My Uber Thrifty Month - June In Review

With four weekly paychecks I was able to pay all of our monthly expenses and meet both my financial and savings goals.  In fact I was able to double my savings goal.

We saved money and stayed on track with our grocery bill by not buying any store made bread or boxes of cereal.  I did buy quite a bit of meat and did some investment cooking.  I was able to stock our freezer with frozen burritos, chili, pizza dough, refried beans and a variety of cooked beans to add to other dishes.

By making every trip count I was able to just squeak by this month on only a tank and a half of gas.  I used my Fred Meyer rewards card each time I bought gas to save additional money.  By filling out a store survey I was able to add extra points to my card for additional discounts on fuel.  I also filled our propane tank at the RV center near work that offers 99¢ a gallon refills throughout the summer.  That has been a huge savings for us.

We did some shopping at a few thrift stores to add to our summer wardrobes.  Each of us ended up with something new to wear plus we had a very enjoyable afternoon together.

The girls joined the Summer Reading Program at our local library.  They were able to earn free rodeo and baseball tickets as well as free meals at area restaurants.  The restaurant coupons mean we'll be able to dine out a few times and the only cost will be for my meal.  Same with the rodeo, we'll only need one ticket for me.  I told the girls to take their grandpa to the baseball game as a special treat and night out with him.

I sold some books and a couple things on eBay which added to our income nicely.  I used that money to purchase some things we needed, primarily a new ink cartridge for our printer.  It was nice not having to take that expense out of the household budget this time. 

I'd love to hear what you are doing to save money and if you have any goals you'd like to share.