Month of Savings - Day 15

Yard Sale Finds!

Yard sales can be great money saving shopping. Keep a list of what you are looking for and a budget in mind. Before asking a price on an item, I always have a price in my mind that I am willing to pay. I am also willing to walk away if I cannot negotiate the price to within my range.

Friday was the start of a big annual Peaches to Beaches yard sale in my area. I save my money up each year in anticipation of finding a few good buys. I was a little disappointed in the turnout of sellers this year. I might have bought more but did not find what I was searching for this year. I also keep my eye out for any hidden treasures. Here are the items that I did find.

All of these items were hidden treasures. First is the divided tray with a removable dip bowl in the center. It was in good condition and was only $1. Next in back is the Brita water pitcher. Dh actually found this one, which was new in the box. He negotiated the price to $3. Finally is the Salad Shooter. I had one that I purchased at the Salvation Army years ago, but the battery died. This one is electric and had the original paperwork. It looks barely used and was also $3.

Normally I get a bunch more books than this. I know that borrowing books from the library would be more frugal, but I love books. My library also does not have many of the authors that I enjoy reading. I also picked up the DVD for $2 to add to our collection. Most sellers were asking $8-$10 for their used DVDs. Ouch! The hardback books were from a church sale. The asking price was 20 cents each, but I gave them more money since it was going toward their new social hall.

This cross-stitch pattern book was on 50 cents! It has lots of fun ideas. I especially liked the cross-stitched socks with a little design on the cuff. I never thought of doing this, but I plan to give it a try very soon.

I saw this purse two years ago at a gift shop for close to $30 if my memory is correct. I thought it was so unusual, but it was definitely out of my price range. I am thinking the gift shop went out of business as this was among several in a person's yard. I could not resist. This was my most expensive purchase at $10.

Dh and I had a fun day even if we did not buy much. My friend, Terri, of PennyAnnPoundwise started at the opposite end of the yard sale route. We did not meet along the way as I gave up long before I got to her area. Check her blog to see what treasures she found.

Month of Savings - Day 14

I hope you all will be patient for another day for my yard sale treasures. I have not gotten around to taking pictures of everything yet.

As a substitute savings idea for today, use what you have! This applies to most areas of my life. I try to use the craft supplies I have before buying more. I look in my closet before heading out to buy clothes. I am especially trying to use what I have in the pantry and freezer.

Tonight's meal was chicken enchiladas, Spanish rice, and peach crisp. I did buy some tortillas for dh to make quesadillas with and used some of those for this meal. The chicken, soup, green chilies, and cheese were all items I had on hand. For the Spanish rice I used onion, bell pepper (freezer), brown rice, ketchup (substituted for tomato paste), and some spices. The peach crisp was a way to use up three peaches getting mushy in the fridge. I also used some granola cereal that was not quite enough for a bowl full.

From time to time it is good to do a pantry/freezer challenge. My goal is to omit a big shop for this month. I am only buying fresh items or things that are too good of a sale to pass up. Stockpiling is silly if you let things go bad before using them.

Month of Savings - Day 13

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!

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.

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.

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!

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.