Last Week’s Thrifty Moves

Monday, with it being a national and school holiday, I took the girls bargain grocery shopping for items on sale at various stores that are on our February and March shopping lists.  I can now say we safely have a year’s worth of meat in our freezer along with a pantry chocked full of staples.  We spent less than $60. 

I took the girls on our “date night” for pizza and salad bar.  It was kid’s day so their meals were half price.  Our entire bill was $12.  The last time we went out to eat was in November to celebrate the girl’s birthdays. 

I signed up for a free sample of Tide stain remover and Purina One dog food.  I also printed a coupon good for a free can of dog food at Petco.  No, I don’t have a dog but I have friends with dogs. 

I printed six coupons from coupons.com.  Two are for milk! 

I worked on both of my scrap yarn afghans throughout the week. 

I used the money in my PayPal account to pay a bill. 

I made a big pot of soup out of leftovers in the refrigerator.  We enjoyed two suppers and a lunch out of it. 

I finished off a trial sized bottle of lotion that had been rattling around in my bathroom cupboard for quite some time.  I recycled the bottle. 

I darned my daughter’s favorite knit gloves. One finger and one thumb had developed a hole. 

I used up all the odds and ends of fresh veggies in my crisper drawer to make a delicious chopped salad. 

I bought 7 jelly jars at a thrift store for 35¢ apiece. 

Our chickens blessed us with 13 eggs this week.

My Mission – Sewing Stuff Part 2

I really thought my fabrics were going to be the biggest part of the project but it turns out it wasn’t at all.  It was the easiest. 

I started by collecting all of my Christmas fabrics and trims and putting them all away in a plastic bin.  I don’t have a lot of Christmas stuff so this was quick.

 

Oh, what a mess!

I grouped my remaining fabrics by type – fleeces, flannels, denim, knits, all into my big bin.  Calicos all stacked and to be put into another bin I already had empty in the garage.



Since I took this picture all of this fabric is now inside plastic bins.

Lastly scraps, which filled half of the Home Depot packing box one of my fabric donations arrived in last summer.  I do believe there will be a scrap quilt in my future. 

My mother gave me some polyfil and two trash bags full of quilt batting so those are neatly piled in a corner, as neatly as you can pile that kind of stuff. 

Last summer I had managed to organize all my buttons, ribbons and patterns and all of our craft supplies, but that was as far as I got.  Now it is all done and I am thrilled to pieces with how it turned out.  Now I am ready to get back to sewing!
 

No Spend Month

February is usually our no spend month.  You may think I chose February because it is the shortest month of the year but that really isn’t the reason, just a bonus.  I chose February because that is the month when our highest heating bill of the year arrives.  I usually get it the end of January and it is due in February around the 10^th. 

A No Spend Month for us is to cut out all unnecessary spending to help us tighten our belts after paying the high heat bill. 

So there will be NO: 

·         Eating out

·         Trips to the $ Store

·         Trips to the thrift stores

·         Online ordering

·         Shopping of any kind

·         Trips to the gas station (hopefully) 

What I will spend money on in February is food for us and for our animals.  That one I can’t exclude, obviously, but I will stay within budget. 

I have Bunco in February and so in order not to cheat I will be using my winnings in December to pay my $5.  No new money spent.  If I canceled my appearance at Bunco for this No Spend challenge I would get seriously throttled. 

Do you or have you ever declared a No Spend Month?  Would you consider it?  Want to join me?

Ice Storm

Still raining and 22 degrees.

I woke up this morning at 4:44 knowing that something was going on outside.  I got up to check it out.  It was raining and only 20° out there.  It was freezing the moment it landed on the ground.  At 7:00 the power went out for over an hour.

 

Once daylight started I bundled up and headed out to inspect my ice glazed winter wonderland.  Our vehicles were completely encased with a thick layer of ice and the ground was slippery.  I dragged out the ice melt and sprinkled away.

Ice glazed windshield

After prying up some of it

Amazingly school was not canceled and yet the roads are far more treacherous than they were last week when they called a snow day.  I did manage to get the door open on the truck and she started right up.  I let her idle with the defroster on full blast.  After 10 minutes the ice loosened and once I chiseled a chunk off with the ice scraper I was able to start lifting the ice off in big sheets.  It was so incredibly thick.  Weirdest thing I’ve ever encountered in all my year living here. 

I got my girls to school and never did go over 20 mph.  A lot of accidents reported in the valley on the freeway which is currently closed.  I don’t plan to go anywhere I don’t have to and to be honest I was thinking school today could have been optional. 

Did I mention I fed my girls chocolate chip cookies for breakfast and packed them granola and milk in their lunches?  I was right in the middle of trying to heat up leftovers for their lunches when the power went out.  And the Mother Of The Year award goes to.....

 

Things I Choose To Not Spend Money On

Over the last year I have posted lists of certain things I don’t feel obligated to spend my hard earned cash on.  These lists have garnered a lot of attention so I thought I’d compile them here for those of you who would like a review or are seeing them for the first time. 

·         10Things I Don’t Spend Money On

·         10More Things I Don’t Spend Money On

·         Another10 Things I Don’t Spend Money On 

What are some of the things you choose to not spend your hard earned dollars on?

Free Food

Last Saturday, while we were shopping for various odds and ends on our list, my youngest daughter came up to me and said “Look what I found”.  She had found on the ground a catalina from Albertsons for $5 off a $5 purchase and it had not expired. 

I told her it was just like finding a $5 bill on the ground and she got super excited.  Later we discussed all the things she could do with that catalina or coupon as she preferred to call it.  After looking at this week’s Albertson’s ad we formed a plan and on Monday I took her to the store to use her coupon. 

I was very proud of her and her selections.  She chose a bag of fresh broccoli florets, a bag of cauliflower and broccoli florets, two avocados and two bananas.  She carried her purchases up to the checkout stand along with a reusable shopping bag and our Albertsons Preferred Card and then paid with her coupon and some change I’d given her to cover sales tax. 

I could tell as we left the store with her carrying her bag of produce that she was pretty proud of herself.  She even told me how she specifically wants me to cook some of that broccoli. 

It was a big deal to her to not only get to buy this food but contribute it to the family dinner table as well.  Especially when I heard her tell her sister “Five dollars is a lot of money.”

Work Wardrobe – Part 3

Your work wardrobe is an investment, an investment in not only your money but your time as well.  I have found that if I am really good about taking care of my work clothes they will last longer and look nicer.  In the long run I will spend less time and money on clothing purchases. 

I keep my work wardrobe laundry separate from the other laundry by having a little basket in my bedroom to keep items in that need laundered.  I find I launder less often because I usually can wear most items twice.  I work in an office.  Unless I spill something on myself or rub up against something my clothes don’t get that dirty.  Not only does this save on laundry but also on wear so my clothes last longer. 

I purchase a bottle of special care fade resistant liquid detergent to wash my work clothes with.  I found through trial and error that this was a wise investment.  I use a coupon and spend about $6 once a year for a small bottle of detergent.  I also use a liquid fabric softener to control static. 

I usually only have to do my work laundry once every two weeks so I save a lot of time.  I pull the clothes out as soon as the dryer shuts off to limit wrinkling and hang them up right away.  I find that most items come out very nice and only a few things need to be touched up with an iron. 

For dry clean only I use the home kit on occasion as I have had way too many items ruined by the dry cleaners.  If you follow the instructions on the kit things usually turn out just fine.  I try not to purchase items that need to be dry cleaned to begin with but I do have a few items. 

Mending and maintenance is also important.  Nothing will void the look of a well put together outfit quicker than dragging your hem along the floor or wearing a pair of scuffed shoes.  Keep a mini sewing kit in your purse for emergencies.  Polish your shoes.  Replace missing buttons and fix fallen hems. 

Safety pins and masking tape are not a permanent solution to sewing.  If you have difficulty with a needle and thread seek out someone to help you.  You can always repay their kindness with a homemade treat or by exchanging services for something you are good at. 

Remember – if it is stained treat it, if it is dirty wash it, if it is wrinkled press it, if it is torn mend it, if it is faded dye it, if it needs a button find a button, if it is scuffed polish it and if it is beyond help replace it.