September Savings Challenge Review

The 30 Days are over and I feel a "wrap-up" of sorts is warranted. In general, the month was not as hard as I expected it to be. I rarely felt deprived and it didn't take that much more time or effort to live more frugally. Some good habits were formed, bad ones broken, and hopefully some of the tips and ideas I posted sparked some ideas in you and allowed you to save some money in September as well.

Here's a list of things I DID in September:

• I packed many lunches -to work and for car trips
• I baked my own bread (and bread pudding, cake, pie, apple crisp, oh how I should have stopped at bread)
• We carpooled a few times
• I rode my bike more often
• I got free entertainment from the library and local HS events
• I ran out of eggs and Orange Juice at the end of the month- the only "staples" that were depleted
• I read the Owlhaven blog along with several other participating in the "30 Days of Nothing"
• I used a few coupons and cut out a lot for future use
• I did get sick of eating my free apples but will continue to try new recipes until they're gone
• I held a 3-day garage sale (and shopped a few other garage sales, but only spent $5)
• I saved $289.74 in grocery/toiletry money alone vs. my normal budget
• I froze corn, applesauce, and chopped apples--none of which I've done before in my married life
• I got my budget and checkbook up-to-date so I know where we stand in each account
• I learned that giving is a blessing and that it is truly worth going without some things that I obviously didn't even miss that much in order to give to someone else.

Here's a list of things I DID NOT DO in September:

• I did not go to the movies
• I did not buy any concessions at sporting events (DH sprung for some popcorn on Day 30, bless his heart he was hungry!)
• I did not go to Worthington, MN or Sioux Falls, SD (our local shopping destinations)
• I did not go into any stores except Fareway (groceries) 3x and the 2nd hand store
• I did not put anything on my credit card besides gas and $58.47 in groceries/toiletries
• I did not eat my weekly 2 heads of fresh steamed broccoli (bought some today-it's Oct. 1!)
• I did not use the automatic car wash-I used quarters for the hand-sprayer instead
• I did not empty my freezer (above my fridge OR deep freeze), in fact it is full to the brim
• I did not empty my pantry-the doors currently do not shut all the way
• I did not go hungry, homeless, naked, cold, or un-entertained, which makes me one of the richest people on earth

So, what will I do now that the month is over?

First, I did buy almost $50 in groceries today--milk, eggs, OJ, fresh fruit and veges, deli ham, ice cream and lots of baking supplies that were on sale as I have many upcoming baking opportunities! But, I will be scrutinizing my grocery purchases through the end of the year and will try to continue working on my stockpile.

Second, I am gathering the money we saved with our other group members and friends in order to deposit it in a fund for the woman in our town going through cancer treatment. If you were following along with the challenge and have saved money for this cause and did NOT receive an email from me today explaining where to send the money, please email me at custombaked@gmail.com or leave a comment below with your email address and I'll send you the info.

Third, I am starting a new challenge called "30 Days of Scripture". Join the October Bible Challenge!

Blessings to all of you who participated and I hope you will share your comments on how the month went for you!

September 30 Savings

It is the end of the month. We made it! I'll post a final review of the month soon, but tonight I'll put in my remaining grocery savings.

Investment: I spent a grand total of $60.26 on groceries/toiletries in the month of September. Everything else was from my large stock of freezer and pantry goods, a meal or two treated by our parents, shared meals with friends, and a limited number of necessary meals out for DH that come out of our entertainment budget, as always. I also already put $19.30 in the jar in grocery savings from free food, coupons, etc.

Instead of: My monthly budget for groceries/toiletries is $369, an amount I'm embarrassed to admit is for only 2 people-the food we eat and give away.

Savings: $289.34

Bonus: I was expecting my freezer and pantry inventory to be significantly reduced. I am low on a few baking supplies (by low I mean I do not have a SECOND bag of 3 kinds of flour, 3 kinds of sugar, butter and oatmeal.)  The only thing I am out of is the weekly fresh purchases: milk, OJ, eggs, fresh fruits and veges. 

We have plenty of food.  

We did not suffer any hardship. 

If the world food supply suddenly shut down, we could survive several more months.

We are blessed.

September 29 Savings

Investment: Since they don't currently have people entering prices at iowastategasprices for our area, I paid attention to the gas prices on my drive and filled up my 12-gallon tank for $3.35 in Sibley at Shell

Instead of: Hull dropped their prices to $3.39 before Sibley went down, but I waited a few days for Sibley to drop below.

Savings: $0.04 x 12 gallons= $0.48

Bonus: I got the 5% rebate on my Shell card.

Update: GAAAH Two days later Sibley was at $3.25~oh well, when you're running on empty, you have to choose from the current options!

September 27 Savings

Investment: Three times this week there were places I needed to go in town and since it was beautiful weather I was able to ride my bike instead of drive.

Instead of: Driving about 2 miles at the IRS-mileage rate of $0.505/mile

Savings: $1.01

Bonus: I got some exercise and enjoyed the weather.

September 27 Savings

Saturday is usually my day to clean the house, do the laundry, walk the dog, and bake some goodies while DH is planning for next week's FB game with the other coaches. Today I also spent the morning at a Pampered Chef party and will be the first to admit I did spend a good chunk of money today! The justification (and there always is one, right) is that I got a few Christmas gifts for family and the things I bought for myself will come out of my show choir money left from last year.  Never-the-less, feeling a little guilty,  I consciously chose a lunch and dinner menu that would use up some freezer and pantry stockpiles and create enough leftovers to get us through the end of the month (tater-tot casserole and fruit for lunch and grilled BBQ chicken with seasoned potatoes for supper). 

I also used some long-held ingredients to make Onion Bread, 2 loaves of Pumpkin Bread and 2 Crumb-top Apple Pies which supplemented our meals (and waistlines--I cannot bake something without eating some fresh out of the oven!) I froze one loaf of bread and one pie for the upcoming church auction. For my savings today, I accomplished a FIRST in my life as a wife:

Investment: Our lawn was in desperate need of mowing before a Small Group bonfire tomorrow night and DH was busy every night this week and all day today. So yours truly mowed the lawn for the FIRST time ever! This is a sad fact, but it is the one chore that DH is usually glad to do and it's never been necessary for me to pitch in here before. I have used a riding mower once or twice when growing up, but my grandpa always mowed our lawn and grove (and at 88-still does). But, I did it and even though the wheel patterns are not close to the Major League Baseball-esque designs my husband usually performs, the grass is significantly shorter and that's all that matters.

Instead of: Last year during FB season, we seriously considered hiring the kid down the street to do the mowing for us. Since I was able to help out today, we avoided paying someone else to do it.

Savings: $15

Bonus: It was a gorgeous day, I got a little bit of a workout (our push mower is not self-propelled), and walking a half-hour in my husband's shoes made me appreciate him taking care of this chore 99% of the time.

September 26 Savings

I hit the Boyden town garage sales on my way home from work on Friday and found some books to give to my niece for her upcoming birthday. (Sorry to ruin the surprise, Megan!)

Investment: $1.25 for three books: 

• What's in the Garden? -a Peek-Through Pals book like the Bunny book she likes so much
• It's Pumpkin Time -her b-day is at the end of October and I know my sister will be trying her hand at growing pumpkins again next year
  
• Tikki Tikki Tembo-one of my childhood favorites and fun to read aloud

Instead of: The list price for the garden book is $5.95 and ordering the other two from Amazon would have cost $6.99 and $6.95 respectively

Savings: $19.89 list price - $1.25 garage sale price = $18.64

Bonus: My niece won't know the difference between new and used (they're in decent shape) and my sister and brother-in-law will have new books to read so they can take a break from The Cat in the Hat and You Are Special marathons!

September 25 Savings

Investment: We attended the S-O Volleyball game free of charge using DH's activity passes (teachers can get activity passes for themselves and their spouses if they sign up to work a certain number of events-DH runs the scoreboard at Basketball games) and did not buy any concessions.

Instead of: Buying popcorn and pop

Savings: $1.75

Bonus: The Generals had a spectacular win over the Mustangs. Way to go, girls!

September 24 Budgeting Basics

I couldn't get money off my mind today, so as soon as I got home from work, I started working on balancing the checkbook (which is *ahem* several months behind), writing in all those pesky ATM and Debit transactions we forget to write down, and then entering every transaction into Microsoft Money. Three and a half hours later, I had a clear picture of where we're at in every category.  Fun? Hardly. But, worrying about it for 3.5 hours tonight allows me to reign in where we're spending too much (clothing and gas) and feel better about the categories that are doing fine and NOT have to worry about money for the next few months.  It also showed me where I can transfer some of our checking account money to ING Orange Savings accounts to earn interest.

We didn't spend any money today and ended up eating grilled cheese together at 9:50pm when DH got home from class, but tonight I'll post a little history of my budgeting experiences. My sister has a more comprehensive list of ages/disciplines/methods, etc., so if you are interested in starting any of these with your kids, I could get you more information.

• Age 4-5, my parents gave us 10 nickels each week that we had to place in cups. Five went in the "Savings" cups, 1 went into "Tithe" and 4 went into "Spending".  
  
• Age 6-9, we earned a little more money doing calf chores on the farm, but the same rules applied-50% in savings, 10% in tithe, 40% in spending.  We also received an allowance in cash that we put into category envelopes in a recipe box: Summer Recreation, Book Bag, Gloves, Entertainment, Book Orders, etc. This taught us about saving, and that once the money is gone, it's gone, and you can't rob Peter to pay Paul. (Also, if you lose your gloves, you have to earn more money or use your "Fun" money to buy another pair.)
• Age 10-18, I had a checking account (starting in 3rd grade) and posted every transaction into different accounts by writing it in the "Debit" or "Credit" columns of ledger paper. I did get an allowance but had to pay for my lunch ticket, piano lessons, clothes, and various other things.  Any money we earned from riding beans or babysitting had the 50-10-40 rule, but as soon as I got a real part-time job when I was 16, I think it went to 10% savings, 10% tithe, 80% spending (in expense categories).
• Age 18-21: I managed my money throughout college, including a Vanguard Money Market account and an ING Orange Savings Account. I did get some allowance and my parents gave me a set amount at the beginning of my freshman year that I was free to use however I wanted--for tuition, room & board, etc. This was money they saved by "paying" me for the farm chores I did as a kid and putting the wages straight into investments. It wasn't enough to cover 3.5 years of tuition and books but was still a huge help. I still paid for most of my college expenses with part-time and summer jobs, lived extremely cheap and had some of the money they gave me left when I graduated. I chose to take a small subsidized loan during one year of school when my intern summer job couldn't cover costs, but I invested the money from my parents and used it for a down payment on our house years later. Sometimes I feel like I missed out on a lot of fun college experiences by being so tight with my money (Spring break was usually spent going to the State basketball tournament with my family), but it was probably worth it in the end. College is also where I learned to manage a credit card and disciplined myself into paying the full amount every month so I could build up a good credit history.
• Age 22-26: As life gets more complicated, so does money. Trying to figure out 401k's, Roth IRA's, insurance premiums, savings, investments, and ever-increasing expenses can be overwhelming. But, before even getting into investment and retirement options, my best advice is to MAKE A BUDGET! If you don't know where your money is going, take a month or two to save receipts or write down every transaction, assign categories, and tally up exactly how much you are spending on groceries, household bills, clothing, etc. You might be surprised to find out where there a huge expenses that are killing your budget (housing/cars/eating out) and where little expenses are nickel and diming you to death (coffee/fast food/Ace Hardware *ahem*).  Here is a great article about how to build your first budget. Like I've mentioned before, I use Microsoft Money software that came with my Office package, but you can use Quicken or other software to keep track.

I will always be grateful for the wonderful lessons my parents taught me about managing money from an early age.  Teaching (and modeling) money management is a priceless gift you can give your kids.  Check out moneyinstructor for teaching materials you can use with your kids (or class). Hopefully this month will inspire you to make a budget and then stick to it! 

September 23 Savings

How much do you normally spend on your hair in a month? cut? color? highlights and lowlights? salon-quality styling products? I've done all of the above, but got out of the habit of cutting and coloring when I grew my hair long in the past few years. After I cut off 10"+ this summer to donate to Locks of Love, my inverted bob now needs more regular trims and styling products. But, I'm learning to make do with Aussie mousse and hairspray instead of Aquage and Kenra. This month I decided to refrain from buying any products for my hair or going to the salon. It's a weird in-between stage at this length, but it'll work for a few more weeks. 

Another tip: Shop around for in-home salons or small-town storefronts and you'll spend a lot less than the city!  If you're still spending a ton on salon visits, consider checking out local beauty schools. You can get cuts, colors, manicure, waxing for a lot less and there are instructors checking over the students' work the whole time. When my friend was going to Le Mars Beauty College, I always went there for highlights and cuts and it was a lot of fun!

Investment: I skipped my 6-week haircut scheduled for September and will go 12 weeks between trims.

Instead of: Paying for a shampoo, trim and style. 

Savings: $12

Bonus: The extra length allows me to wear a ponytail if needed and I can try new styles in this growing-out stage.

September 22 Savings

I knew that milk would be running low, so I stopped for *hopefully* the last groceries of the month. The total came to $12.41 for milk, bananas, grapes, pears, butter (it was on sale so I had to take advantage!), and 4 rolls of Pillsbury Buttermilk biscuits. The biscuits are for making broomstick pies over the bonfire that we're hosting next Sunday night for our last Small Group. Instructions: Form 2 refrigerator biscuits around the end of a broomstick. Hold over fire until the biscuit is cooked through and slides off the stick easily (it is hot-be careful). Then spray in some "I can't Believe It's Not Butter...spray" (make sure you say this in Fabio's voice) and shake in some cinnamon sugar. Then fill with vanilla pudding and top off with more cinnamon sugar. Tastes like a warm donut! YUM! I did manage to negotiate some savings out of the trip.

Investment: Generic brand biscuits were 2/79-cents. Pillsbury 4-packs were on sale of $1.5o (originally $1.99), but then I saw the coupon dispenser offering "75-cents off when you buy 3 refrigerated Pillsbury products".  However, they do not sell Pillsbury buttermilk biscuits one roll at a time at this store (and the Grands or flaky large biscuits do NOT work for broomstick pies).  I ended up convincing the cashier to break open the four pack of Pillsbury buttermilk biscuits and scan each of them separately so the coupon would register at least 3 products. Then, when they rang up for $.99 each individually, she found a manager who overrode the system to get back to the 4 for $1.50 sale price. So, I got to use the coupon and ended up paying only $0.75 for the 4 rolls.

Instead of: Paying $1.99 full price for the 4-pack of biscuits.

Savings: $1.24

Bonus: Name-brand biscuits actually DO work better for broomstick pies and now I'm excited for s'mores and pies and I can now use up all the supplies I have leftover from the summer s'mores season.

September 21 Review

What's your excuse? We all have "excuses" for not saving or not spending our money wisely at all points in our lives, not just for this challenge. Let's take a look at some common pitfalls and how we can avoid them.

• Forgetting about the little things.  DH commented to me today that "it's hard to remember to not spend money." Like buying a pop from the vending machine or a breakfast sandwich from Pronto. I suggested maybe HE take over the blog duties to give him a little reminder each day, but I don't see that happening. :) We discussed that for us, having cash in our wallet allows us to forget and buy the little things. When I am out of cash, I won't buy the small things because I won't put it on the credit/debit card or write a check for it. I usually don't have cash anyway (it's in DH's wallet) but I have been avoiding the ATM so I don't have cash to spend. What helps you "remember"?
• Not planning ahead. Instead of planning a menu around what I already have in the house, sometimes I think of what I want to make and then run to the store for some missing ingredient that is probably NOT on sale. If I'd plan a menu and plan my shopping around it, I'd fare better managing my time AND money. Sometimes planning ahead means thinking about the week's activities and remembering "I won't have time to cook something before choir on Wednesday, so I better have some leftovers or have a casserole from the freezer thawed that can bake while we're out" instead of grabbing some fast food.
• Not having a budget. Many of you are successfully using the envelope system and I personally work off a Microsoft Money budget where I track all our expenses-cash, checking and credit card through our checking account. Having numbers in your head (or cash in your envelope) helps you think of the limits.  For instance, my clothing/hair & beauty budget is $90/month for two of us. So, if I buy a $60 pair of shoes and a $30 shirt, I have nothing left the rest of the month (nor does my husband). It helps me think of the trade offs, like is it worth getting my hair professionally highlighted if it means going without new work clothes (no) or is it worth spending more than our monthly budget on a pair of running shoes that are made for my flat feet (yes-but that means no unnecessary shoes). Is there such a thing as "unnecessary shoes?" :)
• Forgetting the value of a dollar. I've heard many people suggest figuring out how much take-home pay you make per hour. Then, when you see an expensive purse (or tackle box) or whatever, you can think "Is it worth working 6 hours for that item?" Or think of what else that money could buy. It's hard to spend $4.50 at Cold Stone for 1 serving when I know I can get a gallon pail for the same money and enjoy ice cream for weeks!
• Spending everything you've got. The money that comes in your paycheck is not meant to be spent in the 2 weeks until your next paycheck. It is meant to allow you to buy the things you need now, give to those who need it more, AND save for your future needs (house, college, retirement, etc.)  I find it very helpful to have some savings automatically withdrawn from my checking account through a 401k, Roth IRA, online savings account, etc. If you don't see it, you won't spend it, and you  might not even miss it.
• Forgetting the difference between "needs" and "wants". We all fall into the "keeping up with the Joneses" mentality now and then and sometimes we are in desperate need of a reality check. Check out the original "30 Days of Nothing" page that explains the goal of becoming more aware of how the rest of the world lives and how truly blessed we are. These figures are humbling. Next time I think my dishwasher is too loud I'll try to remember that millions of women spend several hours each day collecting water.   Next time I think that my flat-screen TV is too small, I'll try to remember that 1.6 billion people (a quarter of the of the world population) do not have electricity.  And next time I think we don't make enough money or deserve a raise, I'll try to remember that 80% of the world lives on less that $10/day.

As you may be able to tell, God has been convicting me this month, not just about saving for this particular cause, but really evaluating needs, wants, and the disparity of wealth/poverty in the world. I'm not saying that it is wrong to spend the money that God has given you and by no means do I mean to make anyone feel guilty. I just need a reminder myself that all we have is really His and we must be faithful stewards. I feel like He's been softening my heart and placing certain issues in my mind to make me aware of those who have less and that He will reveal a plan for how I'm meant to make a difference in the world and in our community. What has God laid on your heart this week?

September 20 Spending

My no-spending resolve faded today as I spent $5.50 on items that are essentially non-essentials. This morning I brought the stuff that didn't sell at last weekend's garage sale to the 2nd-hand donation store down the street (and remembered to get a receipt for the tax write-off). Of course, I looked around afterwards and found some bargains I couldn't resist.

I bought:

$3.25 for 3 home-decor items I'm saving to eventually redecorate our guest room. (Including 2 Norman Rockwell copies that I'm collecting from garage sales/thrift shops as I see them)

$0.75 for 3 baskets. Our church's Harvest Auction is in a few weeks and I like to put the baked goods I donate into nice baskets--helps to get a higher bid, I think! Plus, they're hardly any more expensive than sturdy paper plates.

Plus...

Investment:

$1 for eight 2-prong pegs that fit in the peg board installed on the garage wall. (Might go back for more of these as needed.)

$0.50 for a bag containing a dozen metal skewers and at least 2 dozen wooden kabob sticks. I've always wanted to grill kabobs, but couldn't justify buying new skewers and the premade kabobs in the meat department are so expensive.

Instead of: The peg hooks cost $0.92 each online for a total of $7.36. The metal skewers would have cost  $3.49/dozen and the wooden kabob sticks would have been $.57 alone (if bought in a quantity of 1000!)

Savings: $11.42 worth of peg hooks, skewers and kabob sticks minus the $1.50 I paid. Total: $9.92

Bonus: The garage peg wall can help us get more organized, and I can start browsing meat/vege kabob recipes, although cake/fruit/marshmallow kabobs are just as likely!

September 19 Savings

Investment: DH's parents came for the game, but we decided to each eat at home before meeting up. My grilled ham and cheese on home-made bread, broccoli and milk probably cost around $1.50.  DH's dad also generously paid $5 for me to get into the game since neither my husband nor I could find the passes that would have gotten me in for free. 

Instead of: We talked about possibly going to Subway before the game, where I would have spent about $2.70, and I didn't have to fork over the $5 for the game.

Savings: $1.20 for supper and $5 for the ticket. Total $6.20

Bonus: A Homecoming WIN by the Generals! Yea!

September 18 Savings

Another day without spending a dime. DH eats with the team on Thursdays (dinner is made by FB moms at different churches) and when I couldn't think of what to make at 7:30 tonight, I though to myself "What did I do in college when I did not feel like cooking and had very few ingredients?" Answer: I hauled out the snack-master, a contraption I inherited from my mom, for a ham, egg, and cheese sandwich pressed between the near-end of the store-bought wheat bread. I practically lived on these sandwiches in college! I clearly needed more bread, so I put the ingredients for a whole wheat loaf in the bread maker and set the delay timer so it will be hot and fresh at 6:00am tomorrow!

Investment: A bread maker is a wonderful invention that surprisingly many people own, but few actually use. Mine was a wedding gift, but instead of buying one new, I'd check with friends or family who may never use theirs, or check garage sales. My sister picked one up last weekend for only $5. I'm currently in the bread-making routine, have tried many recipes (including the Parmesan Pepper Bread mentioned earlier this week and DH's favorite Onion Bread), and hope to explore some more cost savings by buying my ingredients -especially yeast- in larger quantities so I can drive down the cost of homemade bread. For now, I estimate the cost of my ingredients at around $1.50/loaf for a plain 2lb. loaf.

Instead of: Buying bread at the grocery store. My old staple was 12-grain Amana bread for $2.19 at Hy-Vee (plus an extra stop at Hy-Vee since Fareway doesn't carry it.)

Savings: $.69

Bonus: Homemade bread tastes great, is more filling, and makes perfect open-face egg white and ham sandwiches for breakfast!

September 17 Savings

What do you do when you have lots of apples and some leftover hot dog buns? Make a delicious Apple Bread Pudding! (I added more apples than it called for and cut the vanilla sauce recipe in half). WOW, this recipe is a keeper, served warm with the sauce! We'll see how it tastes cold (I'm sure I'll sneak some for breakfast tomorrow.) An important lesson I've learned from my dad is that many things (bread pudding, apple pie, brownies, and currently Apple Dapple Cake) taste much better when you eat them straight out of the pan with a fork while standing by the counter. For extra good flavor, make sure you are eating this for breakfast, preferably at 5:30a.m.

Investment: I used 3 more free apples and 3 hot dog buns (old getting-dry buns from the fridge make the perfect bread cubes for bread pudding)

Instead of: Buying apples at the store for $.99/lb and throwing out the hot dog buns

Savings: $1 for the free apples

Bonus: The house smelled wonderful when we rushed home from choir practice to pull the Apple Bread Pudding out of the oven and DH was happy it replaced the lingering cooked broccoli smell I created at 6:45 this morning.

September 16 Stretching

You'll notice I didn't use "Savings" in the title for today. DH and I did not spend any money today and in our normal course of the day usually wouldn't have. But, the lesson brought to mind today was that with a little effort, I've been able to stretch supplies that I do have a little longer, putting off a replacement or substitute purchase, which adds up to savings in the long run. A few examples:

• We used the very last drop of toothpaste in the tube by squeezing, smoothing, and otherwise coaxing the last bit, delaying opening a new tube. Here's how to squeeze toothpaste perfectly.
• I scraped out the corners of my liquid powder foundation compact and used a sponge pad to apply. I normally throw them out and open a new one once the middle circle is gone.
• We only had a thick, dry heel of the Parmesan Pepper Bread loaf left, but I carefully sliced it in two, buttered one side, sprinkled with garlic powder and a little shredded cheese and broiled it to eat with leftover spaghetti tonight.
• I have old hotdog buns in the fridge that I will make into bread pudding tomorrow.
• I'm getting sick of leftover chili, so I froze some for later and will eat some over a baked potato for supper tomorrow.
• Once the nozzle stops working on my pump hairspray, I tend to stash it in the back of the closet and eventually throw it out. Now, if I can't get it unclogged, I open the lid and pour it into the next bottle that has a working pump to use it up.
• When I get to the crumby ends of a cereal box, I either put it in a small tupperware to mix in to yogurt or ice cream (Cinnamon Life Cereal makes a great mix-in and doesn't get so crumbly at the bottom of the box), or I pour part of the small crumbs and part of the next box into my bowl.

Do you have any ways you've learned to stretch the supplies you have on hand to delay or avoid another purchase? Share you ideas!

September 15 Savings

After a long day at work, I stopped by my parents to pick a peck of apples (actually 2 pecks). I learned a peck is 10.5 lbs here. Then, I stopped by Fareway on the way home for $27.76 in groceries-milk, eggs, OJ, fresh fruit, and some essential toiletries. I debated getting the bulk TP because I didn't want to spend money on grocery/household items this month, but I couldn't justify getting the smaller pack with a higher price/roll. After spending an afternoon on spreadsheets figuring out purchase price/landed price/customer cost per unit/end user cost per unit for the candy products I market, I was very in tune to the cost per unit idea.  Ahhh, the stockpiler/justifier in me will never die.  

Tonight's activity was peeling and chopping apples to freeze for later use in pies, apple crisp, apple bread, etc. Tools of the trade: a Pampered Chef peeler (although I wish I had their new handle), a good paring knife, and an ULU knife I bought in Alaska that is perfect for slicing and dicing apples. Read "What the Heck is an ULU" by The Ulu Factory in Achorage (where I visited, but bought a cheaper knockoff version at the tourist shops).

Investment: Picking a 5-gallon bucket full of apples for free (and throwing the bruised ones in the bull pasture), then spending about 2 hours peeling, coring, and chopping 29 cups of apples. (I only did about 1/3 of the bucket.) I packed in 4-cup freezer bags so I can thaw the perfect amount for an apple crisp.

Instead of: Buying about 7 lbs. of apples at the grocery store, which would have cost $.99/lb. today.

Savings: $7

Bonus: My grandpa was happy I picked up the apples so he could mow under the apple tree and now I will be able to bake my favorite apple crisp recipe anytime this winter without a trip to the grocery store.

September 14 Review

Another week of savings, and it's been going pretty well! This week we paid all our bills using online bill pay as usual (don't have to write as many checks or buy stamps), bought gas for both vehicles, DH paid for his lunch ticket at school for the next 2 months, and we spent $12 of the garage sale profits on tickets to the football game. Other than that, we did not spend any cash or put anything on the credit card. I bought zero groceries or other food this week, even though we hosted 10 other people for small group tonight! Because a few of you requested some recipes from tonight's supper, here is the link to the Chicken Taco Stew recipe from Spark Recipes. I left out the onion and added a can of pinto beans (rinse and drain all the beans and corn) and served it with tortilla chips and cheddar cheese. I make it a little different every time, depending on what I have on hand. Also, some of you requested the Red Velvet Cake recipe as well. And you who asked about Lemon cake, here's a link to the Cake Mix Doctor's Lemon Lover's White Chocolate Cake recipe that we'll have to try sometime. And for those of you with Oster's Bread Machine, the Cinnamon Raisin Sweet Bread was quite good, but I'd add more raisins next time.

The cash and "IOU's" in the jar are steadily growing. I will have to break down and get groceries tomorrow as we are running low on milk, fruit, and toilet paper, but we are still sitting great on meat, frozen veges, homemade bread and all the pantry/baking staples. I feel like I might be delaying some expenses instead of avoiding them (like signing up to bring cake to work in October instead of September), but it is helping to stretch the grocery budget this month. I'll continue working hard to find ways to save this week and would love to hear how the rest of you are doing! Post your comments!

September 13 Savings

We did spend $12 tonight to attend the Northwestern vs. Morningside Football game, but made some choices to minimize the cost of our night out, plus DH gave up a lunch out with the other coaches at noon to contribute to the savings.

Investment: DH came home for a spaghetti lunch today, plus I packed turkey sandwiches, Chex mix, fruit, and dessert to eat on the way to Orange City. 

Instead of: The other coaches went out for Pizza Ranch Buffet at noon, where DH usually joins them on Saturdays. Plus, we normally would have grabbed some subs from Subway to eat on the way to the game. Also, DH didn't buy the normal popcorn from the concession stand.

Savings: $8 pizza buffet and $7.50 for subs minus about the $5 cost for the food we ate instead, plus $1 popcorn. Total: $11.50

Bonus: I got to see my husband before 4:30 on Saturday, which made me happy, plus eating supper in the car saved time on the way to the game. We also didn't have to stand in the really long concession line for popcorn (and DH still got to eat some of his brother's popcorn).

September 12 Savings

The garage sale is over!  It was a lot of work, but we also had fun and it was pretty interesting too! We had lots of fun customers. They especially loved our half-off bag sale after 2:00 on Friday--give a person a bag and they'll just keep filling it! I didn't sell out of everything, but sold a good chunk of the junk! In all, we grossed $890 for 5 "families" and my take was $240. I was completely happy with the result considering my highest priced item was only $7 and we surprisingly sold lots of clothes! I probably won't need to have a sale for a while again and just need to finish up unpacking and donating what didn't sell.

Investment: Working the sale from noon-6:30 on Friday, then cleaning up, calculating, and counting money well into the evening.

Instead of: Making it to DH's Football game on time (But they won! Yea!)

Savings: I made $140 on Day 3. So, 10% would be the sale of not 1 but 2 Ace of Base: The Sign CDs for $1 each, 2 plates of Velveeta Fudge samples that I had brought for us to eat for $1 each to a Dordt guy-he was hungry and his friend bought the last bag of cookie dough balls, $2 for a pair of jeans to the mom of the girl who hosted the garage sale, $2 for a pie plate that had a "Baked with Love" raised imprint in the bottom, and 6 pictures frames for $1 each. Total: $14

Bonus: Sold lots of stuff, met interesting people, and feel like we gave some great deals and good merchandise to some people who really needed it.

September 11 Savings

Investment: Another night manning the garage sale in Sioux Center.

Instead of: Going home to watch DH's JVFB game

Savings: I made another $50 tonight, so 10% would be equivalent to the $3 suitcase I used to bring clothes to the sale and ended up putting a price tag on, a $1 toilet brush and stand set that had never been opened or used :P , and the $1 profit off a dozen Monster Cookie Dough Balls. Total= $5

Bonus: The night went really fast and we had fun DJ-ing with all the CDs I had for sale. The crowd favorites were Ultimate Sports Jam, K-Ci and JoJo and Ace of Base: The Sign. Collectively, we have 3 The Sign CDs for sale, so let me know if you're interested!

September 10 Savings

First off, Happy Birthday to my Dear Husband! Now, down to business...

I have to admit I am pretty tired tonight. Getting ready and baking for the garage sale has taken most of my energy. I couldn't decide what to "save" today since I didn't spend any money and packed my lunch for noon and night again today. I also set up the bread machine to make some Parmesan Pepper bread (my fav), but I don't think it saves any money over store bought, just tastes better. So, for my savings today, I'll pick a few random garage sale items that add up to about 10% of the day's sales.

Investment: Gathering unwanted items from home and from my parent's basement.

Instead of: Gathering dust or filling up the dumpster

Savings: I sold a pair of shoes that hurt my feet for $2, a "Doon Elevator, Doon, IA" thermos my dad got free for $1 (FIRST ITEM SOLD!). I also sold a Jars of Clay and DC Talk CD for $1 each to a mom who accidentally threw away her son's old CDs and is searching garage sales to replace them. Total: $5 (10% of the $47 I made today)

Bonus: I'm getting rid of tons of stuff and it's fun to do something with my co-workers outside of the office. Come to our sale if you live near Sioux Center! We're right behind the Family Table (go around the block) and are open again Thurs. 5:30-8 and Friday 9-6:30.

September 9 Savings

Tonight I was leaving Sioux Center after helping set up for the garage sale and the truck needed gas. I pulled into the Coop where it was $3.49/gal and started filling up, only to remember that there was a Shell station on the way out of town (we get a 5% rebate on our Shell card). It would have been easier to just continue filling and be on my way, but I stopped the pump after 1 gallon, drove out to Shell, filled up there (for $3.45) and then continued on home. I also knew I'd be tempted to grab some fast food after an evening of hard work setting up, but had planned ahead and packed a sandwich, fruit, and cookie to eat on the way home instead.

Investment: $65.55 in gas minus 5% rebate ($62.27) and about $2 worth of a packed-lunch

Instead of: $66.31 in gas with no rebate and a $3 fast food meal

Savings: $4.04 gas and $1 food= $5.04

Bonus: My packed lunch was probably healthier than the fast food taco or burger I would have bought and the gas at Shell in Sioux Center was 4-cents cheaper than Sibley's.