Whew! Dh and I are home from a long day of visiting yard sales. I will share my finds tomorrow. We got a late start thanks to the 6(!) overtimes it took to end the Syracuse/Connecticut game. After sleeping in a bit, we hit the road. My money saving tip is to stock up on snacks and drinks from home. We put several drinks in a small cooler as well as packing a bag full of snacks. When we stopped to get gas this morning, there was no temptation to pick up a few things. The prices at convenience stores make me shudder.
The drinks were from the Pepsi deal at the first of February. The snacks were from coupon use at the grocery store as well as a few single serve bags from the dollar store. Dh and I cannot agree on what chips to get. We had several things leftover and those will either be at home snacks or get put in dh's lunch.
We did stop and eat lunch. That was our only food purchase for the day so we felt we could treat ourselves!
Friday, March 13, 2009
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Month of Savings - Day 12
I suppose the topic of this post would be saving so you can give. I have had a few people think that living on a budget or below ones means equals being stingy and not giving back. By shopping smart dh and I can actually afford to give more. One example is with the Operation Christmas Child (OCC) boxes. We stock up on toothpaste, toothbrushes, and those great Johnson's Buddies soap throughout the year to include in shoe boxes.
Today's find for shoe boxes was 10 cent knit gloves and hats at Dollar General. These are perfect additions for a shoebox. Another thing I look for is the summer toy markdowns. Last year I included inflatable beach balls. It was a simple way to send a big ball and make it fit in a shoebox. Shop throughout the year to keep your giving in your budget and be able to give more. If I have an overflow of CVS extra bucks and need to pick up something, I check the $1 section for things to include in a shoebox such as socks or a solar calculator. School supply items are always, always, always purchased at the back to school sales. I look for small stuffed animals after Christmas, Valentine's, or Easter.
Last year my pastor asked what it cost to put together a shoebox. I told him that I usually had less than $5 in each box (not counting shipping). I keep Operation Christmas Child in my mind throughout the year to be able to fill a box cheaply. If you fill OCC boxes, keep an eye out for bargains over the coming months so you do not have to pay full price for items in December.
Today's find for shoe boxes was 10 cent knit gloves and hats at Dollar General. These are perfect additions for a shoebox. Another thing I look for is the summer toy markdowns. Last year I included inflatable beach balls. It was a simple way to send a big ball and make it fit in a shoebox. Shop throughout the year to keep your giving in your budget and be able to give more. If I have an overflow of CVS extra bucks and need to pick up something, I check the $1 section for things to include in a shoebox such as socks or a solar calculator. School supply items are always, always, always purchased at the back to school sales. I look for small stuffed animals after Christmas, Valentine's, or Easter.
Last year my pastor asked what it cost to put together a shoebox. I told him that I usually had less than $5 in each box (not counting shipping). I keep Operation Christmas Child in my mind throughout the year to be able to fill a box cheaply. If you fill OCC boxes, keep an eye out for bargains over the coming months so you do not have to pay full price for items in December.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Month of Savings - Day 11
I will be the first to admit that most of my money saving ideas take time. As a housewife I have time. Since quitting my job about 7 years ago, I quickly learned that time was much better than money. I had a salaried job and my 8 hour days were usually more like 10-14 hour days. I had the same amount of money but gradually less and less time. I was shocked to notice that when I went back to my old workplace three people were doing the jobs that I was expected to do on my own. After I got over the initial shock of have a smaller income amount to work with I loved the time more than I ever loved the money.
A few of the things that take time but give me rewards are surveys, and point sites. Some of the survey sites (Harris Poll and E-Rewards) give points toward rewards. Others such as Survey Spot pay with checks. I also like My Points and get the majority of my points from reading emails with only a few coming from shopping. Recently I have been doing search sites include Swagbucks and Live Search.
The rewards from sites such as this usually are things that might come from an entertainment budget. I get music downloads or gift cards for movies or restaurants. The time it takes me is minimal compared to the reward. Good use of time is an important tool for saving money.
A few of the things that take time but give me rewards are surveys, and point sites. Some of the survey sites (Harris Poll and E-Rewards) give points toward rewards. Others such as Survey Spot pay with checks. I also like My Points and get the majority of my points from reading emails with only a few coming from shopping. Recently I have been doing search sites include Swagbucks and Live Search.
The rewards from sites such as this usually are things that might come from an entertainment budget. I get music downloads or gift cards for movies or restaurants. The time it takes me is minimal compared to the reward. Good use of time is an important tool for saving money.
Month of Savings - Day 10
Ah computer issues! A day late but here it is. We love French fries. Unfortunately with dh's health issues and my family history the fry part of French fries is not good. Bought on sale potatoes are a good bargain. I tried to do baked fries but they always turned out mushy. I wanted that crunch. Here is my Baked French Fry recipe.
Scrub clean as many potatoes as you need. I do not peel the potatoes. I just slice them up to the size we like. Put the potato strips in a bowl and sprinkle with a good bit of salt. Cover with water and soak for at least 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Drain, rinse, and pat dry the potatoes. Put back in bowl and cover with olive oil. Toss. Sprinkle with whatever seasonings you like. I do not add salt since the potatoes soaked up some plus we are trying to cut back on that. I use black pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. Spread out in an even layer on one (or two depending on how many potatoes you have) baking sheet. Give them a good stir every ten minutes and bake for about 30 minutes. They should be crisp and practically as good as fried.
Lately we have been been pairing these potatoes with SeaPak shrimp bought on sale for 32 cents and slaw made from the cabbages in our garden. That makes for a good but cheap meal for the two of us!
Scrub clean as many potatoes as you need. I do not peel the potatoes. I just slice them up to the size we like. Put the potato strips in a bowl and sprinkle with a good bit of salt. Cover with water and soak for at least 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Drain, rinse, and pat dry the potatoes. Put back in bowl and cover with olive oil. Toss. Sprinkle with whatever seasonings you like. I do not add salt since the potatoes soaked up some plus we are trying to cut back on that. I use black pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. Spread out in an even layer on one (or two depending on how many potatoes you have) baking sheet. Give them a good stir every ten minutes and bake for about 30 minutes. They should be crisp and practically as good as fried.
Lately we have been been pairing these potatoes with SeaPak shrimp bought on sale for 32 cents and slaw made from the cabbages in our garden. That makes for a good but cheap meal for the two of us!
Monday, March 9, 2009
Month of Savings - Day 9
We do eat out from time to time. I usually try to find a coupon to use. Otherwise I sit through most of the meal calculating how much I could have saved by making it at home. One of our favorite local pizza restaurants accepts Restaurant.com certificates. The regular price of $3 for a $10 gift certificate is a good bargain. I wait until I can get a discount code though. You print the certificates immediately, and they are good for one year. Currently you can purchase a gift certificate for half price with the code CHEF at Restaurant.com. Check the requirements for the redemption of the certificate and then enjoy your meal.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Month of Savings - Day 8
I love coffee. Most days I drink one or two cups. Other days I may want three or four. I drink organic, fair trade coffee made from green beans I roast myself. I get my beans from U-Roast-Em. Now I did not go out and buy a fancy coffee roaster. I use a popcorn popper purchased from Walgreens. The catch is that the popper must have a solid bottom. If it has one of the mesh ones, the chaff from the beans will fall down in it and catch the popper on fire. I do not know this from personal experience. Reading about it was more than enough. The cost of the green, organic, fair trade beans is slightly more than your average supermarket coffee, but it is so very good. I also like knowing that the beans are fair trade. I hate to think of someone working in horrid conditions so I can have my caffeine fix.
My first money savings tip is that you can have luxury items on a budget. I consider roasting my own coffee a luxury. It sounds even more decadent than buying coffee at a coffee shop. I ordered a small pack of several different kinds to try so I would know what I liked best. My top three beans are Mexican, Guatamalen, and Nicaraguan. Once I knew what I liked I could order in bulk and save even more.
On the days when I drink the first two cups and decide I want a little more, I do not throw out the grounds from the first batch. Instead I add in only half of the grounds for a second batch on top of the old grounds. So if I used two Tablespoons for the first pot, I would add one Tablespoon on top of the previous grounds for pot number two. Make sense? You are not losing any flavor. The second pot will still taste just as good, but you have cut the cost in half. Try it for yourself!
My first money savings tip is that you can have luxury items on a budget. I consider roasting my own coffee a luxury. It sounds even more decadent than buying coffee at a coffee shop. I ordered a small pack of several different kinds to try so I would know what I liked best. My top three beans are Mexican, Guatamalen, and Nicaraguan. Once I knew what I liked I could order in bulk and save even more.
On the days when I drink the first two cups and decide I want a little more, I do not throw out the grounds from the first batch. Instead I add in only half of the grounds for a second batch on top of the old grounds. So if I used two Tablespoons for the first pot, I would add one Tablespoon on top of the previous grounds for pot number two. Make sense? You are not losing any flavor. The second pot will still taste just as good, but you have cut the cost in half. Try it for yourself!
Month of Savings - Day 7
This is a bit late, but I did not want to skip day seven. My reason - I was a little under the weather. The savings part of that was I had some over the counter medicines in my pantry. Now I was not sick when they were purchased on sale at CVS, Rite Aid or maybe Walgreens. I knew that the odds were excellent either I or someone I knew would get sick.
Yesterday it was much nicer to go to the pantry in my PJ's and pull out some medicine rather than get dressed and drive the 20 minutes into town. I also try to keep the pantry stocked with some "I don't feel well foods" such as soup, Gatorade, and crackers.
My stocking up had a double good effect as DH came home with a cold sore last night. I had a package of the Oral B overnight cold sore patches. He was able to wake up feeling a little better without having to wait until we could buy something for it.
I try to only buy items that I know I will use or can giveaway to someone. Stocking up on children's cough syrup would be silly since we have no children in the house. A good medicine or sick foods stockpile can be a sanity saver when you are not feeling your best. It makes good money sense to stock up when items are on sale before you need them rather than paying full price when you run out to the first store that is open regardless of the price.
Yesterday it was much nicer to go to the pantry in my PJ's and pull out some medicine rather than get dressed and drive the 20 minutes into town. I also try to keep the pantry stocked with some "I don't feel well foods" such as soup, Gatorade, and crackers.
My stocking up had a double good effect as DH came home with a cold sore last night. I had a package of the Oral B overnight cold sore patches. He was able to wake up feeling a little better without having to wait until we could buy something for it.
I try to only buy items that I know I will use or can giveaway to someone. Stocking up on children's cough syrup would be silly since we have no children in the house. A good medicine or sick foods stockpile can be a sanity saver when you are not feeling your best. It makes good money sense to stock up when items are on sale before you need them rather than paying full price when you run out to the first store that is open regardless of the price.
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