My Uber Thrifty Month In Review - September

I had a really great month financially in September.  I was so blessed to be able to easily pay my monthly bills well before their due dates and my mortgage payment was made two weeks ahead of time.  Simply by making that mortgage payment just two weeks early is seriously impacting my principal balance and will save me considerably on interest payments.

I made progress on my debt payoff goals as well as adding some to savings.  I received my annual statement on one of my retirement accounts and was very happy to see the growth it has made.  I continue to add the maximum I can contribute to my 401(k) twice a month.  I also got a cost of living raise at work.

I focused a lot of attention to some home improvement projects.  In order to stay on track with my financial goals I knew that any projects would have to be completed on a very tight budget or not at all.  I was very fortunate to accomplish several.

By using what I already had, shopping around and checking out a home improvement thrift store I was actually able to accomplish more than I had originally planned.  We have two Habitat For Humanity thrift stores in town and I was able to locate several items on my list at one of those which ended up saving me quite a bit of money.  In fact, I found a Kohler brand porcelain sink to replace our worn out one in our upstairs bathroom for only $15.  This find allowed me to complete an extra project that was unplanned but definitely needed.  And for a fraction of the cost I had anticipated.  The same sink at Home Depot would have cost me $69.

Christmas gifts took a little bit of a back seat in lieu of all of the other projects on the docket, but I did manage to acquire a few inexpensive items for my girl's upcoming birthdays.  So not a total loss in the gift giving department.  I'll have to pull double duty next month to make up for my lack of progress and get myself caught up.

The other thing I worked on was getting our pantry and freezer loaded up for winter so my grocery budget flew right out the window.  I got some fantastic buys which allowed me to accomplish this task without going bankrupt.  The upside is I won't have to do much in the way of shopping in the next few months which is the ultimate goal.  With careful menu planning and use of leftovers all of this food should last quite a long time.

I managed to make my last tank of gas last five days longer than the month prior which was nice.  When I filled up my tank this time I used my rewards points to save an extra 10¢ a gallon and prices were down too so I saved quite a bit.

Yes, I am truly pleased with how last month went.  Now on to kicking butt in October.

Monthly Menu Planner - October

This month was a disaster for our meal plan but our meals were anything but disastrous.  Because I had restocked our chest freezer and pantry for winter I decided it was important to make sure and use up a collection of odds and ends in the house freezer as well as to use up the meat in the chest freezer that was prior to my latest purchases.  I wanted to make sure nothing got forgotten about and became freezer burned or wasted.

This time I went through my collection of cookbooks and my old meal plans to get some new inspiration for October.  I was getting the feeling that a lot of our meals were becoming redundant.  And while I won't be able to get away with a complete change I did come up with quite a few new things as well as stuff I haven't prepared for awhile.  The girls will be happy as their favorites are still included.

This is what we have planned for our meals next month:

Biscuits & Gravy, Fruit Salad

Pepperoni Pizza, Garden Salad

Split Pea Soup, Cornbread, Lettuce Wedges

Pork Chops, Mashed Potatoes, Onion Gravy, Peas & Carrots

Pasta Alfredo, Caesar Salad

Corn Dogs, Tater Tots, Veggies & Dip

Cheese Omelets, Toast, Fresh Fruit

Grilled Tuna Sandwiches, Tomato Soup

Chili Con Carne, Corn Muffins

Lasagna, French Bread, Tossed Green Salad

Beef & Bean Burritos, Garden Salad

French Toast, Ham, Sliced Peaches

Tortellini Soup, Breadsticks, Caesar Salad

Grilled Sirloin, Baked Potatoes, Steamed Broccoli

Chicken Fried Rice, Egg Drop Soup

Meatball Subs, Garden Salad

Ham & Cheese Quiche, Fruit Salad

Cheese Pizza, Tossed Green Salad

Clam Chowder, Garlic Cheddar Biscuits, Lettuce Wedges

Beef Stroganoff, Egg Noodles, Green Beans

Grilled Ham & Cheese Sandwiches, Veggies & Dip

Breakfast Hash, Toast, Apple Wedges

Chili & Cheese Stuffed Baked Potatoes, Sour Cream, Steamed Broccoli

I incorporated a lot of use of leftovers this time.  Not only will we make sure to minimize food waste but it will also mean I will have fewer meals to cook and extra time to focus in other areas.

Do you do any type of meal planning?  What wonderful things do you have planned to eat?

Last Week's Thrifty Moves

My oldest used up the last four strips of bacon in a package and some leftover tortillas to make us all breakfast burritos for Sunday breakfast.  They were delicious with our homemade salsa.  I have to say I really love how much my girls enjoy cooking.  So nice to have someone prepare me a meal every once in awhile.

Our crisper drawer was empty.  I had used up everything with the exception of a quarter of a yellow onion.  After work on Monday I went to Fred Meyer and bought a fresh batch of produce.  I was really happy to find 3 bags of Dole salad mix marked down to 39¢ each.  I bought all of them for us and the chickens too.  Anytime I can find marked down produce to supplement my hen's diet I buy it.

I received two packets of coupons in the mail from Fred Meyer.  I also did a quick Fred Meyer online survey and earned 50 bonus rewards points to use when I purchase my next tank of gas.

Tuesday evening I pulled out our old chipped and rusty bathroom sink and installed the new (to us) sink I bought at the Habitat thrift store.  I was able to reuse our faucet as it is still in great shape and all the plumbing fittings were still good too.  All I had to buy in addition to the sink was a small container of plumbers putty and the can of Barkeeper's Friend I used to clean everything up.  A little elbow grease really paid off in making it all nice.  It looks fantastic!

Ta da!

Wednesday I completed a $5 home improvement project and I plan to do another one very soon.  I can't believe I will complete both for less than $10.  So I'll be writing a separate post about it.  Here's a sneak peek:

We made a trip to the library to turn in books we finished reading and check out new ones.  Anymore I find it impossible not to have a good book around to read.

I veered off the meal plan again this week and used up a bunch of miscellaneous items hanging out in the fridge and freezer.  It has made for some interesting meals lately.  Amazingly after three weeks I still have stuff in there to use up.

I composted coffee grounds, tea bags, eggs shells, grape stems and onion skins.  I harvested more tomatoes from the garden.  I gave the chickens our kitchen scraps and some of our tomatoes.

I washed out a one gallon Ziploc bag to reuse.

The chickens blessed us with 22 eggs.

How thrifty were you last week?

Only 3 Months Left Until Christmas

Yikes!  I can't believe we are talking only three months left until Christmas Day.  Holy Cow!  Time is flying!

I've got a good head start on my gift list.  Most of what I'm giving this year, as with most years, is homemade so I pretty much have to get started early or I won't get finished in time.  I love to make gifts for my friends and family and I try to make things I know they will truly enjoy and use.  Even with items I purchase as gifts I try to make it something useful.

My goal every year is to get all of my gifts done and wrapped by the end of Thanksgiving weekend.  Then I can focus on decorating, baking, parties, visiting and other holiday celebrations.  I don't enjoy shopping so I really don't enjoy shopping when the stores are packed and chaotic at Christmas.  I do my best to stay out of the stores during December and I don't do the whole Black Friday thing either.

I really enjoy making my own Christmas cards too and I love to type up our annual Christmas letter and share the highlights of our year with my friends and family members I don't get to see on a regular basis.  I think it is a great way to update everyone.  I will usually get my cards ready over the Thanksgiving weekend, tuck a letter inside and address the envelopes.  I even buy Christmas themed postage stamps ahead of time to use.

We make decorating the tree an event each year by setting it up on "Hors d' oeuvre Night".  It is a family tradition where we make lots of delicious snacks and appetizers to eat while we decorate the tree.  I also like to include a nice dessert.  My girls look forward to this even every year.

Chewy Gingersnaps

Baking is a big deal for us at the holidays.  We love to make our favorites and try a couple new things too.  Of course sharing with friends, co-workers and loved ones is a must.

On Christmas Eve, after supper, we climb in the car and tour the neighborhood to look at lights.  When we get home we hurry and check the internet to see where Santa is.  Once he hits the east coast we hustle off to bed so we are sure to be asleep before he gets to our house.

Time to get busy! J

Grocery Budget Update - September

Holy cow!  This month I focused some serious money and attention to stocking up the pantry and our chest freezer for the upcoming winter. I began the month with a $40.03 deficit.  Now I have a BIG deficit to carryover of $254.99.

The beauty is that we are so well stocked now that I won't need to do much grocery shopping in the coming months, which is the idea.  Most of what I plan to buy is fresh produce and dairy items.  Now my goal is to finish out the year spending as little as possible on groceries.

Our nonfood items came in a at $0.00.  That's right not a thing.  I had a $10 OFF $10 Purchase coupon at ShopKo and I used it to buy a 16# bag of cat food that was on sale for $9.99.  Needless to say, it was FREE!

Here is the list of all the food items I bought last month.  The items highlighted in red are my stock up items:

Groceries		$$$
Smoked sausage (2)		10.00	Sale
Italian sausage (4)		11.96	Sale
Lunchmeat (2)		4.00	Sale
Vegetable oil		1.99	Sale
Brownie mix (3)		2.97	Sale
Sirloin steak (4)		11.96	Markdown
Sirloin steak (4)		10.49	Markdown
Pesto		3.19
Romaine (2)		0.50	Markdown
Spinach		1.99
Lettuce		0.98
Cole slaw mix		1.29
Apples		1.40
Ice cream		3.99	Sale
Ice cream		2.50	Sale
Mushrooms		1.79	Sale
Milk - 1 gal.		1.99
B/S Chicken breasts - 25#		42.25	Sale
Pork sausage - 10#		19.10	Cash & Carry
Ground beef - 10#		32.94	Cash & Carry
Frozen vegetables (2)		7.68	Cash & Carry
Parmesan		5.73	Cash & Carry
Cheddar -5#		11.48	Cash & Carry
Onions - 10#		3.87	Cash & Carry
Seasoning sauce (2)		4.16	Cash & Carry
Sesame oil		2.08	Cash & Carry
Hoison sauce		2.09	Cash & Carry
Franks Redhot		2.20	Cash & Carry
Red curry		0.25	Cash & Carry
Tobasco - jalapeno		1.62	Cash & Carry
Tobasco - chipotle		3.67	Cash & Carry
Ground pork		2.18	Markdown
Ground pork		1.83	Markdown
Ground pork		1.73	Markdown
Pork chops		1.99	Markdown
Pork chops		1.94	Markdown
Pork chops		5.53	Sale
Pork chops		5.31	Sale
Spice packets		2.00	Sale
Canned tomatoes (6)		3.00	Sale
Milk - 1 gal.		1.99
Buttermilk - 1 qt.		1.79
Crackers (4)		5.96	Store Coupon
Cheese (4)		5.96	Store Coupon
Garlic bulb (3)		1.00	Sale
Lettuce		1.68
Cilantro		1.89
Cole slaw mix		1.29
Apples		1.43
Herbed cheese (2)		0.98	Grocery Outlet
Cheese spread		0.98	Grocery Outlet
Hummus (2)		2.98	Grocery Outlet
Cake mix (2)		0.50	Grocery Outlet
Cake mix (2)		1.98	Grocery Outlet
Frosting		0.99	Grocery Outlet
Baking chips (2)		4.98	Grocery Outlet
Coconut		1.99	Grocery Outlet
Mandarin oranges (2)		1.98	Grocery Outlet
Crackers (4)		5.96	Grocery Outlet
Pasta sauce (2)		1.00	Grocery Outlet
Olives (4)		3.96	Grocery Outlet
Breakfast bars		0.99	Grocery Outlet
Tortilla chips		1.59	Grocery Outlet
Cereal		2.99	Grocery Outlet
Hot dog buns (2)		1.76	Store Coupon
Cocktail sauce		2.99
Ramen - 24ct (2)		5.76	Sale
Soup - 24ct		11.76	Sale
Tortillas (2)		2.19	Sale
Macaroni & cheese (10)		5.00	Sale
Cake mix (6)		7.50	Sale
Milk - 1 gal. (2)		3.54	Store Coupon
Chicken stuffing (4)		2.00	Markdown
Tortillas chips (3)		3.00	Store Coupon
Total		$     339.96

$339.96 ÷ 30 days ÷3 people = $3.77 per person per day!

Do you stock up in the summer in preparation for the winter ahead?  How did you save money on groceries this month?  Were you able to find some good sales and stock up on anything?

This budget month runs from 8/20/15 through 9/20/15.