
C1: $236.02
(It's going back down at least ...)
AV: $0
PAID OFF! YAY!
VSA: $112.92
(Ah, the curse of minimum payments ... back in the snowball it goes.)
*sigh*
Simply,
Em.
01 May 2009
Top 'O the Month: May
It's been awhile since I posted a TOTM review, and although I dig them a ton, I really only dig them when there is progress made. One month to another there isn't a whole lot of change here lately because of the temporary 1 (1/2?) income situation. Well, that's not entirely true. There's change, alright, but not always the good kind.
The numbers ...
EFund: $1000
This will diminish likely in the sooner rather than later unless Be's work comp problems are resolved in the next month or so ... or I get paid like I'm supposed to ... or we hit the lotto which we never play.
Dream Savings: $16
We have a new dream for the dream savings, and I'm still not telling you what it is. Haha.
Jeep: $0!
PAID OFF! Yay!
GP: $3962.49
It's under $4K ... finally! We'll be paying this for awhile yet, but there's absolutely a psychological advantage to each $1000 mark drop.
C1: $486.02
Uh ... yea ... confession time. Someone used the only active credit card that's in my name. Someone who shall remain nameless ... because well, everyone has a relapse at some point and she doesn't want to talk about it. Rest assured she didn't spend it on things outside of the budget. She just used it in place of the budgeted cash amount when the cash wasn't there instead of changing the budget like a good girl would have. She will not do this again. She promises.
AV: $0!
PAID OFF! Yay!
VSA: $110.70
Ugh. Someone else ... whose name shall also not be used ... has apparently been using his card repeatedly instead of the ONE TIME to keep it active. Grr. We're a whole ball of messing up this month.
*sigh*
I guess we all screw up occasionally. This half budgeted craziness with the non-regular income is starting to get to me. Income in, Expenses out, on a schedule is much more fun for me. Juggling sporadic income that is subpar in comparison to our barebones expenses is a little annoying. I suppose I can't beat myself up much worse than posting the numbers for the world to see, eh? I shall resolve to be a better steward this month than last. Resolve, resolve, resolve.
How are your numbers looking?
Simply,
Em.
The numbers ...
EFund: $1000
This will diminish likely in the sooner rather than later unless Be's work comp problems are resolved in the next month or so ... or I get paid like I'm supposed to ... or we hit the lotto which we never play.
Dream Savings: $16
We have a new dream for the dream savings, and I'm still not telling you what it is. Haha.
Jeep: $0!
PAID OFF! Yay!
GP: $3962.49
It's under $4K ... finally! We'll be paying this for awhile yet, but there's absolutely a psychological advantage to each $1000 mark drop.
C1: $486.02
Uh ... yea ... confession time. Someone used the only active credit card that's in my name. Someone who shall remain nameless ... because well, everyone has a relapse at some point and she doesn't want to talk about it. Rest assured she didn't spend it on things outside of the budget. She just used it in place of the budgeted cash amount when the cash wasn't there instead of changing the budget like a good girl would have. She will not do this again. She promises.
AV: $0!
PAID OFF! Yay!
VSA: $110.70
Ugh. Someone else ... whose name shall also not be used ... has apparently been using his card repeatedly instead of the ONE TIME to keep it active. Grr. We're a whole ball of messing up this month.
*sigh*
I guess we all screw up occasionally. This half budgeted craziness with the non-regular income is starting to get to me. Income in, Expenses out, on a schedule is much more fun for me. Juggling sporadic income that is subpar in comparison to our barebones expenses is a little annoying. I suppose I can't beat myself up much worse than posting the numbers for the world to see, eh? I shall resolve to be a better steward this month than last. Resolve, resolve, resolve.
How are your numbers looking?
Simply,
Em.
17 April 2009
7 Quick Takes: Volume 1
For more quick takes and other amazingly sweet content, please check out the Conversion Diary!1.
I've never done a Quick Takes Friday before, but I'm a list maker at heart and a girl with a terrible addiction to bullet points, so I'm hoping to become a new regular. I've been reading Jennifer's blog for awhile, and it rocks. You should check it out. I'm compelled on occasion to talk about non-frugal life stuff (is there such a thing?!), so hopefully if we stick to quick takes I won't bore you to death with thesis research ideas or the politics of living in a house full of grown-ups (should that be in quotations? Perhaps.). Ha.
2.
Hoooray! Today was the last day of classes for the winter semester. I still have exams next week, and a weekend full of writing take home exams (by which I mean a weekend full of putting off writing take home exams until Monday ...), but for a solid hour after class let out this afternoon I felt like dancing (or popping the top off an Oberon ...). Hoooooooray no more classes ... until May 4th.
3.
My car is broken. Again. Boooooo. This afternoon, on the way home from school, we noticed an odd noise coming from the front passenger wheel well. This is another installment in a continuing saga in the recent past about my glorious '96 Chrysler Concorde and its steering/drive/wheel problems. Be thinks the "CV Joint" is shot. I think I don't want to know either what that is nor how much it costs. In the interm, until he fixes it (and thank goodness for not having to hire a mechanic!), no el Concordo driving for me.
4.
I really love peanut butter blossoms. In fact, I had one just.this.second. The 3 dozen is no longer 3 dozen for sure, and the family consensus of the Unintentional Baking Day extravaganza is that 1: I should be more regular and intentional about them and 2: I need a new Honey Wheat Bread recipe.
5.
My coupons are a mess. I have a veritable ton of inserts that haven't been cut yet and a huge stack of coupons that have somehow been cut but not yet filed. They're driving my internal perfectionist c-r-a-z-y. The upside, I cannot bring myself to go shopping without them all being in perfect order so I'm surely not out spending grocery budget money. The downside, I'm also paying less attention to the ads and as such have fewer GDAs (that's Great Deal Alerts if you're new here ...) for you fine folks. I hear there are free things to be had this week at both Meijer and Walgreens, but unless a magical elf comes and files my coupons or I get a flying carpet to replace the broken car, I'm not going anywhere. Shop for me, lovies, so I can live vicariously through your deal hunting.
6.
It's beginning to feel like spring time here. My car thermo told me it was 66F when I got out of class today. 66! In Michigan?! In April?! Praise be! Warm weather makes me want to grow things ... which makes me want to organize seedlings ... which makes me remember that we need Be's dad to come by with the rototiller (hidden frugal tip: always borrow what you can and save the cost of buying your own ... with in reason) so we can add compost and be ready to plant after the temps stop dropping into the 30s at night.
7.
Today is the last day to enter my very first blog giveaway. Have I mentioned how blasted excited I am about it? Seriously? Super elated to be able to 1: blog for you in the first place, 2: begin a second year at GSF, and 3: give you sweet streamlined cookbooks as a thank you. There's still time for entries until midnight EST, just check out the blog-iversary post for details.
Ooooh numbered lists, how I adore you. This has been fun!
Simply,
Em.
05 April 2009
A Frugal Girl's Dilemma
We are a generally broke people, Be and I. We're down to 1/2 an income since he's still battling the work comp people (almost 2 years) and my coaching job takes a hiatus over the spring and summer. Darn those kids and their not wanting to go to school all year so I can get paid! Ha. Really, though, we don't mind our necessitated thrift all that much. We like being good stewards, paying down the debt from when we weren't so great at that, and trying out creative ways to stretch our tiny budget all over the place. My dilemma today, though, is when is it ok to stop being practical for a hot second and splurge?
My knee jerk reaction, after years of penny pinching and general miserly-ness is to say "Never!". Living a super thrifty lifestyle changes you over time, I think. Most things are no longer necessities, but luxuries cut out to make the zero based budget balance. Every extra penny goes to debt payments, and every money related thought is about how to better utilize current resources for even greater needs. Many, especially in our spendthrift populous, would think us thrifty folk nutjobs. We hear our friends, family, finance experts, and people on the street tell us all about how we just have to have discretionary cash to spend as we please without recourse or we will surely go insane and spontaneously combust. Yet, there are many of us, the frugal underground, who have not turned to self-immolation (and shhhhh, but we're happy about it). I have been one of the few, the proud, the unquestioning frugal for years and years ... until possibly, today.
The backstory here is that we have rewards checking accounts through our bank. They're free, and we signed up for the points rewards program when they started offering it to people who already had accounts instead of only new openers a couple years ago. Then, of course, we forgot about it. All this while the bank has been keeping track of the transactions we've made, and has added points (2/$1 plus bonuses for savings account transfers, opening new accounts, direct deposit, and EFTs) accordingly. I remembered this ... today, and logged in to see where I stood as far as points totals and reward costs were concerned.
Ooooooh, boy!
It's apparently good to forget about your rewards account for ... um ... years. I have something over 35,000 points! Immediately, of course, I called Be to make him log into his account and check his balance ... a whopping 33,000! Each of us is sitting on roughly $75 worth of redeemable value whether we choose giftcards, cash, or something from the prize (read: lame) catalog (who needs another umbrella, anyway?). As I skimmed the pages of available gifts, my pulse quickened when I saw that Barnes and Noble giftcards were on the list.
Ok, I confess ... I am a book-a-holic. A bibliophile who agreed at the beginning of this journey toward good stewardship to use the library instead, making a rule that I couldn't spend any money on books until well after we were debt free. As our budget is often precariously arranged, this rule has not been a problem. I don't have credit I can use anymore, so no money = no risk of spending it on books.
Faced with the choice between cashing in my points for more practical giftcards like those for the gas station and CVS or the entirely splurge-tastic (new word! ha) B&N, I am paralyzed. On the one hand, I should be a good steward. I should be practical, always. I should do the right thing and add to my family's budget with a smile on my face. On the other hand, it's free money ... money we would not have otherwise had anyway ... and money I would absolutely looooooooove to spend on books. Oh, my dear frugal friends, what is a girl to do? Be, with his cool exterior told me to do whatever I wanted to do. Ugh. That means nothing when you have a competition going on between wants and probably shoulds.
So, my lovely readers, I'm taking suggestions. What would you do if you could choose a $75 gift card? Would you splurge? Would you be ascetic about it? Would you have to write blog posts about it, and hope the comments helped you decide? Help a girl out here, pretty please?
Simply,
Em.
My knee jerk reaction, after years of penny pinching and general miserly-ness is to say "Never!". Living a super thrifty lifestyle changes you over time, I think. Most things are no longer necessities, but luxuries cut out to make the zero based budget balance. Every extra penny goes to debt payments, and every money related thought is about how to better utilize current resources for even greater needs. Many, especially in our spendthrift populous, would think us thrifty folk nutjobs. We hear our friends, family, finance experts, and people on the street tell us all about how we just have to have discretionary cash to spend as we please without recourse or we will surely go insane and spontaneously combust. Yet, there are many of us, the frugal underground, who have not turned to self-immolation (and shhhhh, but we're happy about it). I have been one of the few, the proud, the unquestioning frugal for years and years ... until possibly, today.
The backstory here is that we have rewards checking accounts through our bank. They're free, and we signed up for the points rewards program when they started offering it to people who already had accounts instead of only new openers a couple years ago. Then, of course, we forgot about it. All this while the bank has been keeping track of the transactions we've made, and has added points (2/$1 plus bonuses for savings account transfers, opening new accounts, direct deposit, and EFTs) accordingly. I remembered this ... today, and logged in to see where I stood as far as points totals and reward costs were concerned.
Ooooooh, boy!
It's apparently good to forget about your rewards account for ... um ... years. I have something over 35,000 points! Immediately, of course, I called Be to make him log into his account and check his balance ... a whopping 33,000! Each of us is sitting on roughly $75 worth of redeemable value whether we choose giftcards, cash, or something from the prize (read: lame) catalog (who needs another umbrella, anyway?). As I skimmed the pages of available gifts, my pulse quickened when I saw that Barnes and Noble giftcards were on the list.
Ok, I confess ... I am a book-a-holic. A bibliophile who agreed at the beginning of this journey toward good stewardship to use the library instead, making a rule that I couldn't spend any money on books until well after we were debt free. As our budget is often precariously arranged, this rule has not been a problem. I don't have credit I can use anymore, so no money = no risk of spending it on books.
Faced with the choice between cashing in my points for more practical giftcards like those for the gas station and CVS or the entirely splurge-tastic (new word! ha) B&N, I am paralyzed. On the one hand, I should be a good steward. I should be practical, always. I should do the right thing and add to my family's budget with a smile on my face. On the other hand, it's free money ... money we would not have otherwise had anyway ... and money I would absolutely looooooooove to spend on books. Oh, my dear frugal friends, what is a girl to do? Be, with his cool exterior told me to do whatever I wanted to do. Ugh. That means nothing when you have a competition going on between wants and probably shoulds.
So, my lovely readers, I'm taking suggestions. What would you do if you could choose a $75 gift card? Would you splurge? Would you be ascetic about it? Would you have to write blog posts about it, and hope the comments helped you decide? Help a girl out here, pretty please?
Simply,
Em.
05 January 2009
Welcome to Menu Plan Monday!
Menu planning is my friend, when I remember to do it. It makes it at least plausible that my family will cook something while I'm not home on the nights I'm in class. Without a menu the chances of my having to eat peanut butter and jelly when I get home at 10pm are nearly 100%. Also, menus keep us from squabbling about what to make at 730pm when someone wants this and someone else wants that. We are back on the menu plan wagon, hopefully to stay.
MONDAY:
Venison Chili
TUESDAY:
Pork Chops, Au Gratin Potatoes, Green Beans
WEDNESDAY:
Beef Goulash
THURSDAY:
Turkey Fried Rice and Veggies
FRIDAY:
Meatball Subs
SATURDAY:
Leftovers
SUNDAY:
Whole Roasted Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Veggies, and Biscuits
Are you planning your menus in the new year? It's a great way to use up what you have on hand. Just take a stroll through your pantry and freezer, put some pieces together, and create some homemade goodness. If you're missing an ingredient, try a substitution. It could be your new favorite twist ... that's how we figured out that we like ground turkey so darn much.
Simply,
Em.
MONDAY:
Venison Chili
TUESDAY:
Pork Chops, Au Gratin Potatoes, Green Beans
WEDNESDAY:
Beef Goulash
THURSDAY:
Turkey Fried Rice and Veggies
FRIDAY:
Meatball Subs
SATURDAY:
Leftovers
SUNDAY:
Whole Roasted Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Veggies, and Biscuits
Are you planning your menus in the new year? It's a great way to use up what you have on hand. Just take a stroll through your pantry and freezer, put some pieces together, and create some homemade goodness. If you're missing an ingredient, try a substitution. It could be your new favorite twist ... that's how we figured out that we like ground turkey so darn much.
Simply,
Em.
02 December 2008
Top 'O The Month: The End of a Long Hiatus Edition.
Two months.
It has been nearly 2 full months without a new post, and for that I apologize. I have had 8 weeks worth of long and complicated to do lists, and between staying up all night writing 15 page papers on theoretical frameworking while reading 300+ pages every week, and trying to find time to sleep I've simply had my hands full. Until last week, I hadn't grocery shopped for more than a loaf or two of bread since early October. It's a good thing we have a stockpile of food and household goods that allows for such laxity, eh? While I'm not out of the paper-writing woods quite yet, I've missed blogging here and am going to try to fit in more time to post in the coming weeks. I do apologize for leaving you hanging, and appreciate all of you that are still here reading along. You rock!
Now, for the numbers ...
EFund ... $1000. We used to have 2 EFunds, one in each of our accounts ... at least for a little while we did. We're back down to one, but we're still holding strong at $1000. We used the other one to pay some things down rather than keeping it in an account that was barely making any interest.
Dream Savings ... $400. That's less than it was earlier in this year, but more than it was 2 months ago. This savings account is in a bit of limbo because of the no income situation we're currently dealing with. I would reallyreallyreallyreally like to keep saving, but not at the cost of keeping the lights on so we'll see what happens in the coming months.
Jeep ... $235! That's right, just ONE payment left (I think, haha). Really, there's the next payment and then another one that will be smaller to clear the end balance of the loan since it didn't break up perfectly into equal monthly payments. I don't know how much that payment will be since I can't see the balance for this one online, but I am S.T.O.K.E.D. (!!!) that it's almost gone. Hooray!
GP ... 4731.63.
C1 ... $387.13. This one just never seems to move, which is not all that motivating. The good news, though, is that they recently cut my interest rate 3% so hopefully I'll get to see some more change in the near future.
AV ... $0! PAID OFF! Yay!
VSA ... $0! PAID OFF! Yay!
So the good news, during my time away, is that we still made progress on our debt totals. The bad news is that when I get busy I tend to pay less attention to the budget. That is possibly the exacty opposite of what someone should do. The budget is supposed to be there so that the thinking is done for you, so that your money goes where it is supposed to go without any effort. This doesn't work when your willpower is compromised by exhaustion or paper writing delirium, unfortunately. I have been letting the strictness of our budget slide because I have been too distracted to put up much of a protest against slip ups. *sigh* The road to debt freedom is never easy or perfect. We just have to tighten the reigns a little bit going forward.
Has your road to debt freedom has a couple bumps and bobbles along the way? How do you stay on track? More importantly, how do you recover from the slip ups? Feel free to add your thoughts in the comment section.
Simply (good to be back),
Em.
It has been nearly 2 full months without a new post, and for that I apologize. I have had 8 weeks worth of long and complicated to do lists, and between staying up all night writing 15 page papers on theoretical frameworking while reading 300+ pages every week, and trying to find time to sleep I've simply had my hands full. Until last week, I hadn't grocery shopped for more than a loaf or two of bread since early October. It's a good thing we have a stockpile of food and household goods that allows for such laxity, eh? While I'm not out of the paper-writing woods quite yet, I've missed blogging here and am going to try to fit in more time to post in the coming weeks. I do apologize for leaving you hanging, and appreciate all of you that are still here reading along. You rock!
Now, for the numbers ...
EFund ... $1000. We used to have 2 EFunds, one in each of our accounts ... at least for a little while we did. We're back down to one, but we're still holding strong at $1000. We used the other one to pay some things down rather than keeping it in an account that was barely making any interest.
Dream Savings ... $400. That's less than it was earlier in this year, but more than it was 2 months ago. This savings account is in a bit of limbo because of the no income situation we're currently dealing with. I would reallyreallyreallyreally like to keep saving, but not at the cost of keeping the lights on so we'll see what happens in the coming months.
Jeep ... $235! That's right, just ONE payment left (I think, haha). Really, there's the next payment and then another one that will be smaller to clear the end balance of the loan since it didn't break up perfectly into equal monthly payments. I don't know how much that payment will be since I can't see the balance for this one online, but I am S.T.O.K.E.D. (!!!) that it's almost gone. Hooray!
GP ... 4731.63.
C1 ... $387.13. This one just never seems to move, which is not all that motivating. The good news, though, is that they recently cut my interest rate 3% so hopefully I'll get to see some more change in the near future.
AV ... $0! PAID OFF! Yay!
VSA ... $0! PAID OFF! Yay!
So the good news, during my time away, is that we still made progress on our debt totals. The bad news is that when I get busy I tend to pay less attention to the budget. That is possibly the exacty opposite of what someone should do. The budget is supposed to be there so that the thinking is done for you, so that your money goes where it is supposed to go without any effort. This doesn't work when your willpower is compromised by exhaustion or paper writing delirium, unfortunately. I have been letting the strictness of our budget slide because I have been too distracted to put up much of a protest against slip ups. *sigh* The road to debt freedom is never easy or perfect. We just have to tighten the reigns a little bit going forward.
Has your road to debt freedom has a couple bumps and bobbles along the way? How do you stay on track? More importantly, how do you recover from the slip ups? Feel free to add your thoughts in the comment section.
Simply (good to be back),
Em.
23 June 2008
Links!
I love budgeting. I will not lie to you. I am entirely nerdy and I dig on putting all the numbers in the right spots. I've tried about 103 different ways to do a budget, track a budget, evaluate the effeciency of a budget. My favorite pick so far, the tried and true one that always gets me through is the Zero Based method where all your pluses equal out to your minuses by the end of the month. I like to have all of that figured out long before the month begins so I never have to worry about "losing" money (ie spending it somewhere I shouldn't) again.
Tonight I stumbled on a great primer on Zero Based budgeting at Simple Mom (via Paid Twice's Sunday Link Love). You can check out her post here ...
http://simplemom.net/zero-based-budgets-for-the-home/
And!
While I was there, I noticed she's doing a rockin' giveaway. It ends Wednesday the 25th, so get on over there and check out what she has in the works. Her other content, from what I've seen so far, is also pretty rock star. Yay for frugal (and practical) personal finance bloggers! Yay Yay Yay! Check out her giveaway post here ...
http://simplemom.net/pear-budget/
And!
Frugal Dad posted an awesome list of tips to survive the down trodden (recessive?) economy that we're living in. I think they're pretty solid ideas for any economy, so that we can be good stewards of our resources. You can check out his post here ...
http://frugaldad.com/2008/06/16/75-tips-to-survive-a-down-economy/
And!
My Dollar Plan wrote an interesting piece on irregular paychecks. As a small business girl, I'm still struggling with this one on a regular basis. Trying to build a business and keep the lights on is an interesting battle in these financial times we currently live in. I'll take a few points from this piece for sure on making the lean times a little less close to the bone. You can read it for yourself here ...
http://www.mydollarplan.com/how-to-handle-irregular-paychecks/
And! (finally)
Jane4girls posted a nice pictorial on the utilization of rain barrels. We use a system much simpler (and less effective) than this one currently. I love rain catchment for two reasons ... it's good for the planet ... and it's basically free! (Em loves FREE things, always) If you're looking for some great step by steps on creating your own system, check out her post here ...
http://jane4girls800dollarannualbudget.blogspot.com/2008/06/how-to-water-your-garden-and-lawn-for.html
And! (haha, you thought there wouldn't be any more exclamation points ...)
That's all the link love I have for today, dolls. There are other great posts out this week as well, I just haven't found them in my Reader yet. I'm behind, I think. Have a great start to the week and enjoy the reading.
Simply,
Em.
Tonight I stumbled on a great primer on Zero Based budgeting at Simple Mom (via Paid Twice's Sunday Link Love). You can check out her post here ...
http://simplemom.net/zero-based-budgets-for-the-home/
And!
While I was there, I noticed she's doing a rockin' giveaway. It ends Wednesday the 25th, so get on over there and check out what she has in the works. Her other content, from what I've seen so far, is also pretty rock star. Yay for frugal (and practical) personal finance bloggers! Yay Yay Yay! Check out her giveaway post here ...
http://simplemom.net/pear-budget/
And!
Frugal Dad posted an awesome list of tips to survive the down trodden (recessive?) economy that we're living in. I think they're pretty solid ideas for any economy, so that we can be good stewards of our resources. You can check out his post here ...
http://frugaldad.com/2008/06/16/75-tips-to-survive-a-down-economy/
And!
My Dollar Plan wrote an interesting piece on irregular paychecks. As a small business girl, I'm still struggling with this one on a regular basis. Trying to build a business and keep the lights on is an interesting battle in these financial times we currently live in. I'll take a few points from this piece for sure on making the lean times a little less close to the bone. You can read it for yourself here ...
http://www.mydollarplan.com/how-to-handle-irregular-paychecks/
And! (finally)
Jane4girls posted a nice pictorial on the utilization of rain barrels. We use a system much simpler (and less effective) than this one currently. I love rain catchment for two reasons ... it's good for the planet ... and it's basically free! (Em loves FREE things, always) If you're looking for some great step by steps on creating your own system, check out her post here ...
http://jane4girls800dollarannualbudget.blogspot.com/2008/06/how-to-water-your-garden-and-lawn-for.html
And! (haha, you thought there wouldn't be any more exclamation points ...)
That's all the link love I have for today, dolls. There are other great posts out this week as well, I just haven't found them in my Reader yet. I'm behind, I think. Have a great start to the week and enjoy the reading.
Simply,
Em.
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