April '15 Unexpected Expenses

April has been a long month. This has been the first official month for a long time that my husband and I have shared one account. This is the first time that we have shared an account and have actually tried to budget. I say try because both of us are a combination of spender and saver. We know we should save, and we save a little, but we also like to have things and go out to eat.

We increased the amount of gas we have been using. I still haven't figured out why he spends so much more in gas, but I guess day to day driving farther and picking up our son from daycare adds up in miles and gas. So from the start of the month gas increased around $30.

We paid $22.86 more on our car debt.

For giving, we made a donation for a friend for her on going battle with cancer, and I also donated $1 for Habitat for Humanity at the gas station.

$44.38 over budget in household, this was budget low. I bought stamps, needed a new key since daughter lost hers, weed killer, cleaning wipes, and laundry detergent.

We had to redo our taxes to the tune of $50 since my husband's past employer sent us a notice at the end of March they made a mistake. They also refuse to pay for it.

We got my husband a glove, $37.09 to play catch with my son.

$15 for a shirt for my daughter for her orchestra tour of the schools.

15.70 I spent money to make PVC pipe rocket launchers, bird suet, suet holder, and a bird house to make for cub scouts.

For Easter I took my niece shopping for an Easter outfit, $36.58.

$45 for fast food and $9.47 for convenience food, some of this money was moved from our Mad money for tracking purpose.

$9.00 for Easter chocolate, $46.21 for school snacks for my son's class.

Some of this is actually stuff I could have waited till May to spend the money and budget it in but I am working a lot of both jobs and I need to get things done when I can.

The good news is that we will have an increase in income soon.

Next month we have to pay for a violin rental, graduation, and I have gotten my medical bill from my heart ultrasound.

Jan '15 Non-Budget Expenses

          I have such mixed feelings about 2015. I am 90% positive we won't pay off everything except the mortgage by the end of this year. We would have been fine but my husband is now making about half of what he was making. He is only 2 months into his job and has already gotten a raise. I hope to get a raise at both my jobs this year, one in Feb and the other is usual some time in the summer. In January I did get a nice bonus, plus my husband can get overtime at his job.

For January here is what was not part of our budget:

-went over a nickel in the pet category buying hay for the guinea pigs
- $4.77 in water softener which I didn't budget for so I need to add this in
-$13.00 I bought a white cross for our lawn to display during lent
-$36.65 for light bulbs and fuses for my Jetta, then $80 for the mechanic to fix the headlines which turned out to be a fuse which burned out the bulb (but my husband's job gave a discount)
-$100 or more on eating out/vending foods (we spend some cash which I didn't track carefully)
-$40 in gifts for my niece B-day BIL 40th B-day
-$75 in gas for travel to see family

Update:
-$43.18 for a race (I did only one race in 2014 and this will might my only one in 2015)
- $10 in medicine for cough and rash creme
-$50 in daycare registration

          We did get money for Christmas so that helped plus my husband has gotten some gift cards at work. Currently we have $35700 in debt for our siding and two cars. To pay off by Dec we need to pay off almost $3000/month, which also is the amount of monthly expenses. I definitely will have the siding paid off by Sept before the zero % interest expires. With an approximate yearly after tax and benefits income of $48,000, $3,000 in debt payments is not happening right now. I would really like to pay at least $2,000/month (minimum of $1500). The minimum payments are $603 for January, so that would be $1397 extra. We could be really close to paying off our debt this year but it has been really hard to stay focused and not want to relax after all we have been through. I hope tax season is not a big disappointment.

Also see 2014 unexpected expenses: Expect the Unexpected

10 Months

 

   We are now 10 months into what I hope is a two year journey of being debt free (except for the house). I often feel like giving up, but at this point I feel like there is no going back. I can't feel the same way I did in the past, putting things on credit cards and not worrying about the future.


     This journey started late last year when we were discussing me going back to school. I wanted to quit my job and start dental hygiene school in the fall of 2014. My husband felt we just couldn't do it since he was always fearing losing his job. At the end of Aug, my husband felt the pressure that there were on their way to forcing him out so he put in two weeks. They only let him work one, before he was told he was no longer needed. Funny how that day he got two post cards in the mail congratulating him for making sales and how he was such a great asset to the team. This cut our income by $50-60,000/ year. He was thinking ahead but it will be a long road to be making that salary again. Currently I am paying all the bills and praying for no emergencies. He is bringing in money, but starting a small business and putting money aside for that, at least through December.

This is very stressful. I want so bad to be out of debt, but I also don't want to sell my car. Today was picture day for my son and my daughter's was a few weeks ago. We couldn't see how this would fit into the budget or that it was important, but I still cried thinking that this isn't how I want it to be.

With my daughter being in sixth grade, and we are paying for a cellphone for her, I would like for her not to go to daycare. She starts school at 9, and I work at 8 but she could just read for that hour at school. This would save us $216 a month. The only thing is, my husband can't commit to picking her up, and there have been a lot of report too close to home of "stranger danger".

My husband did apply for some part time work, but with me working two jobs, not sure if this will work. I also worry that at my full time job, I feel overwhelmed. I am planned to be a lead on projects, that will hopefully give me a raise. I know this raise won't be life changing, but it is hard to balance with a part time job and a family.

On top of all this I can feel how high my blood pressure is at most times. I also found out today my cholesterol is higher than it should. It is hard to focus on my health and my finances at the same time.

If I can plow through this next year I know we can do it, but that is still 15 months away.

Unexpected Expenses May and June

 

May

With the end of school also brings, school fees for next school year. I am the chair of school supplies at my daughter's school, so I get her school supplies for free. My son goes to a Montessori school so we just donate a set amount, and the PTA buys supplies as the teachers request them throughout the year. My son also brought home spring pictures. These are such a scam! I sent my daughter's form back to say we don't want her picture taken, but it is harder to get my son to return things to school. Well, he got his picture taken, and they send home 5 sheets for you to buy or send back. One sheet was an assortment of key chain discs, bookmark, calendar and door hanger. My seven year old son, thinking these were cool free items, tore them off and went around finding uses for each item. He was devastated when he find out we had to pay for these things. I knew it was an honest mistake, so I told him I would pay for them this time. At the end of May I had a race with my sisters, and we split the cost of a hotel and gas. I'm thankful I was able to control myself with spending around my sisters. We went to a casino and I didn't spend a dime. For Mother's day I got my mom a garden cart with my sisters and I also paid for a cheap bible camp.

Daughter's book fee- $50

Son's supplies - $45 (check not cleared yet)

T-shirts to support a cause $45

Son's Spring pictures - $26

hotel - $20

Mother's Day - $20

bible camp - $5

June

June started with the kids being out of school and my husband on vacation. We saved money on daycare that week, but we had to go out of town for a graduation. We gave my niece a gift and helped her mom pay for a DJ for the party. I think it would have been more worth it if the party was more of my nieces friends, but they didn't really dance and there were only a few there. For the area we were in we got a cheap, but kinda scary hotel. The family we had there has so much going on and only one bathroom in all their house/apt that it is hard to stay with them when we visit. The rest of the vacation was budgeted for in advance. For Father's Day I also got dinner for the whole family, and I got my dad a small gift which I bought with my Shopkick points. I also promised my son two sports a year and he wanted to do flag football. I received $5 off for early registration. I found $50 flag football but heard the program is not good and it is in a rough area. The YMCA if you are not a member is $120, plus a $15 jersey! We also were having trouble with our air conditionor (wire got disconnected!) and plumbing. My husband paid for these so I'm not sure how much he spent on plumbing since he did the repair. In the future we will need to fix the hole in the wall to the basement, which turned out the problem was under the sink (Uff da!).

Graduation gift - $50

DJ - $100

Hotel - $160

Father's Day meal- $40
Flag football- $95
Air Conditioner repair - $100

I have also restructured my sinking fund for all the things the kids are involved in with school and extra activities. I planned out my next 6 months on my YNAB and everything is looking good. We were able to pay off my student loan in June and hope to have our house siding debt done by December. We are also saving money on daycare. My husband is off Monday, my sister off Tuesday, and I am able to be off during the day on Wednesday by working longer hours the other days, and making up hours here and there. It has been exhausting but I love saving money.

Upcoming expenses would be that Friday's at daycare are field trip days, so those will fluctuate. It is also 4-H fair time. My daughter will be part of a $15 challenge for shopping for clothes and will be making a fairy garden. I will use the clothing fund and the sinking fund to fund these.

March 2014 Unexpected Expenses

My son's birthday was in March. We didn't budget for a gift. I had a Groupon that was to expire for a local science center. My husband didn't really want to go so I invited one of my son's friends. The best part was we got there half an hour before it opened, and meter parking is free on the weekend and we found one right outside, so I didn't have to pay for parking in a garage. He also just wanted chips and juice instead of a cake, which saved some money. We did have a family party and I bought the cake from Costco for less than $20. We budget for automobile gas and mad money, which we blend. The total of this budget is $170. I also allowed $100 to be put aside from my second job to go towards all these extra expenses this month. So here is what I spent in March:

I had $18 cash, which over half went to the church I attend.
Vending machines at work: $24.40
Field Trip: $15
School Play t-shirt, after party and group picture: $15
School play costume: $40.43
Gas: 64.55
Fast food: 33.72
Bean bag beans: 13.77
Violin Solo Competition: $5
Headphones: $13.77
Work pot luck: 13.68
Printer Ink, aluminum foil: $45.85
school year book: $15 
Total: $318.17
We also had to buy salt for the water softener but took this out of our vacation fund since my husband didn't use any of it during spring break.

So as you can see even though I extended my budget I still went over by $48.17. I could have not participated in the potluck, waited on the headphone (although can't really say I regret it took much since I use they every day at work), and not bought bean bag beans. The field trip was a "suggested" donation, but I still felt I had to contribute. The sheet also noted you could add more money to pay for another child, but I think $15 is a lot for a field trip in the first place, especial since parents are driving. I did a lot better last month and was able to put extra money towards the debt from groceries and gas. I'm going to try a lot harder in April. Having two jobs is really exhausting. I haven't had a day off since January. I am working 60-70 hours a week and so is my husband. I just keep telling myself: It is only two years, and I'm making money. We are slated to have our first debt paid off in April and that is really exciting. We should have our second debt paid by August if we stay on track. My husband's work is to pick up in the summer which is nice, since we will also have more daycare expenses.

In April we also have to bring snacks for 25 students for 5 days, but I plan on taking this out of the grocery fund. Other than that I also hope to buy Rachel and Dave's book during pre-sale, but I plan on waiting to see how much money I have by April 15 before I buy.

I feel like a kid on a debt reducing road trip: "Are we debt free yet?"

Expect the Unexpected

January's budget went OK. I always thought I was doing OK, but a written zero based budget is working so much better. On Dave Ramsey's blog he has post on things you might forget to budget for the month which is helpful. Here is what we missed in our budget in January:
Drivers license renewal 21.50 for a 5 yr (paid less on debt)

Groupon use cost $6 for tip $13 food ( paid from mad money and gas fund)

Boy scout go see it wrestling $8 (used change jar)

School play skate party fundraiser $13 (my husband paid with his mad money and daughter paid from her money)

Birthday at school ( I used my birthday money):

Cake $27.98

Plates $1.99

Juice $7.49

Field trip $5.25 ( this was an optional donation so we didn't because we didn't have the money)
Total: $79.96
I received $50 for my birthday. I thought about putting it all towards debt but my husband said to spend it on myself. I ended up spending most of it on snacks and my daughters half birthday to bring treats to school. I have a hard time telling my kids no and I already promised her that about a month ago, before we started budgeting.

February Extras:
Car tags $177.50

Baseball $90

Girl scout world food day: ~$5
Tax Pro: ~$200
Donation to Jump for Heart- $5 ( already paid from mad money)
Total: $477.50
I have picked up a second job which I hope to fund all the above and to use my mad money. My husband and I each get some mad money each month. Last month I went over so I took out that much less this month. When I went to the bank I took out $10 less than that for just in case, which is how I paid for the Donation already. The grocery and extra money in my gas fund we are putting towards debt. We were planning to use extra grocery money towards some more expensive food, but I reasoned that we did eat out when we went out of town so we did have that treat.

Zero Based Budget

I did not plan a menu for this week since we were out of town and it was a busy week for me. I am trying to plan grocery shopping starting on Tuesday when the ads come out. I go through Hy-Vee, Fareway and Dahl's, sometimes Aldis, to look for deals to make meals. On Tuesday I was only able to go through one ad so I definitely need to work on this and make it a bigger priority. We are well stocked and have leftovers to eat in the fridge so it shouldn't break the budget by not planning.
As far as the budget we are doing great in my mind. All the years I had a budget, sometimes on paper, some times in my head, but having a zero based Dave Ramsey budget is really helping put things in perspective. My husband and I printed the Monthly Cash Flow Plan from Dave's website then I also have it on my computer to easily change the numbers each month.

The following is our budget. I won't give numbers but percentages. The percentages will be of the total planned monthly income unless stated.

Budget

Food

Groceries: 2% weekly of our monthly income. So this can vary depending on how many weeks are in the month. Every week this month we have had a little left over in this category, but have been rolling it over.
Restaurants: 0%. We ate out once because I had a Groupon that was to expire. I used my gas money and mad money to pay for tip and other amount not covered by Groupon. This weekend when we went out of town I purposely spent only 50% of our weekly grocery amount so we could get food on the way there and out of town. We used coupons and were conservative on what we bought. It wasn't fancy, just fast food. We stayed with family so our meals were covered when we got to our destination.

Clothing

Adults: .2% (This is more of a build up fund as we don't need clothes every month.)
Children: .2% (Same as clothing for Adults, plus they received clothes for Christmas, and get hand me downs.)
Cleaning/Laundry: .1% ( We don't dry clean, so this will be for detergent and dryer sheets.)

Housing

First Mortgage: 5% weekly of our monthly income. Includes property tax and insurance. This is taking out of the bank account every week, and makes us pay more than is due each year to pay it off faster. This probably wouldn't be what Dave would suggest, but this is what we are used to and consider it part of the regular payment.
Home Improvement Loan: 3%
Repairs/Maint.: 0%. We do have a lot that needs done at this time but at this time are not putting anything in this fund. I think once we get going and I get a second job we well have separate envelopes for what needs to be done.

Transportation

Gas: .6% weekly of our monthly income for me, .8% weekly of our monthly income for my husband
Repairs & Car Replacement: 0%. We have new cars which will be paid off in two years and we have a good interest rate, so we did not sell them to get out of debt. With my second job I will start to think about tires for our cars in the future.
License & Taxes: Not due this month. Mine will be 3% next month. This is an easy one to take out of the budget, but we could/should make a sinking fund for this.

Utilities

Electricity/Gas: 2% which changes every 3 months. This is budget billing, and I know it has been a bad winter.
Water/Trash: 1%. This varies $5-10 monthly. I plan for an amount and if under the extra goes to debt.
Cell Phones: 2%. I have a plan with my parents which I have had for a while and they get a discount. My husbands is higher but he gets a discount through work.
Internet: .8%. Currently we have a promotional fee. We use internet to watch Netflix and Hulu and the kids have Xbox Live.
Netflix: $7.99 streaming only, no cable.

Medical/Health

Medications/Doctor Bills/Dentist/Other: 1%. This was just for this month. Most months will be zero. Every couple months I have a small prescription to fill. This will be part of the budget discussion. Obviously we will go to the doctor if needed but then we can start planning how to pay after. The bills take a while to get back to us then if a big amount we will make payments and can treat it like a sinking fund. If small it can be out of mad money or reduce our debt pay off for the month.

Insurance

Auto Insurance: 2%. Currently this is the only insurance. We need to add Life. Home is part of mortgage, health comes out of paycheck.

Recreation

Entertainment: .2%. We are planning to go to the movies for Birthdays and this will fund this expense.
Vacation: 1% going to see family. This will fund gas and food for the trip. This is more of a sinking fund and once we get to our goal we might stop.

Personal

Child Care: 2% weekly of our monthly income. This can fluctuate and this is for the school year, so will change when the kids are out of school.
Toiletries: 1%. This is high since my husband only like a certain brand of razors and shaves a lot.
Haircut: .1%. We try to let our kids hair grow and shave my son's head in the summer which we can do at home. I rarely get my haircut and my husband shaves his, see above.
Organization Dues: .3%. This is for boy scouts, girl scouts and 4-H sinking fund. This are due in the fall so after that it will go down to be broken down by 12 months.
Christmas: 1%. Last year I save Jan-Nov for my family. This year we are saving for both families since my husband and I are being on the same page and trying to be equals.
Pocket Money: 2%. A.K.A. Mad Money, Blow Fund. Used for random things, snacks and keeps us from feeling really deprives.
Pet Supplies: .3%. This pays for dog food which is bought every other month. We get a giant bag at Walmart.
Music/Technology: .3%. This will be due in May and then this sinking fund can go down to be split into 12 monthly payments, as long as we can rent from the guild when she moves up in grades.
Other: No other categories are being funding from Dave's worksheet.

The rest of our income will be debt payments. We are able to get our starter emergency fund fast because my husband has a fluctuating income. We looked at last year and took the week with the lowest amount to count on, so in actually we will be paid more then what is in our plan. See Dave's Irregular Income Planning sheet if you work on commission or in a seasonal job.

Christmas Savings Club - September 2013 Edition

It is the 25th of the Month again and Family Balance Sheet is having a meeting for the Christmas Savings Club. I started saving for Christmas at the beginning of the year, but it is never to late to save for Christmas. Only 3 months till your family will be opening presents,( that is if you have Christmas on time).

My September transfer is in my online savings account. Only one more transfer and I will be at my goal. I wanted to be done a month early to be ready for any good sales. A few months ago I participated in a wellness program at work and I was able to earn $25 in amazon gift cards. This week started another session to earn $25 more. I just have to track how many steps I take a day and my fitness minutes to meet my goal for the week. This will give me an extra $50 to spend, plus Amazon has free shipping on select items if you spend over $25.

This month Family Balance Sheet also announced the theme for October is "31 Days to Find $1000". I'm going to look at my YNAB software for August and September to see if this is even possible for me. $1,000 is a lot of money and I'm pretty sure this doesn't involve robbing a bank. I have been working really hard this year to cut back but it seems every time I turn around it seems that something new needs to be paid.

Only 13 weeks until December 25th!!

For the Love of Libraries

I love libraries. My dad used to take us as kids, and it blows my mind that my nieces and nephew barely go to my hometown library. It is an upgraded library from my early childhood. Yes I know it is downtown, but it has free parking.

 I have two memberships to libraries in my area. My metro area is a combination of small to medium sized towns, that all have a library. They all have their benefits. Here is my list of loves about the libraries in my area:
1. Free rental of books (obvious I know, but I seem to have to remind my kids: Why buy when we can get it for free!)
2. Free rental of video games.
3. Free rental of cake pans, great for birthday parties.
4. Free rental of movies, even Blue Rays.
5. Great place for non-profit meetings.
6. Free Digital Magazine through Zinio, plus downloadable music and books.
7. Free rental of CDs and audio books
8. Free online resources for research, even car repair
9. Contest for reading for kids and adults.
10. Other services provided by the library include adult and children’s programs, opaque projector, faxing, color photocopier, home bound delivery, test proctoring, notary public, study rooms, and viewing/listening stations.

I love how libraries are keeping up with technology, even hosting classes to help you keep up on the times. Check out your local library for what they can offer, you might be surprised.

July Christmas Savings Club

Who can say no to that face?

I can't believe I didn't post this on time because I was super excited about it. I found $325 and it barely took any effort. My state has a website where you can find money that is yours that has been lost through moves or whatnot.  I saw an article about how a local school district is getting a huge chunk of change due to people not claiming their money.  I have checked this site before, after my brother in law saw my name in the paper that said I had money floating out there. That time it was from a paycheck I never cashed when I was banking bucks as a high schooler (crazy I know!).  This time I found $300 owed to my husband, we think from a deposit on a cell phone, and I had $25 from a credit card company. I have a crazy name so I spelled it a few ways and mine was under only a partial last name. It really is quite easy and doesn't take time to search. For the $300 we did need to get it notarized and you need to have proof of the address listed from the site. I just did a typed in a search engine my state and treasurer and I was able to see that other states also have online search, so search for every state you have made money or lived in to see if you are owed any cash. Also you can go through the NAUPA site to search.

Check out Family Balance Sheet for the monthly Christmas Saving Club post on the 25th of every month. to November.

So far I have saved $478 out of $629 for Christmas! Plus I have earned interest on this of a few dollars I will be able to buy myself a small snack while shopping!

Christmas Savings Club- Open a Savings Account

familybalancesheet.org

I was kinda nervous to open an online account. I'm a visual person, I like to drive by my bank and be able to go in to see a vault door, where I'm pretty sure they keep my money safe and sound until I'm ready to withdrawal   An online account seems like I'm pretending, or the money is floating like a holograph never in my grasp. But, alas, I did open a SmartPig account. You save for a goal and then at the end you can withdrawal and even can get a bonus percent if you put it on a gift card. I thought this was a good way to save for Christmas,  it will just take some fore thought and organizing to make sure I get the cards and money in time. So I have put $163 in the account for Feb and will have $63 put in every month on the 25th until I reach my goal of $629. I also think I'm going to put the tax refund that we received in a Sallie Mae online account. The SmartPig account is getting 1% APY and Sallie Mae is at .95% APY.

Here are some links I used to help make my decision:
Savings Account.com
Kiplinger
Money Talk News

Thanks to Family Balance Sheet for creating the monthly link up!

Spending

I wanted to write this post Saturday, then I wanted to do it on Sunday, but it's Monday and here I am finally getting to it.

I had to return the Kirby attachment I bought the other week because I don't think my vintage Kirby vacuum is strong enough to make it work.  Than gave me a refund of $26.50, but I also bought a mirror/window cleaning cloth for $8.47.  I wanted to buy new curtain rods for my daughter's room so I could fit up her decorative rods.    That cost $2.06 at Walmart for two rods.  I went shopping on Friday with my sister and bought a pair of pants to work out in, cost $6.36.  I bet my daughter at the store that we already had this Skylander.  I lost the bet because we have one that looks similar, cost $1.  I had to buy my daughter deodorant (a post in itself), cost $2.46, Walmart.

Cost of misc personal and household items: + $5.61
Gas: $26.36 (I budget $40, so +13.64)
Groceries: $141.78 (over by $101.78)
Eating Out: $20 (over by $20 because I try to avoid eating out but seem to do it every week)

I spend almost $75 at Fareway this last week because ground beef hasn't been on sale for awhile, and they had 85% for $1.99 a pound.  I bought 20 pounds of that plus $9.53 of country style pork ribs.  Cereal was also on sale so I got 4 boxes.  I now have a good supply of chicken and about 3 months worth of ground beef in my freezer.

Tonight we were supposed to eat at home, but it was 6:40 by the time we were able to eat so I spent $12.32 on McDonalds.  Everyone, including me was so hungry by that time that I didn't even want to think about cooking.  I should have cooked something the night before, so we could just warm it up, but I just didn't make the time.  I'm going to try my best to not eat out for the rest of the week, hopefully even on Friday when we leave for out of town.

Changing to More Frugal Ways

I have been trying to find ways to cut back on cost around here.  Hy-Vee had a sale on boxes of Jello Pudding for $.69.  When I went to the store to buy a box I saw that they have the Hy-Vee brand was only $.49 for its everyday price.  I decided that pudding was pudding and brought home the Hy-Vee brand.  The box said it was worth 4 servings, but I was able to make 5 serving from one box for my daughter's school lunch.  Unfortunately she forgot her lunch today and was unable to give me her take on the taste.

I also found these deals at the stores this week:

Fareway:

 $3/2 Campbell's Chunky Soup

Fareway coupon $3/3 (limit 3, one coupon per customer)

Manufacturer coupon $1 off of 3 

Final Cost: $2/3

Hy-Vee Two Day Thur/Fri Sale

Rice-a Roni $.99 box

Manufacture coupon $1/4 (facebook like coupon)

Final Cost: $2.96/4

I Have No Excuse

So I did.  I went and spent a lot of money today.  For no good reason really, just because I wanted to.  I even ate out.  Here it is:

Walmart: 2 faucet aerators for kitchen and full bath, box of crayons and color pencils, and a plastic box for them to go into. total: $10.39

Porcelain Pen's non toxic but not intended for use with food items.  Michael's Craft Stores $15.99

Target: clearance boxer briefs star wars 2pack $1.74.  rambo screen t for xmas $4.98, chips for daughter's breakfast $1.39. total: $8.51

Hobby Lobby: clearance scrapbook stickers $2.49, large frame for photo prop $39.99, glow in dark paint $.99, and paint for sister's t $2.99. total: $49.25

Donation to wild life place at mall so we can look at animals: $2

Fast Food at mall: $12.49

Hy-Vee: $3.67 for freezer paper for t-shirts (free with coupons: twix and 2L Dr. Pepper Ten)

Michael's: t-shirt to practice on $2.50, and porcelaine paint pens $7.99, tube of glow sticks: $1.00

total: $12.18

Gordman's: 2 blow guns: $6.34

Grand total: $104.83

So I do need to return a $6 bow and arrow set to walmart since it broke the night we got it home, and also I am going to return the pens to Michael's because they aren't for items you eat off of, which I wasn't sure but I had a 50% off coupon I needed to use that day.  I had looked for the package of dog food that moneysavingmom.com talked about, but at that Walmart it was a 3.5 bag for $6.48, and my packs of coupons also didn't have the shavers.  The Dr. Pepper ten I got at Hy-vee because they were not selling it at Walmart or the Target I went to. 

Don't ask me what my next move is going to be, or how I'm going to stop spending.  I just don't know.  Maybe when the money runs out since I can say none of this went on a credit card.

Totaling It All Up

$4.99/lb tilapia from Fareway

So I thought I would recap what I spent on everything this weekend.

Hy-Vee: $9.99+$10.27= $20.26 large can of almonds, generic Velveeta, coconut water, and soup
Fareway: $42.14 meat, ect
Aldi: $7.44 milk, chips, and
Bread Outlet: $4.16 3 loves of bread, hamburger buns
Halloween Express: $11.70 black wig
Redbox: $1.06 Hoodwinked Too
Apple Orchard: $25.61 balloon animal, paint squash, a "Queen's Apple",wine, apples and a root beer
Walmart: $61.99 costume, fabric, toy bow and arrow
Earl May: $5.47 pumpkin painting
Total: $179.83

Wow, when you put it that way that's a lot.  I still have to make shirts for a race that my sister is going to be in and some small presents for my twin nieces birthday coming up.  I'm sure there will be more too, Tuesday is a book fair dinner for my daughter's school.  I have been good that I haven't eaten out since I used a Groupon two weeks ago, unless your counting a meal that my sister bought for me.  I'm going to try to be better about not buying things, but I'm just not that good at it.

Dont Stop Believin

So I know it's been a long time since I posted more than a meal plan, but it has been crazy.  Both my kids and myself are finally in school.  I have already had my first test even.  I just have this one course before I am on the top portion of the waiting list for the dental hygiene program. Yeah!  I'm sure I'll have a lot more time to blog after December, I just need to do it.  One of my distractions lately has been pinterest.com.  It is such an awesome concept, I wish I would have thought of it.


So today we went to Lowe's and built the cute police cars with working light.  In two weeks they will be having a fire truck with siren.  Afterwards we went to Kohls and picked up a Tonka toy for my son since he has been doing such a good job sleeping by himself in his bed.  I know he is four and he should have been doing this since birth, but he hasn't so it is a big milestone for us.  I might have mentioned this before but I think he has an attachment disorder of some sort.  He likes new things, but he doesn't like letting go of his old things, such as a too small pair of shoes.  The worst part about it, is he has a pretty good memory, so he doesn't forget what he had.  At the beginning of summer he remembered a shirt that he wore last summer, so it was a good thing it still fit.  I have to keep thinking of creative ways to convince him it's OK to get rid of these things. I think this ties into the fact that he has always wanted me to sleep in his bed, but then he is mad when he woke up and I was in my own bed.

Afterwards we went to Fareway and I tried to buy a lot of healthy foods.  I only ended up spending $29.52.  I also decided to go to Bed, Bath, and Beyond and buy the Eggies with my 20% coupon.  I have to still provide breakfast for my son which is worse I think than providing lunch because he isn't much of a morning eater, like myself.  I also went to Costco and spent $52.05.  They have these cute small animal pillows (knock off pillow pets) with a blanket that are really soft for about $12, so I bought one for my son and two for my nieces since their birthday is coming up and they started preschool too this year.  I still need to buy some more food for the week and tomorrow my sister and I hope to make some meals to freeze since she started and new job.  We each picked two things, and are doubling the recipes to share with each other.  I hope to keep myself in check, and hopefully I wont spend again till next weekend.

Progress and Juice Diet

So this week has been busy, and I'm sure next week will be too.  It seems like a lot is going on next weekend in my town and I won't even be here.  Yesterday I went to Costco and stuck to the plan except I bought some apples since my sister requested them and I buy her food to watch my kids two days a week.  I ended up spending $45.94. Not too bad.  Next I went to the mall to get my wedding ring checked, and my daughter talked about how she had never had chocolate dipped strawberries.  We passed by Godiva and they had them in their display so I splurged and got them.  5 for $10 plus $.60 tax.  Ouch.  Next stop Target to get mouthwash and more cotton candy for the ugly cake which cost $4.76.  Not too bad.  After the fair we stopped and bought a juicer for $83.94 ( I'll explain this), and also my husband was sad that ice cream in our freezer melted so I bought sonic for $8.15.  If I wouldn't have really thought about this I would have said I spent about $80 to $100 today.

Total for Saturday: $153.39, yeah this is more of my typical weekend routine of spending money.  So my total spending for last week was $262.16.  Over $151.86 for the three weeks.  That is a lot and I'm not sure if I'll be able to make that up.

I might have to rethink my strategy.  They other day I watched Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.  It was an Australian guy with an Australian juicer going around just drinking juice.  He lost weight and helped get himself  off medication.  He also had a few others try it and got them hooked on it too.  Now I like drinks so I thought "What an idea".  I'm not sure how it really works but I also found this website: Juicer Recipes.  The movie also has a Facebook page and a website to help you get started on juicing.  The whole problem is they said it cost $14 a day.  For us that could be times 2, plus I don't plan on putting my kids on this diet or giving them crap, easy food while we do it, so I'm not sure how  this will work out.  My plan for now is to start with food to help clear my skin, then do a two week detox, and then repeat again in 3 months.  I'm not sure what my husband plans to do, but he wants to lose weight.  If you don't want to invest in a juicer there is also this website: Green Monster Movement.

So I need a new plan.  I think this week I will just keep blogging about what I am spending.  It is my daughter's birthday so I want to buy her gifts and also it is my nephew's birthday and I still need to get him gifts.  I'm also still in need of 5 more window treatments and decorative hardware.  I think I will keep dwelling on these things till I buy them.  I have been doing well on my saving money on the side so I do feel good about that aspect of life.  Maybe by next week I'll have a good plan.

Anyone Can Shop Aldi

I couldn't resist snapping a shot of a Hummer in the Aldi's parking lot.

So I haven't posted for a few days but here is an update on what I've been spending.

Tuesday I went to the Party store to get table clothes for my daughters 4-H group and I ended up also buying the costume that my son has been wanting.  I ended up spending $24.84. My mom is making some curtains for my daughter's room, so I bought decorative curtain rods for $10.18.  I stopped at the gas station while we were out and I had a $.69 freezy drink and my daughter got an expensive shake for about $2.50, and our total was $3.23.  I also went to the grocery store and spent $10.20 on pork steak and 2 gallons of juice.  

Through out the work week I also spent another $4 at the vending machines.

Today I went to Aldi Foods:

12pk cherry cola $2.69 plus $.60 deposit

crescent rolls 2 @ $1.49 each or $2.98

skim milk $2.79

large eggs $1.19

trail mix 4 @ $.49 each or $1.96

taco mix $.39

baby carrots $1.19

meat stick $.89

ingredients to help make an ugly cake (pictures to follow Sunday):

starburst $2.25

werthers original $1.99

starlite mints $.99

chocolate frosting $1.29

Fudge brownie mix 2 @ $1.29 each or $2.58

Total with tax $25.73

Total for the week is $107.77.  Wow, more than I thought it would be when added.  I did have $39.30 in overage from the last two weeks so I would have $109.30 to spend this week if I add that in so I'm not over in these 3 weeks.  I still plan on going to Costco because I really need toilet paper, and I really hope they have the Kirkland frappuccino because they have been out for weeks.  I also need to buy Tampax and Always pads, and I hope I can resist everything else.  I would like to buy some cheerios and yogurt but I think I could get both of them cheaper.  Tomorrow will also be a busy day so I'm not sure how it will work, but I hope to keep the cost low there too.

Making Ends Meet.....So Far

Picture taken by my boy.

I think I did really well this last week, but that was also thanks to my sister.  As I mentioned I was going out of town, and my first stop was my older sister's house.  We went to Old Navy and I was in line to buy a shirt, but she was unsure if she would make enough to use her coupon of $10 off of $50.  I tried to pay her but she said she didn't mind paying for for it since she had her coupon.  So I got my son a cute shirt for $2 and didn't pay.  Then she treated me to an awesome dinner at a Japanese steakhouse.  You know the one where they put on a show.  I have always wanted to go to one, but you have to get there early to beat the crowd.  As mentioned I was in a rural part of the Midwest for the family reunion on Saturday and part of Sunday, so no money to spend there.  I didn't even have cell phone reception!  Once on our way home Sunday I spent $12 and some change, I'll round to $13 since I can't remember.  Today I spent $1.75 on vending machine at work since I wasn't really prepared, plus $4.23 on Lil Ceasars Pizza.  I went to Walmart and spent $2.98 on 5lb of sugar, and I bought $2.94 for about 4lb of chicken hindquarters, and I also had to buy anti itch solution ($4.69, cause I forget to buy at Walmart) after the weekend of giant mosquitoes.

So my total for the week is $29.59.  $40.41 left to spend.  I have $21.44 from two weeks ago and $17.86 from last week.  I plan on spending some money this week on some household item and more groceries so I'm sure to go over this week.  I'm glad gas is going down because I have a lot of running around to do this week, plus my daughter's birthday is coming up soon.  I'm winging the meal plan this week too!  I hope for things to be back to normal next week because we are back out of town after this coming weekend.  I'm in overload!

What do you need another peeler for?

So today was a fail.  I don't even know why.  I thought this monkey peeler
was cute.  So when I found one, I thought I should buy it.  No real reason.  It was a good deal.  $3.38 with tax.  It sells for $7.99-$14.20 on Amazon.com.

I also spent $7 on food at the farmer's market, there really wasn't a decent meal for $5, so I spent it on 2 steak tacos, re-fried beans, and rice.  I also found a cute scrapbook store and bought a 12x12 t ball sheet for my son's scrapbook.  It was $.80 with tax.

So today's total (which I wanted to be $5) was $11.18.  I have 17.86, geez what a small amount considering last week I had $20 left over.  I also have little in the freezer to cook up so I will more than likely spend more money at the grocery store this week.  I also plan on baking a cake with my daughter on Saturday, and will need supplies for that.  It could be interesting.

I hope to post on Sunday night, but it could go to Monday depending what time I get home.  Have a good weekend!