Love it when the fuel points add up. I often include fuel points when I'm figuring out the best deals, but sometimes they'll have daily specials I wasn't aware of and it's an awesome surprise.
Celebrate those small wins!
Thursday, October 4, 2018
Just popping in to say...
Love it when the fuel points add up. I often include fuel points when I'm figuring out the best deals, but sometimes they'll have daily specials I wasn't aware of and it's an awesome surprise.
Celebrate those small wins!
Saturday, July 14, 2018
Do This!
Cut your bottles!
If you want to make it count and pinch those pennies, cutting bottles is a must. Honestly the stuff that gets stuck in those hard-to-squeeze-out places can last me from a few extra days to a week or more! I do this for diaper creams, lotions, shampoos, conditioners, toothpaste, etc.
The way I cut it generally depends on what it is. Tubes of diaper cream get cut in to strips, because it's easier for me. I grab a strip, rub my finger on the inside to get any cream that is sticking to it, and use what comes off. One strip usually has enough cream on it to cover one diaper change. Sometimes it can take or three. Chunky bottles like shampoo, conditioners, or lotion get cut in half, right through the middle. I use my fingers to pull up any lotion that sticks to the bottom or top (and trust me, there's always a lot).
 |
| This is where I store the "leftover" diaper cream. It's in a little diaper changing station-bin-thing by our bedside. Keeps it convenient . |
There are a couple downsides: it's messy. After I cut it, I clean my scissors and then store the cut containers in bags. This keeps them from leaking all over or drying out. You also need to exercise caution because cut edges can be sharp! My husband hates using these "leftovers", so I always have the new bottle ready to go for him while I finagle with the messy stuff.
So okay, it may seem like a big effort for little reward. But I've done it so long now that it's just habit. All of these things you do now to save money are going to be so rewarding in the future. Using up the products we buy to their fullest extent is best for your wallet and best for the environment. If the bottles are not able to be reused, it only makes sense to squeeze out every last drop.
Friday, May 5, 2017
Good News // Bad News // New News
Guys, this is not a drill. I repeat- this is not a drill. For the first time in forever, we managed to have our budget actually NOT go over. It was a weird month, as you can see. We don't exactly get checks for $13,000 every month and then proceed to buy a $12,000 car. That was all a result of the accident. But we stayed below in medical, groceries, eating out, and gas!
So that was the good news. The very, very good news.
But it was short lived, unfortunately. April was a disaster (and I should not be surprised, as April is my name and everything). Everyone kept getting sick. Colds, the flu, migraines. We also decided to hire a crew to finish one issue with the basement & ended up deciding to finish up practically all of it, which resulted them finding issues with the walls, etc. It felt like I was trapped in a bad episode on HGTV. Check out the difference though.
Future home theater:
Future home gym:
They're both still going to need plenty of aesthetic tweaks & buys, but the bare bones are looking great and the whole dang basement is finally functional. I can't tell you how good that feels.
Steps I am taking this month to save:
+ Unplug devices when they aren't in use. Turn off lights & TV when leaving rooms.
+ Don't wear makeup unless I feel I really need to.
+ Plan meals around the best store sales. Make one weekly shopping trip and avoid stores otherwise.
+ Get creative with gifts. There are plenty of diy crafty gifts that I could do with the kids for their grandma's on Mother's Day.
+ Using portion control to make meals last longer. Eat healthy and don't snack out of boredom. Cook at home and bake goodies instead of eating out or buying things packaged.
+ Use points at Walgreens to save on food & other essentials. I think I have around 20,000 points, or $20, to use.
+ Try to use as little water as possible and keep showers short & baths shallow.
+ Keep working out. Clean the house and the cars. Take care & take pride in the abundance of things you already own. Do all the free things you enjoy and get creative and use the things you already have.
+ Keep trying to downsize and sell the things we no longer need, want, or use.
Monday, March 20, 2017
Hello. I am alive.
Oh, it's only been... 6 months since my last post?
I've been good, how about you?
Not too much has changed, except that my son is now four (!!!) and that expectant babe I forementioned is now a six month old wiggly little teeny tiny named Charlotte. We also have some new furniture since the new addition made us realize that we needed more space. It was more than I wanted to spend initially, but we had it put together to fit our exact specifications (color, texture, room size) and we added on the replacement plan, so it's set and proven to be pretty darn perfect. I'd like to add, for the record, we paid for it with cash. We're absolutely positively completely finished with any and all types of loans. Pay with cash on hand, or wait and save up until you can.
Oh yeah! No big deal, but we also paid off the 2015 KIA that we had taken such great care of. We were so dang proud when we mailed off that final check. Also no big deal, but the very next morning after sending that same final check, a woman blasted through a red light and smashed in to our car when I was taking my son to gymnastics class, totaling it. The entire experience has proven to be emotionally damaging and very, very stressful. The kids were both unharmed and I only had minor injuries (whiplash, bruising, soreness), but emotionally, it was tough. Talk about a smashing realization about the illusion of safety... If anything had happened to my children... I can't even go there. But we're all alive and ok and more together than we've ever been.
That's a part of why I'm back. With a vengeance. I have been so angry about all these bad and unexpected things that keep happening one right after the other. Medical bills, things leaking, things breaking down, things needing to be fixed, accidents... I did nothing wrong. Our lives were violently interrupted and it still hasn't all been resolved. Well, I'm here to control every possible aspect that I can. This is my life, my family, my home. Let's get to it.
The nitty gritty is basically that we were suffering financially for a pretty solid eight months. We just could not catch a break. We're finally coming out ahead this month (so far, knock on wood) and the biggest reason is probably the simplest. We've just stopped buying stuff. As much as we possibly can, we've stopped. Of course we buy food and those basic consumables we all need (toilet paper, toothpaste, etc.), but that's about it. I stock up on sales and completely avoid stores otherwise if I can. I stretch what we have at home. My son even repeated one of my mantras today when I told him that he needed to finish all of his broccoli: "We don't waste food". Proud mama moment.
I'm very proud of my kids right now for a lot of reasons, but I'm so super proud of my son, Donnie. We have not given him any new toys since his birthday a few months ago, and he has been so cool with it. He still likes to look at toys when we go to stores, but he never throws a fit when I have to say "no", though he rarely even asks anymore. We've been making more use out of the toys we have, making more fun crafts, coloring more, pulling down old board games now that he's old enough to understand some of them, going outside whenever the weather is decent (playing in our yard, going for walks around the neighborhood or going to the park), going to the library for story time (where he checks out books and DVDs), and reading more. All of these things are fun and enriching for him, and don't cost a thing. It's such a perfect lesson for him. We also deposited his full Iron Man bank into his savings account recently and he was super proud. He carried around his lil' transaction log book for days and kept saying that he had "four million dollars". Dream big, kid. We'll get there some day!
I've been keeping a close eye on our budget this month and balancing our checkbook weekly. We are finally seeing a slow, but steady rise in our balance. It's higher than it's been in over three months so I know we're on the right track. I'm feeling super proud of everything we've accomplished and super motivated to keep it going.
Well, it's this mama's bed time. I am wornnnn out. I had a couple teeth extracted (wisdom tooth & one broken tooth) about a week ago and it has proven to be much, much, much more painful than I was anticipating... Throbbing pains and aching canker sores all over my gums and cheek. I'm breastfeeding so I chose not to be put under or to take any prescription pain meds. Reaaaallllyyyy kicking myself in the butt right now and wishing that I had just waited it out until I was finished nursing. Remember that whole part about not being able to catch a break? Welcome to life, eh?
I've been good, how about you?
Not too much has changed, except that my son is now four (!!!) and that expectant babe I forementioned is now a six month old wiggly little teeny tiny named Charlotte. We also have some new furniture since the new addition made us realize that we needed more space. It was more than I wanted to spend initially, but we had it put together to fit our exact specifications (color, texture, room size) and we added on the replacement plan, so it's set and proven to be pretty darn perfect. I'd like to add, for the record, we paid for it with cash. We're absolutely positively completely finished with any and all types of loans. Pay with cash on hand, or wait and save up until you can.
Oh yeah! No big deal, but we also paid off the 2015 KIA that we had taken such great care of. We were so dang proud when we mailed off that final check. Also no big deal, but the very next morning after sending that same final check, a woman blasted through a red light and smashed in to our car when I was taking my son to gymnastics class, totaling it. The entire experience has proven to be emotionally damaging and very, very stressful. The kids were both unharmed and I only had minor injuries (whiplash, bruising, soreness), but emotionally, it was tough. Talk about a smashing realization about the illusion of safety... If anything had happened to my children... I can't even go there. But we're all alive and ok and more together than we've ever been.
That's a part of why I'm back. With a vengeance. I have been so angry about all these bad and unexpected things that keep happening one right after the other. Medical bills, things leaking, things breaking down, things needing to be fixed, accidents... I did nothing wrong. Our lives were violently interrupted and it still hasn't all been resolved. Well, I'm here to control every possible aspect that I can. This is my life, my family, my home. Let's get to it.
The nitty gritty is basically that we were suffering financially for a pretty solid eight months. We just could not catch a break. We're finally coming out ahead this month (so far, knock on wood) and the biggest reason is probably the simplest. We've just stopped buying stuff. As much as we possibly can, we've stopped. Of course we buy food and those basic consumables we all need (toilet paper, toothpaste, etc.), but that's about it. I stock up on sales and completely avoid stores otherwise if I can. I stretch what we have at home. My son even repeated one of my mantras today when I told him that he needed to finish all of his broccoli: "We don't waste food". Proud mama moment.
I'm very proud of my kids right now for a lot of reasons, but I'm so super proud of my son, Donnie. We have not given him any new toys since his birthday a few months ago, and he has been so cool with it. He still likes to look at toys when we go to stores, but he never throws a fit when I have to say "no", though he rarely even asks anymore. We've been making more use out of the toys we have, making more fun crafts, coloring more, pulling down old board games now that he's old enough to understand some of them, going outside whenever the weather is decent (playing in our yard, going for walks around the neighborhood or going to the park), going to the library for story time (where he checks out books and DVDs), and reading more. All of these things are fun and enriching for him, and don't cost a thing. It's such a perfect lesson for him. We also deposited his full Iron Man bank into his savings account recently and he was super proud. He carried around his lil' transaction log book for days and kept saying that he had "four million dollars". Dream big, kid. We'll get there some day!
I've been keeping a close eye on our budget this month and balancing our checkbook weekly. We are finally seeing a slow, but steady rise in our balance. It's higher than it's been in over three months so I know we're on the right track. I'm feeling super proud of everything we've accomplished and super motivated to keep it going.
Well, it's this mama's bed time. I am wornnnn out. I had a couple teeth extracted (wisdom tooth & one broken tooth) about a week ago and it has proven to be much, much, much more painful than I was anticipating... Throbbing pains and aching canker sores all over my gums and cheek. I'm breastfeeding so I chose not to be put under or to take any prescription pain meds. Reaaaallllyyyy kicking myself in the butt right now and wishing that I had just waited it out until I was finished nursing. Remember that whole part about not being able to catch a break? Welcome to life, eh?
Friday, September 2, 2016
Grocery Haul // September: Week One
Grocery haul for the first week of September. It might not seem like much, but it took some plotting and scheming. My first stop was at CVS, where I did two transactions and spent only $9 for everything pictured below, including two Skintimate Shaving creams, Colgate toothpaste, Wet'n'Wild nail polish, three boxes of Puffs Plus Lotion with Vicks, Trolli gummies bag, and three Cherry Coke twelve packs! The nail polish will be thrown in to s gift bag and the gummies aren't pictured because they were being hidden from Donnie.
A 99% savings! That's what I like to see.
My next stop was Hyvee, where I stocked up on their one day sale items and the "quick foods" I mentioned previously. I bought four Tony's pizzas, four Red Baron pizzas (price matched), eight bags of various steamable vegetables, two family size bags of Lays chips, three boxes of Pillsbury brownies, four 12 packs of pop, one 18 count carton of eggs, two mangos, and four avocados. That ended up being $50, but it got me 44 cents on the Fuel Saver card and ended up saving us about $7.50 on a tank of gas.
I'm planning to make this haul last as long as I can, and combined with all the food we already have, I think I can stretch it pretty far.
We did grab McDonalds today for Jairo & Donnie, which I'm not thrilled about. But I used a coupon on the app for a free medium fry for Donnie and Jairo used the 2/$5 deal on large fries, so at least we took advantage of what we could.
I'll plan and post our meal plan for next week, but I'm going to be induced if this girl doesn't come naturally by Friday, so it's likely to be a crazy week.
A 99% savings! That's what I like to see.
My next stop was Hyvee, where I stocked up on their one day sale items and the "quick foods" I mentioned previously. I bought four Tony's pizzas, four Red Baron pizzas (price matched), eight bags of various steamable vegetables, two family size bags of Lays chips, three boxes of Pillsbury brownies, four 12 packs of pop, one 18 count carton of eggs, two mangos, and four avocados. That ended up being $50, but it got me 44 cents on the Fuel Saver card and ended up saving us about $7.50 on a tank of gas.
I'm planning to make this haul last as long as I can, and combined with all the food we already have, I think I can stretch it pretty far.
We did grab McDonalds today for Jairo & Donnie, which I'm not thrilled about. But I used a coupon on the app for a free medium fry for Donnie and Jairo used the 2/$5 deal on large fries, so at least we took advantage of what we could.
I'll plan and post our meal plan for next week, but I'm going to be induced if this girl doesn't come naturally by Friday, so it's likely to be a crazy week.
Thursday, September 1, 2016
Goals + Steps for September
Goals for September:
1. Stay within budget. Even with a baby coming.
That's all, folks. One goal, but not exactly small or simple. Like I mentioned in my first post, we've been going over budget (particularly in grocery, restaurant, medical, and home categories) way, way, way too much lately. It'll be even harder to keep our spending in check once Charlie arrives. The hospital bill, grabbing a quick bite at the drive-thru, ordering pizza delivery because we're way too tired & sleep deprived to even think of cooking a full meal.
Steps to Stay in Budget:
1. Stick to our grocery budget, which is $200 a month. For a family of three (very, very soon to be four!) that is more than reasonable. $50 a week is doable, so make do!
2. Research and print and clip and cut and upload any available coupons for groceries. Absolutely no impulse buys! If I don't have a coupon and it's not on the list, it isn't happening.
3. Stock up on any sales for "quick make" foods, like frozen pizzas and steamable vegetables. Maybe it's not the healthiest, but paired with a side of fruit & veggies, it'll be better than eating out.
4. If we must order out or hit the drive-thru, we absolutely have to be using some sort of coupon deal. No way are we paying full price.
5. Take advantage of every opportunity to make extra money, since that hospital bill will be coming. For my husband, that means grabbing any available overtime. For me, that means snagging deals even if going to the store sounds like a nightmare and filling out any surveys on the sites I frequent (Pinecone Research, Hallmark Mom's Community, Swagbucks, etc.).
6. Don't wear makeup on days I don't have to. The foundation powder I use is $25 a tiny container, so I really should get used to going bare faced more often.
7. Cut down on shower time and turn the water off as much as possible to reduce the water bill. I have a tendency to use the shower as my spa... my lazy, spacey, personal time. It's not good for my wallet or the environment so I really gotta stop that.
8. Turn off the TV and unplug devices when they aren't bring used or charged. Sometimes we'll be watching a movie, but with a three year old, we eventually make our way to his bedroom to play with toys or outside to run around. Forgetting to turn the TV off raises the electricity bill.
9. Hopefully that beautiful fall weather will be coming soon! Turn the AC off as much as possible to reduce the electricity bill, and open the windows to get some fresh air!
1. Stay within budget. Even with a baby coming.
That's all, folks. One goal, but not exactly small or simple. Like I mentioned in my first post, we've been going over budget (particularly in grocery, restaurant, medical, and home categories) way, way, way too much lately. It'll be even harder to keep our spending in check once Charlie arrives. The hospital bill, grabbing a quick bite at the drive-thru, ordering pizza delivery because we're way too tired & sleep deprived to even think of cooking a full meal.
Steps to Stay in Budget:
1. Stick to our grocery budget, which is $200 a month. For a family of three (very, very soon to be four!) that is more than reasonable. $50 a week is doable, so make do!
2. Research and print and clip and cut and upload any available coupons for groceries. Absolutely no impulse buys! If I don't have a coupon and it's not on the list, it isn't happening.
3. Stock up on any sales for "quick make" foods, like frozen pizzas and steamable vegetables. Maybe it's not the healthiest, but paired with a side of fruit & veggies, it'll be better than eating out.
4. If we must order out or hit the drive-thru, we absolutely have to be using some sort of coupon deal. No way are we paying full price.
5. Take advantage of every opportunity to make extra money, since that hospital bill will be coming. For my husband, that means grabbing any available overtime. For me, that means snagging deals even if going to the store sounds like a nightmare and filling out any surveys on the sites I frequent (Pinecone Research, Hallmark Mom's Community, Swagbucks, etc.).
6. Don't wear makeup on days I don't have to. The foundation powder I use is $25 a tiny container, so I really should get used to going bare faced more often.
7. Cut down on shower time and turn the water off as much as possible to reduce the water bill. I have a tendency to use the shower as my spa... my lazy, spacey, personal time. It's not good for my wallet or the environment so I really gotta stop that.
8. Turn off the TV and unplug devices when they aren't bring used or charged. Sometimes we'll be watching a movie, but with a three year old, we eventually make our way to his bedroom to play with toys or outside to run around. Forgetting to turn the TV off raises the electricity bill.
9. Hopefully that beautiful fall weather will be coming soon! Turn the AC off as much as possible to reduce the electricity bill, and open the windows to get some fresh air!
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
Obligatory awkward first entry.
I stopped blogging a long time ago. It was taking up far too much time and effort, and I had no real focus. That was back when "lifestyle blogging" was all the rage. Is it still? I genuinely have no idea. But in some ways, I really missed it. I didn't miss trying to make my life seem interesting or trying to convince my husband to take "outfit of the day" pictures for me... But I missed writing. Having a place to clear my head and get out my thoughts and goals is super therapeutic for me. I kept journals all through my childhood (and ended up discovering them as an adult and literally throwing them in a burn barrel because I was so mortified by myself... But still, they had served their purpose well) and I've always been a pretty avid writer. In high school, I was first place for class B schools in entertainment writing for the school paper. I went to state and didn't even place, so basically I am the worst of the best. And I am totally cool with that.
Which brings me to now. Time has flown by. I am 26 years old. A married homeowner with a three year old boy and another baby on the way. I have all the stresses and bills that a mortgage and a family usually come with. We're living in stressful times, where prices are rising on basically everything and the "buy, buy, buy" pulse in our culture is as strong as ever.
I have been fighting that pulse for awhile and working toward following the beat of my own drum. So this will be a place for me to make goals and hold myself accountable, share money saving tips and tricks, ask for advice, research and write about various topics that interest me financially, and any other beats I pick up along the way.
I decided to call the blog "Money Saving Mantra" because I've come across & developed a few mantras that I follow in my life to remind myself of my financial goals. I like the word "mantra" in particular. Yeah, it's a repeated slogan, but it's also defined as a word or sound to aid in meditation. I like the idea that these things I tell myself are meant to bring peace to my life. Especially since I think we can all relate to the way money and finances seem to bring misery and chaos.
However, the mantra posts will have to wait. It is this mama's bedtime and it has been a long, long day. At the end of every month, I go over our budget and see how we came out. For a few months now, we've been coming up short. Granted, there is always a perfectly good reason (the last couple months it was medical bills and ER visits for my son and this month it was dental bills for my husband and a few home expenses [plumbers, dry basement experts, and having a tree cut down]), but the trend is worrying. If you're like me and your chronic stress and anxiety pounce every single chance they get, these budgeting days add a lot of extra stress. So that's why I had to start this tonight. To remind myself to get my ducks in a row, my eggs in the basket, my... Uhhh... Money in the wallet?
Which brings me to now. Time has flown by. I am 26 years old. A married homeowner with a three year old boy and another baby on the way. I have all the stresses and bills that a mortgage and a family usually come with. We're living in stressful times, where prices are rising on basically everything and the "buy, buy, buy" pulse in our culture is as strong as ever.
I have been fighting that pulse for awhile and working toward following the beat of my own drum. So this will be a place for me to make goals and hold myself accountable, share money saving tips and tricks, ask for advice, research and write about various topics that interest me financially, and any other beats I pick up along the way.
I decided to call the blog "Money Saving Mantra" because I've come across & developed a few mantras that I follow in my life to remind myself of my financial goals. I like the word "mantra" in particular. Yeah, it's a repeated slogan, but it's also defined as a word or sound to aid in meditation. I like the idea that these things I tell myself are meant to bring peace to my life. Especially since I think we can all relate to the way money and finances seem to bring misery and chaos.
However, the mantra posts will have to wait. It is this mama's bedtime and it has been a long, long day. At the end of every month, I go over our budget and see how we came out. For a few months now, we've been coming up short. Granted, there is always a perfectly good reason (the last couple months it was medical bills and ER visits for my son and this month it was dental bills for my husband and a few home expenses [plumbers, dry basement experts, and having a tree cut down]), but the trend is worrying. If you're like me and your chronic stress and anxiety pounce every single chance they get, these budgeting days add a lot of extra stress. So that's why I had to start this tonight. To remind myself to get my ducks in a row, my eggs in the basket, my... Uhhh... Money in the wallet?
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