Last Week’s Thrifty Moves

Sunday morning, when I opened the door to get the paper, I found a large bag of dry plus five cans of moist cat foot on my porch.  My neighbors had left it for me sometime the night before.  While I am glad to have it I am sad that the reason is because their beloved kitty passed away after 17 years of love and affection.  I can completely understand why they didn’t want to ring the doorbell. 

I sent my aunt’s surprise afghan to her.  I used money in my PayPal account to print a shipping label online.  I also reused the priority shipping box I sent it in.  I had received something in it last summer.  I love it when I can reuse or recycle something! 

Last week I received an email from Nascar.com that I’d won a travel mug of my favorite driver.  It arrived in Tuesday’s mail.  I was so excited to get it as I never win anything, really.  It is a really nice mug too! 

Friday I found a pair of black shoes on clearance for $23.  That takes care of my annual pair of work shoes purchase.   Another item off my list.

I sold a dozen eggs to a friend of mine for $2.  We now have $6 to put toward our next feed purchase. 

I bought the ingredients and made up a container of homemade laundry detergent. 

I dragged out my VHS tapes of the Star Wars Trilogy and played them for our family movie marathon night.  Still great movies and the girls loved them.  I popped popcorn too. 

Our chickens blessed us with 17 eggs this week!  Another record!

Ironing

At long last I hunkered down this past Sunday afternoon and tackled three months worth of ironing.  I really don’t like to iron.  Unlike my mother, who irons every day, I prefer the hot dryer, grab it quick and hang it up on a hanger before it wrinkles method.  That is how I deal with most of my clothes. 

Eventually things wrinkle to the point that you have to give them a proper press and that is when I start accumulating a pile.  I can procrastinate like nobody else when it comes to the ironing pile.  Unfortunately I waited so long with some items I had to rewash them because they were dusty.  Not a thrifty move there to be sure. 

Once I get it all done though, I feel a ton better about the fact that my closet is full and there isn’t that daunting task nagging at me waiting to be done.  Plus, I love how nice a well pressed blouse or a pair of pants looks and feels when I put it on.  You would think that would be enough incentive to get right to it, wouldn’t you?  But alas, no. 

What is that one chore you absolutely despise doing?  How to get motivated to get it done?

March – 30 Things to Do This Month

Every day this month I am going to pick one thing from the list to do and then mark it off.  Some I can do quickly and some I will need to schedule time for. 

1.                   Make Easter cards

2.                  Send Easter cards

3.                  Have someone over for dinner

4.                  Family Movie Nite

5.                  Sew something

6.                  Make a gift

7.                  List something to sell on eBay and/or Etsy

8.                  Try a new recipe

9.                  April meal planner

10.               Prune apple and pear trees

11.                Clean, vacuum and dust entire upstairs

12.               Super clean and reorganize pantry

13.               Make four birthday cards

14.               Send a letter to someone

15.               Bake two loaves of bread

16.               Start seeds for the garden

17.               Wash all the mirrors

18.               Wash interior windows

19.               Decorate Easter eggs with the girls

20.              Family Game Nite

21.               Go on a bike ride (weather permitting)

22.              Build a new brooder for new peeps

23.              Go on a weekend adventure or family field trip

24.              Take the girls out for a date night

25.              Do something unexpected for someone

26.              Clean up the backyard

27.              Clean up the front yard

28.              Clean inside of vehicles

29.              Wash vehicles

30.              Sweep out the garage 

Last month’s list was a bit of a hit and miss but I feel I got the most important items crossed off. 

1.                   Make Valentine cards

2.                  Make school Valentines with the girls

3.                  Make Valentine cookies

4.                  Sew something

5.                  List something to sell on eBay and/or Etsy

6.                  Try a new recipe

7.                  March meal planner

8.                  Clean, vacuum and dust the entire downstairs

9.                  Super clean and organize downstairs bathroom

10.               Make a gift

11.                Family Movie Nite

12.               Have someone over for dinner

13.               Family Game Nite

14.               Send a letter or a card to someone

15.               Do something unexpected for someone

16.               Have a craft day with the girls

17.               Bake two loaves of bread

18.               Make Christmas gift tags

19.               Investment cooking day

20.              Manicure party with my girls

21.               Take in the glass for recycling

22.              Brew a new batch of beer

23.              Clean up the front yard (weather permitting)

24.              Clean up the back yard (weather permitting)  We got snow and

25.              Wash the vehicles (weather permitting) other yucky weather.

26.              Vacuum the vehicles

27.              Sweep the garage

28.              Make tortillas didn’t need any so I didn’t make any

 

Do you make any big “To Do” lists like this one?

Super Easy Tortellini Soup

 

                  

 

We love tortellini and I make a soup that my girls and I enjoy a lot.  Super easy to put together on a busy week night too. 

2 15oz. cans Italian style diced tomatoes

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 tsp. dried basil

1 pkg. frozen cheese tortellini 

In a large soup pot over medium heat sweat the onions and garlic in the olive oil, don’t burn.  Add tomatoes and two cans of water.  Add basil, stir and bring to a gentle boil.  Add tortellini to the pot and continue cooking until pasta begins to rise and float on top of the broth.  If soup is too thick at this point add one additional tomato can of water.  Salt and pepper to taste. 

I serve this with parmesan cheese to garnish and a nice salad on the side.

 

Last Week’s Thrifty Moves

Sunday was a busy and very productive day for me!  First I used Turbo Tax to file my taxes again this year.  Then I managed to get the laundry done, changed and washed all the bedding, washed my kitchen, living room, dining room and hallway walls, cleaned the living room curtains and windows, cleaned my home office and went through a pile of paperwork to be shredded.  The girls dusted, cleaned the downstairs bathroom, cleaned their room and helped fold laundry.  They were great helpers.  I love days like that! 

I made two more big batches of soup for the freezer with plenty leftover for a couple of suppers and several lunches for the week. 

I made homemade veggie dip and a veggie tray for the Daytona 500.  I made homemade buttermilk dressing.

 

I refilled our hand soap dispensers with citrus scented antibacterial dish soap from the $ store thinned down with a little water.  I like the way the citrus scent gets rid of onion and garlic smells on my hands when I am cooking. 

I gave my girls each a haircut while we watched the race. 

Monday I shopped at Albertsons for sale items with coupons.  They were rounding all coupons up to $1.

 

·         Colgate toothpaste and toothbrushes on sale for 10/$10.  I bought three toothpastes and one toothbrush with four 50¢ coupons rounded up to $1 each = final price FREE!

·         Four pound bag of oranges $1.88

·         Ten pound bag of russet potatoes $1.28

·         2 packages of bagels $1.49 each 

You can’t go wrong with free toothpaste and a toothbrush.  The bagels will make a nice change of pace in the girl’s lunches and for breakfasts. 

I made homemade zucchini muffins for our breakfasts this week.  We also enjoyed leftover cornbread with honey butter.

 

I received a voucher for a free 2 liter bottle of Pepsi Next in the mail.  I’ll save it for a get together or potluck I am invited to. 

I knitted a hat from leftover yarn scraps. 

I made my youngest daughter a Christmas gift. 

On Friday I filled my gas tank for the first time in a month.  I used my Fred Meyer rewards points to save 10¢ per gallon.  It was close getting through the month on a single tank of gas.  My fuel light was on as I drove into the station. 

I bought a week’s worth of groceries to supplement what I already have on hand for $29.84!

 

·         2 half gallons of milk $10/$10 less 25¢ coupons = final price 75¢ each

·         1 gallon chocolate milk markdown $1.50 less 25 ¢ coupon = $1.25

·         2 half gallons orange juice 10/$10 = $1 each

·         3 pkgs. cream cheese 10/$10 = $1 each

·         Bread and bagels with a store coupon 2/$3 – bought 2 of each

·         Broccoli and cauliflower 88¢ a pound

·         2 bags of lettuce mix 88¢ each

·         2 pkgs. organic carrots $1.25 each

·         Organic grape tomatoes $2 each

·         Celery hearts $1.99

·         3 pkgs. cheese 8 oz. 2/$3 less 25¢ coupons = final price $1.25 each

·         Store brand plain potato chips for the girl’s school lunches $1.79

·         2 liter bottle of Pepsi Next FREE with coupon from Pepsi 

I am pretty happy with all my healthy purchases this week.  I am also feeling much better about the direction I’m heading with our grocery budget this month. 

I started crocheting a baby afghan to sell in my Etsy store. 

I watched season three of Downton Abbey for free on pbs.org.  Didn’t exactly love how that season ended.  Now to wait along with everyone else to see what happens next season. 

I treated the girls to dinner at Wendy’s because their kid’s meals were on sale for $1.99 each.  I had a baked potato and side salad.  Our entire bill came to $7.17.  The bonus is that the milk they serve comes in really nice bottles that we wash out and reuse.  Perfect for sending drinks in their lunchboxes. 

I paid all our monthly bills online, except for our water bill which I will drop in the box at the water company next week on my way to Bunco. 

I combined errands to save on gas.  I did not shop for anything except food. 

The chickens blessed us with 16 eggs this week!  I think one is a double yoker.  That is a record so far!

 

How was your thrifty week?

February Grocery Budget Update – BUSTED!

 

I was really proud of myself last month for staying on budget.  With my new dietary needs and some pantry overhauling needing to be done I’m not entirely sure how the budget is going to pan out in the next couple of months.  I plan to increase our monthly budget to accommodate the changes being made and then as I get into a new groove I think everything will settle into place. 

I’m not going to list this month’s purchases because the list is long and a bit redundant.  After the third week I quit tracking each item but I can tell you that the total of my grocery receipts this month is double my original budget.

I think I have a new and better plan for next month and will get things back to normal ASAP!  I will be going back to our $125 budget and will definitely be posting my normal budget update next month as well. 

How did you fare this month?

Our Family Cell Phone “Plan”

I am not a lover of telephones – of any kind.  I’m also not big into techno gadgets so for me, when it comes to cell phones, I keep it simple.  When you keep it simple you also keep it thrifty – Bonus! 

We don’t chat or text a lot on our phones so for us the best solution was a “pay as you go” plan.  Several years ago I researched the best product for us and chose to go with Tracfone.  I bought a phone on sale at ShopKo for $9.99 which came with minutes and two months of service.  It was a pretty cheap way to get started. 

This is the first year my girls are not picked up at school by the daycare van so I wanted them to have a phone to call me on and let me know when they left school or if they had a problem.  The obvious solution for us was to add another Tracfone. 

Last fall my oldest daughter bought the phone for $8.99 at Fred Meyer with her allowance money.  I pay for the service and minutes.  I felt that it was important that she buy the phone as a deterrent to losing it.  I add service to her phone every 90 days and I reload mine once a year. 

So far the average monthly cost on my phone runs $5.25 and $7.50 for hers.  The longer you use their service the less you pay later on down the road.  I am at the lowest right now but in the future I will be given cost saving options by Tracfone to lower the expense on my daughter’s phone. 

In the past ten years I have replaced one cell phone battery in my original phone and the phone itself with the one I am currently using.  Recently I had to replace the charger when it conked out on me.  Fortunately I was able to replace it for $4.99 with free shipping through Amazon.com.  I assume it was so inexpensive because my phone is no longer made. 

I don’t know how families do it with cell phone plans that cost literally hundreds of dollars each month.  If that was the case for us we wouldn’t have one.  I had a friend who spent nearly $400 a month for her phone service including one for her son with all the bells and whistles.  They were also on the darn things constantly.  I have no desire to spend that much time with a phone. 

How do you do your cell phone plan?