Last month was much nicer
financially than August was. I began the
month with an extra day of wages on my paycheck, just how the days happened to
fall, plus a little bit of overtime.
Nice check! Our gas tank on the
car was nearly full too since I had just filled it the week before. I got all of our monthly bills paid ahead of
their due dates, paid off my JC Penney card from bra shopping with my oldest
last month (no interest accrued) and slugged some cash toward my savings goal
as well as into my retirement account.
Mid month I paid October's mortgage payment and put more cash toward my
savings goal and into the retirement account.
Then I topped off the gas tank in my car using my Fred Meyer rewards
points to shave 20¢ off each gallon.
Thank you very much.
I stuck to my $20 a
week grocery challenge fairly well shopping the sales, using coupons and
digital coupons to lower the cost of certain items I bought. I was over by less than $5, but still happy
with the end result. I cooked a lot of
meals this month using items I already had on hand, particularly leftover items
I had squirreled away in the kitchen freezer.
I had quite a bit of stuff that we were able to use up and not let
anything go to waste. We also enjoyed
tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, beets, green onions and zucchini from our little
garden patch in the backyard. It isn't
very big, but we've managed to add quite a bit of produce to our meals
nonetheless. And Daisy has enjoyed quite
a few carrots as well.
I made the face cloths using items I already had on hand and picked up the shower gel for FREE using a coupon I got in the mail |
I did quite a bit of
birthday and Christmas shopping, once again by shopping sales and using
coupons. I acquired several small items spending
very little money. Additionally, I used
more items I already had in my garage and sewing stash to make some gifts. Along with that I made several decorative
items for our home, finishing up a few projects I had started last winter and
some new ones as well. I made a couple
stops at dollar tree and a stop into Walmart for craft items paying for those
purchases with some of the money I had found in that empty parking lot in
August. That was a crazy lucky
find. I also used some extra cash I had
to pay for another shopping trip to the dollar store for a few more craft
items, cleaning supplies and some greeting cards.
We spruced up our front porch |
We've been preparing
for winter as well by making sure our freezers and pantry remain filled and
stocking up on cat food. In August we
stocked up on scratch grains for the hens and bunny supplies. In October I'll be stocking up on chicken
feed.
We'll be "firing" this up soon enough |
We can tell that fall
has arrived here. It is pretty chilly in
the mornings and once the sun goes down in the evenings the temperatures begin
to drop. Our daylight hours are much shorter
now as well. Our goal each year is to
make it through September and not have to turn on the heat until October. So far we've managed that very well by
wearing our winter pajamas, adding a blanket to our beds, wearing sweaters,
socks or slippers and using our throws in the evenings. With our days still sunny and warm we haven't
felt the need to turn on any heat sources yet and our lovely home remains quite
comfortable.
This pretty much sums up how I feel on a daily basis |
October usually sees
a lot of changes outdoors and in our weather.
I'm planning for another creative, resourceful and thrifty month ahead.
Awww, your kitty is adorable! How does the cat get along with the bunny, or do they not meet?
ReplyDeleteI have a similar goal; I try not to turn the heat on before Halloween. We usually get pretty close, but some years it's just impossible. Last year, we woke up one morning right before Halloween and I just kept pulling more and more blankets over my daughter and me as we hung out in the living room, until I glanced at the thermostat and found it was only 55 degrees in the living room. NO WONDER WE FELT COLD!!! Heat went on right then, haha. :)
Henry, my old man kitty, and the bunny get along fine. For the most part he just ignores her.
DeleteIt has to get pretty cold outside for me to cave in and turn that heat on. I really hate paying that heat bill in the winter. 55 is pretty chilly! LOL
I love your little electric fireplace. We also try to keep the house warm without using the furnace too much. I read a blog (The Yarn Harlot) and she and her siblings have a competition every year to see who can go the longest without turning on the heat. I think it is so much fun to see who wins. They live in the Toronto area, so they really have their work cut out for them.
ReplyDeleteNow I'm going to have to check out their blog. Toronto gets cold! I already caved and turned on the fireplace. I don't do cold well.
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