July goals wrap-up

For 31 days, July gelt like a short month...and it kicked my butt. I sure hope August is easier on my wallet!

1. Make an extra $50. Success! I made an extra $108 through Pinecone surveys, consignment sales, and a  few online sales.

2. Reread at least one financial or simplicity book. Check! I reread Duane Elgin's classic Voluntary Simplicity.

3. Take all the glass to the recyclery. Fail. I never got around to this, but really need to do so soon.

And my personal goal was...
Start writing in my gratitude journal again. I had let this slip over the last few months, but I'm happy to report I did very well this month. I only missed a few days (like when I was out of town), and I think I've officially gotten myself back in the habit of actually making a list of how many things for which I have to be thankful.

Busy busy

My weekend will be starting a little early since my parents are driving in tomorrow to stay for a couple of days, and I have been busy around the house this week trying to get everything ready. My father is self-employed, and he is coming here to check out a possible job. Hopefully everything will work out because it would be fun (and helpful, project-wise) to have him stay with us while he does the job. I will have to buy a few items at the grocery store tomorrow since my parents eat a little differently than we do (need to get some milk for instance), but the weekend should be pretty cheap otherwise. My parents aren't expensive to entertain.  :)

I was wondering--do any of you have side incomes or unique businesses of your own? I know Dawn works a few side jobs and Crystal writes e-books--anyone else got a side (or main) venture? My brother does photography on the side; last weekend he shot a reunion and made more that day than he makes in 2 weeks at his retail-ish day job. My dad is going through a career change now--he is in the process of becoming a gunsmith and will be able to work for himself in an even freer way. I've always been fascinated by alternative income streams and would love to hear anyone's tales!

Fashion fix

The other day I read some great reviews for Nina Garcia's book The One Hundred. I immediately wanted to purchase it, but the price was still pretty high on both Amazon and half.com. So I decided I needed to get my fashion fix some other way. I rooted around on the library's website and found out they had a few style books I could check out, including another book by Garcia. These should tide me over.  :)

A lesson which I am constantly reminding myself: the library is for more than just novels!

Expensive month

Can I just say I am thankful for 3-paycheck months? Though we will not be putting as much as we had hoped in savings this month, I am grateful we had that extra paycheck to help out. Here are just some of the expenses we've had this month...

weedwhacker
my fall tuition and books
car trip to see my family (gas+oil change+food)
wireless router (ours died while we were out of town)
medical miscellany: co-pays and deductibles for meds and office visits
$50 bill for J's steroid shot
an extra $150 student loan payment (just the way the dates fell--we won't pay one out of checking in August)

Whew! I'm really ready for August--I need a low-spend month!

Menu Plan Monday

Monday: sauteed yellow squash and zucchini, tomato/basil/feta over toasted bread, sauteed potatoes
Tuesday: lentil spaghetti (didn't get around to this last week), sour cream biscuits
Wednesday: zucchini fritatta, mini baked potatoes
Thursday: zucchini and tomato pasta, salad
Friday: pizza
Sat. lunch: grilling out--kosher beef franks and pasta salad
Sat. dinner: zucchini and cheese over toasted bread, roasted potatoes
Sun. lunch: black bean tortillas, Spanish rice
Sun. dinner: salad, leftovers

Are you serious BCBG?

Whenever I find BCBG sweats on clearance, I tend to grab them. They fit me very well and are super comfy. During the winter, I like to bundle up in sweats and hoodies when I'm at home--helps me keep the heat turned down. :)


I had to laugh the other day when I checked out the original price tag. Really, BCBG? I'll keep shopping at TJMaxx, thankyouverymuch.

Weekend plans

My weekend plans were a bit topsy turvy for a few days--my parents were possibly going to visit so my dad could check out a job here, but that has been postponed. Until I knew if they were coming or not, I couldn't really make any plans. Now that J and I will be on our own for the weekend, I've nailed some stuff down.

Tonight we're joining some friends for a free movie at the downtown park--plus we're being fed there! A sweet friend is celebrating a few birthdays and is feeding everyone a bbq dinner as sort of a "mini party." Should be fun! I'm sure I'll just crash after the movie--I usually do.

Tomorrow we are going to see Harry Potter, yay! I was busy last weekend, and I refuse to pay evening ticket prices--matinee tickets will be $10 for both of us. So I am finally going tomorrow since Saturday is now free.

Sunday afternoon is still up in the air. I'd love to go hiking if the weather cooperates. Guess I'll wait and see!

Anyone have any fun, frugal weekend plans?

How to make a scrumptious lunch on the cheap

1. Skip the expensive breads and toast a simple piece of sandwich bread (don't forget the garlic!)
2. Slice a tomato that was given to you. Add a dash of kosher salt for extra flavor.
3. Snip some basil from your plant out front.
4. Add some crumbled feta. If you're like me and don't buy feta as a staple, make sure you work some recipes into your weekly plan so you don't waste any cheese (because that would really be a sin).

If you don't have a source of free tomatoes or a basil plant of your own, those are fairly cheap items at farmer's markets. Sure beats the price you'd pay at an Italian restaurant.

Oh, and these looks so much nicer IRL--my camera is a bit of a junker.

Admitting defeat

While I used to love jewelry as a kid, I let that part of my wardrobe fall to the wayside over the past few years. I don't see much that I love anymore, and most of the items I do like are too $$ for me. So one of my goals this spring/summer was to buy some good basics for my jewelry box, as well as some cheapie finds for fun. I found some necklaces in pretty quick succession for around $1 each (at garage sales and thrift stores), and I was thrilled. Until I wore them, that is...

I've discovered that most people get rid of jewelry, necklaces in particular, for a reason. The necklaces that I bought weren't even worth the change they cost, since they pinched my neck and grabbed at my hair. So while I will still keep a watchful eye out for thrift jewelry, I'm ok going new, or newish on ebay, to supplement my jewelry box. I already scored the Jcrew necklace below on ebay for a mere $10. An extra $9 in exchange for a non-pinchy clasp? I can deal with that.

Bounty

The home we rent does not have a place for a real garden--we have a few plants stuffed in alongside the decorative bushes out front. Until we can have a huge garden of our own, we stalk the farmer's markets and a small, local grocery store for fresh, inexpensive produce. But my parents have a huge garden, and this weekend they packed all of this up for us to take back home. Yay!

(tomatoes, zucchini, cayenne peppers, and okra)

Menu Plan Monday

Monday: mini baked potatoes, sauteed yellow squash and zucchini, sour cream biscuits
Tuesday: broccoli and ricotta canneloni, tomato slices with basil and feta
Wednesday: rice and veggie stir-fry, zucchini
Thursday: pasta bake, cheddar biscuits
Friday: pizza
Sat. lunch: pasta salad (I put lots of veggies in mine), garlic bread
Sat. dinner: spaghetti
Sun. lunch: grilled cheeses, pickles
Sun. dinner: beans and rice (not sure exactly what I'm going to do--will probably look up a new recipe to try)

Weekend plans

Right now I am in the car headed to my parents' place for the weekend. While spending time with my family is usually pretty inexpensive, we'll be spending a little extra money this weekend: we're going to take some organic steaks and grill out for my fam. We also desperately need to buy a weedeater, so I think I'll send J and my dad off to the store for some man-time. I've scoured craigslist, and there are no used models to be had that are in my budget.

I also paid our cable/internet bill this morning ($50). Gas+oil for the trip(I really needed an oil change) will be about $75. And I'm sure we'll eat a couple of meals on the road--overall, not exactly a cheap weekend. But that's ok--we only have one other activity planned this month that'll cost anything, so I'm fine with spending a little extra on a weekend trip.

The little things

I love small, fun blessings.

Since I've been letting some of my magazine subscriptions lapse, it's been a struggle for me to not buy them. I know that'll probably sound silly to most of you, but I love magazines and have always wanted to work at one to see what it's like. I'm much more of a book collector and reader, but magazines are still pretty darn fun for me. I get so many recipes, style ideas, practical tips, etc from them.

Lately, I've been spending a lot of time in waiting rooms. J's back has been acting up pretty badly since early spring, and that has meant a lot of time waiting around--for MRIs, steroid shots, and all that jazz. The silver lining? I get to catch up on all the magazines I haven't been buying! Today I got to read the new Victoria, Southern Living, and this issue of Redbook I've been wanting to peruse. Waiting around and paying deductibles may not be loads of fun, but I can always find some positivity in the situation.   ;)

How not to waste your money

Since I bumbled a bit in the "smart wardrobe" area this week, I thought I'd counter that with a list of shopping tips and reminders. I believe you can live a simpler life without giving up pride in your appearance (notice, that's pride--not vanity). I have always loved style and fashion, and I am constantly trying to refine and simplify in those areas so I can live a more balanced life, without giving up the parts I find oh-so-fun.

1. Create some shopping rules/mantras for yourself. One blogger has such fashion rules as "Never buy something that's clearly not your style just because it's hot." If you know what you came for and what you love, you'll get a loss less distracted and end up a lot less broke.

2. Buy from thrift and consignment stores. Not only are you shopping locally and usually supporting a good cause, you're generally paying a lot less than you would at the mall. And chances are low that anyone else will be sporting that same top you bought at the Salvation Army last week.

3. Keep your receipt! I've learned the hard way that regret might take a few days to sink in. If you know you're prone to impulse purchases (even if it's only occasionally), keep the receipt and RETURN it. Less clutter and your money is back in your pocket.

4. Develop a minimalist style. Have a penchant for Calvin Klein? Study the style of minimalists, and you'll have a great style that doesn't require a lot of extra accoutrements in your closet.

5. Skip trendy and buy quality, classic pieces. What's a better value--the $10 t-shirt you wore once before it fell apart or the $30 tee you were able to wear 30 times before it started to go? One of the most wasteful parts of fashion is disposable clothing. Stop buying into trends that you toss after a couple of months. Buy classic (not boring!) pieces that you'll be able to wear over and over again. For example, I recently bought a pair of flats. I could've bought something bright and colorful like the ones below, but they wouldn't have coordinated with much in my wardrobe.

Instead, I stalked these flats at TJMaxx and finally bought them when the hit the clearance rack at $29. If you can get a lot of wear out of colorful items, then explore your options. But, if you're like me and get the long haul out of neutrals, then pick a classic shape and style that you won't have to toss a few months down the road.

When it comes to your wardrobe, there are plenty of ways to streamline without giving up your style.

How to waste your money?

Don't pay attention.

A little backstory: After living in a super casual rural town for awhile (and not updating my wardrobe while I lived there), most of my basics became very worn out. When we moved back to a more citified area, I decided to go ahead and replace all those clothes that were on their last legs. I didn't even have a pair of basic black pants! So I stalked the sales at Banana Republic (I love their pants and skirts) and bought some new jeans, black pants, basic skirts, etc. I was thrilled.

Fast forward a couple of seasons and I finally decide to start seriously working out again. Now, when I work out, I actually gain weight. I'm a fairly teeny person, and any muscle I get from working out creates some nice bulk (yes, I need bulk--I'm telling you, I'm shrimpy). I then discovered that almost all of the bottoms I had bought no longer fit! I was able to sell most of them, and I replaced my jeans through online sales and thrift stores. I ended up getting a second black skirt that was a bit different than my Banana Republic basic--a high-waisted number from TJMaxx.

So what does all that have to do with not paying attention? Well, I started seriously cleaning out my closet and decided I didn't need two black skirts that were fairly similar. Completely forgetting to check the sizes, I took the less basic, high-waisted number to the consignment store (and it sold quickly). I grabbed the basic black pencil skirt I still had in the closet for church the other morning when I realized...it was too small. This was one of the purchases that I had outgrown, and I had gotten rid of my only other black dress skirt.

**bangs head**


So now I will be stalking sales again, in search of a black skirt. I did have two, but now I have zero since I wasn't paying attention.

July check-in

I can't believe this month is almost half gone! I feel like July has taken me for a bit of a ride, and I haven't been able to get much done. So here's a reminder to myself to be productive...

1. Make an extra $50. No progress on this since I made that $26 during the first week of the month. I am going to the consignment store next week, so hopefully I will have some good news then. I have a few small items I could relist on craigslist, but the spam from that site has been intense lately. Bah.

2. Reread a financial or simplicity book. I just got around to reading (finally!) The Omnivore's Dilemma. I have In Defense of Food, and this was just as good. Now that I'm finished, I think I'm going to reread Voluntary Simplicity to accomplish my goal.

3. Take all the glass to the recyclery. Haven't done and don't know when I will! Usually J and I go over there together, but I might just have to do this on my own sometime during the week.

And my personal goal this month is...
Start writing in my gratitude journal again. I've been pretty successful with this, yay! There have only been a few days that I've missed so far.

Menu Plan Monday

Monday: red fried rice, salad
Tuesday: broccoli and cauliflower gratin, sour cream biscuits
Wednesday: black bean tortillas, rice
Thursday: pizza

We'll be out of town visiting my family this weekend, and I'm planning on just grabbing something on the road on the way home Sunday evening.

Low-spend weekend

Well, J and I have had a fun, low-cost weekend these past couple of days. Friday night was spent at the park seeing It's a Wonderful Life (free), though I did succumb to a candy bar from the snack cart ($1-bad!). Saturday, we spent $10 seeing Public Enemies. I thought the movie was really good, but not as fulfilling/spectacular as I had hoped. Still, I don't feel like I wasted my $5. We decided to try to only see two movies this summer, and that was the one J picked. Our mailbox will be on fire with Netflix dvds come fall!

After the movie, we went to a church cookout; I had already bought the chips I was bringing during my regular grocery shop. Today after church we stopped by my favorite local grocery store (where I buy all my wonderful, inexpensive produce) and treated ourselves for $5: we bought lemons for lemonade, fresh garlic, and two sparkling fruit drinks.

Groceries should be all I need to purchase this week. We'll be heading out of town on Friday, and I will need gas+oil change Friday morning before we head out.

And while I'm spending money, I hope my items are selling at the consignment store and helping me toward my $50 goal!

Frugal Friday: New uses for old things

Ok, so a Magic Eraser isn't really old. But I normally only use it for cleaning around the house--stained countertops, dirty walls, soap scum, etc. but I found a new use for that little scrubber yesterday, and I'm very happy about it.

I was bumming around the bookstore the other day when I spied a hardcover book that would make a great gift (it's a secret, just in case that person discovers this blog). There were three copies on the shelf, but two were pretty beat-up. The third wasn't damaged in any way, but the cover was very dingy and dirty. I decided to go ahead and buy it and try to get it clean at home. I figured that, at the worst, this was for a person who wouldn't mind the dinginess so much and would forgive me that gift faux pas since it was such a good book. :)

I was going to try some soap and a bit of water on the cover, but then I thought: Magic Eraser! It took all the dirt off without stripping any of the lettering, and the book looks perfect. So if you have a Magic Eraser lying around and you need to clean up some books, give it a try!

Clearance tip: Don't forget your grocery store!

I stopped by Publix the other day to pick up a few things Target doesn't sell, and I spied a ton of Pyrex baking dishes on the clearance shelf. I wanted to load up, but I resisted--the only piece I really needed was this loaf pan that was only $4.50. I need to remember that grocery stores have more than just food, and sometimes you can score some great (and useful) deals.

Halfway there!

It's only the first week of the month, and I am halfway to my goal of bringing in an extra $50 this month. I've earned $26 so far through Pinecone, an online sale, and the local consignment store. I am going to end up having some small medical bills to pay this month (J as some more appointments for his back), so any extra $$ will be very helpful.

Works for me Wednesday--In The Know

I have been in charge of the house budget for most of the time J and I have been married; he doesn't like messing with numbers, so I took over the job shortly after we tied the knot. While the system has worked pretty smoothly for the past few years, there was always one problem: J never knew exactly what was going on with the money. He'd have to ask anytime he wanted to know where we were in debt payoff or savings, or if we could afford that big purchase yet. He didn't know anymore when we paid big bills like insurance. So the system worked, but poor J was always out of the loop.

A few months ago, I read an article somewhere (and I'm sorry, I have no idea whose it was!) about a budgeter who made up monthly reports and sent them to her husband every month so he would know what was going on with their finances. Basically, she would make a finance report that so many bloggers share at the end of each month, but it was for family use instead. I stole the idea, and it has been working wonderfully. For the past few months, I have made up a report and emailed it to J, detailing how much we saved that month, any big bills we paid, any major purchases, etc. Now he doesn't have to ask where we are on all those points, and he feels a lot more "in the know" without actually having to mess with any numbers.

Works for me!

Couponing

Living Well on Less has a great post today about healthy, frugal eating. She mentions that one of the healthiest and least expensive ways to eat is to buy whole foods, and coupons are unfortunately not issued for apples and wheat flour. Since we eat mainly whole foods too, I also use very few "food" coupons these days. I still buy a few things I want to try making myself from now on (like organic pasta sauce), but most of my coupons for things like pasta sides and cereal are sent to my mom, who takes what she wants and then gives the rest to others who need them. So what makes couponing still worth it to me?

Toiletries and household products. While I still sometimes find coupons for natural peanut butter or nuts (we eat lots of nuts for extra protein), most of the coupons I clip and save for myself are for toothpaste, deodorant, toilet paper, etc. I probably use 20% of those coupons for items I use in my own house, and the other 80% go toward items I give away. When my BIL and SIL bought a house last year, I was able to stock them up with items like shampoo and glass cleaner, plus some fun goodies like a big Yankee candle. They loved it, and I was able to give a lot more than I normally would simply because I had used coupons and rebates. I've also given bags and bags of toiletries away to families in need, and I'll be stocking up this month on toiletries that will go to one of the homeless camps here in the city.

Even if I'm only able to pick up a few food or household items for myself with my coupons, being able to give away just a little bit more makes it all worth it.

Menu Plan Monday

Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend! I went to a ballgame on Friday, enjoyed lots of food, games, and fireworks on Saturday, and was treated to lunch before hitting the road yesterday. I spent $35 on gas and a bit of food this weekend, so not bad at all.

Monday: black bean tortillas, salad
Tuesday: squash, mini baked potatoes, rice pilaf
Wednesday: grilled cheeses, roasted potatoes, pickles
Thursday: pasta, "fried" potatoes
Friday: pizza
Sat. lunch: eating at a pool party
Sat. dinner: loaded baked potatoes
Sun. lunch: eating out--my MIL will be visiting and we'll be going out for lunch
Sun. dinner: pasta (I'll have some leftover pasta sauce, so I'll come up with something)   :)

Long weekend!

I am sooo excited that the holiday weekend is finally here. Things will be quiet on the blog this weekend as I head out of town for the Fourth. J and I are visiting his parents this weekend; we'll be taking in a minor league ballgame tonight and having a big cookout tomorrow afternoon. The only money I should have to spend this weekend is for gas.


Anyone have an fun holiday plans?

Aha!

I think most of us on this frugal journey have solid reasons behind The Big Choice--to scale down our consumerism and spending in ways that matter to us individually. Whether you want to live lighter on the earth, you've lost your job and had to cut expenses, or you just think it's a fun challenge to save extra money, there was probably a specific reason (or a few) you started making more frugal choices in your life. A few months after J and I got married, we racked up about $7,000 in medical debt due to some pretty crappy insurance. More would be added before the first year was over. So we needed to slash expenses and get those bills paid off ahead of schedule. I started reading frugality blogs and looked into couponing. I had always been raised to be pretty frugal--there were times when I was a kid that we didn't even have grocery money--but I learned there was a whole other world out there. I started putting it all together for myself, and I'm still figuring out my own personal brand of frugality. I think I'll always be figuring it out.

But what isn't talked about as much is: Was there a moment when you realized all this frugality was worth it? Did you get caught up on your payments? Were you able to pay cash for a big-ticket item you really wanted? When did you know you never wanted to go back?

For me, that moment was a couple of summers ago when I was able to buy third-row tickets for J, my mom, and me to see Cats. My mom and I had always wanted to see the musical, and it was a thrill to be so close to the show. A few weeks later, she was poking fun at some of my frugal ways (like reusing baggies), and I reminded her that little things like that were what allowed me to spend the extra money on tickets for us to see Cats, with awesome seats to boot. I think it finally dawned on her that I hadn't turned into a cheapskate--I just wanted to spend money on the things that mattered rather than those that weren't really all that important to me.

Did you have an "aha" moment? When did it all become worth it to you?

July goals

 I can't believe it's July already--this summer is flying by, and I feel like I haven't even started enjoying it yet. I have quite a few things already scheduled for the month (like a pool party and movies in the park), so hopefully I can finally get summer kickstarted around here.

1. Make an extra $50. I know that sounds like a low goal, but remember, I have already gotten rid of most of my sell-able stuff! I hope to accomplish this through craigslist, Pinecone, and the consignment store.

2. Reread at least one financial or simplicity book. I did this last fall, and it was a nice encouragement.

3. Take all the glass to the recyclery. I haven't done this in a few months, and my giant box in the garage is overflowing! I have to work in a time to go do this or it's going to become unmanageable.

And my personal goal for the month is...
Start writing in my gratitude journal again. When I got a new nightstand and placed my journal on the shelf, it became out of sight--out of mind. I need to make a real effort to write in this every night (or during the day, if that would help me remember).