July Frugalistas

[Soror]

We did have a thread going for awhile but I've not seen one lately, hope I'm not stepping on toes. Just looking for a place for others looking to save money, stay on budget, look for deals, etc.

 

We were doing well here then had a couple of lax months. Getting back to it again. Dh is finally *really* on board. We are doing a trial of YNAB. We've done Mint for years but it has ceased to be effective for us. Anyway, we're back to the figurative "rice and beans budget" and really looking at everything. We don't seem to do well with moderation and we really have got to get the short-term savings back up. It is looking 9 - 12 months to get where we need to be. We had the talk with the kids. Thankfully our preferred activities are cheaper ones like Scouts, biking, and hiking. It is going to take a tremendous amount of self-restraint not to buy school books, that will be my big challenge. My other big challenge is keeping the grocery budget down, it is the easiest area to overspend and so easy to spend a ton of money without even trying.

 

Oh, and we finally called to get new insurance quotes and we are going to save $600 for the year (house and car) with significantly better coverage on our car.

 

Our big goal this month is to get back in the groove and continue to look to see where we can cut regular expenses. My electricity continues to be increased from last year although the temp has been cooler, I'm not sure why but I know I've been more lax here. I should actually make some money this month from teaching yoga (my first pay- woot!). Dh should be starting another session of teaching as well, which will be a huge boost but hasn't got any dates yet.

[mommyoffive]

So happy you brought this back to life!  Love the monthly theme to it too.  

 

 

I will update soon.

[Alicia64]

I'm glad the thread is going again! I seriously need to keep from spending! Dh didn't teach summer school this year, and we're trying to take a somewhat frugal vacation at the end of the month.

 

curious about frugal vacay. That's what we need! Where are you going?

 

Alley

[Soror]

I'm glad the thread is going again! I seriously need to keep from spending! Dh didn't teach summer school this year, and we're trying to take a somewhat frugal vacation at the end of the month.

Dh hasn't taught this summer either and we had expected him to already have finished a session by now. Man, it is sure easier to budget and save money the more there is coming in!

 

We did a frugal vacation this year, probably wouldn't appeal to a lot of people but it worked for us. We did 3 nights tent camping and while we were there we just did free stuff biking(brought our own) and played in the water(it was on a nice creek). Then the next week the kids had most of the week at grandparents swimming in the pool playing with cousins while dh and I did local hiking and kayaking. Nothing fancy but we enjoyed it. We had gas there (2 hrs one way), $50 in camping fees, $10 in ice cream one day and that's about it. We brought coolers and made our own food. It wasn't an epic trip but enjoyable. We've already started planning for next year, the kids want to go to the beach, so I need to research different economical places that are family friendly. We will tent camp again, bring our own food, and drive there all of that is a big part of the expenses. We want to hit the Atlantic this time as it is closer and the kids haven't been there, I think we'll stop over and hit a section of the Appalachian trail on the way. We like nature stuff so that cuts down on a lot of costs. The girls would LOVE to go to Dollywood but when I priced tickets they were really high. Anyway, trips for us are more about seeing things and we don't mind camping so it works well.

 

So happy you brought this back to life!  Love the monthly theme to it too.  

 

 

I will update soon.

Happy to see you!

[Zinnia]

Our frugal vacation this year is half camping in the Smokies. We are staying in a private campground in a cabin, beds, roof, AC, but no bathroom or kitchen.

 

Four nights there, cooking all our meals at the campsite, and hiking the national park for activities.

 

It's also only 4 hours from home, so minimal gas costs.

[Soror]

Oh! I know six flags and water parks don't sound frugal, but we already have the cheap season tickets we bought during the labor day sale last year!

Dh and the older kids usually do a once a year trip to Six Flags with free tickets from their reading program BUT I think I must have forgot to do that this year, OOPS!! I guess dh hasn't noticed yet that we haven't received them in the mail.

[hjffkj]

June and July are always spendy months because my sister visits in June and dh and I both have bdays in July. So I don't really have any plans to be overly frugal until August. I did find a $20 puzzle I had on my Amazon wishlist for my bday at Goodwill for $1.50. all 1000 pieces in it! Happy birthday to me!

 

 

 

I will be spending a lot of July working on my passive income stream venture. It may turn into a Kickstarter but I haven't decided if that is the route I want to go yet. It is far from being a passive income but it eventually will be.

[DawnM]

I thought I responded to this....I guess not.

 

July and Aug will be spendy months.  VACATION!!!!!!!!!

 

But we saved for it, so we should be fine.

[mommyoffive]

Oh! I know six flags and water parks don't sound frugal, but we already have the cheap season tickets we bought during the labor day sale last year!

 

 

I was going to say the thought about the Read to Succeed program that gives free tickets to Six Flags.  But you already have tickets.

[Epicurean]

We are buying a house (closing on the 20th), so we are going from having a lot of disposable income to having virtually none. I want to really be frugal this month to prove to myself that we can still have enough left over for savings and not feel destitute.

 

Our two vice spending categories are groceries and restaurants. I overspend at the grocery store, and we eat out too much. I have printed out a weekly grid for July and posted it on my fridge. Each week has three boxes next to it: homemade, restaurants, and fast food. Every time we eat a meal, I add a tally to the appropriate box. I already use Mint, but I need something in my face telling me how we are doing. I think there's a psychological aspect of seeing the tallies add up, and fearing how bad it will look if our restaurant and fast food boxes are full of marks.

 

For the grocery store, I'm turning to online ordering. If I order everything on our list online, I can't make any impulse purchases. Or stop for a frapucino at the in-store Starbucks. Wah.

[Soror]

As such things go we've had some expenses pop up but nothing too big. We're trying out a new cheaper toner to see how it works, we were already using generic toner and it has worked well but we are going to try another one that costs even less, it is only $12 so it seems worth it to get it a shot. Working on tracking every dollar, every expense, and seeing if we can do better. 

 

I've still yet to sell anything. I really, really hate selling crap, it is a pain in the butt but I still have crap to sell. 

June and July are always spendy months because my sister visits in June and dh and I both have bdays in July. So I don't really have any plans to be overly frugal until August. I did find a $20 puzzle I had on my Amazon wishlist for my bday at Goodwill for $1.50. all 1000 pieces in it! Happy birthday to me!



I will be spending a lot of July working on my passive income stream venture. It may turn into a Kickstarter but I haven't decided if that is the route I want to go yet. It is far from being a passive income but it eventually will be.

Sweet score! Way to keep going on income!

 

I thought I responded to this....I guess not.

 

July and Aug will be spendy months.  VACATION!!!!!!!!!

 

But we saved for it, so we should be fine.

Have fun!

 

 

We are buying a house (closing on the 20th), so we are going from having a lot of disposable income to having virtually none. I want to really be frugal this month to prove to myself that we can still have enough left over for savings and not feel destitute.

Our two vice spending categories are groceries and restaurants. I overspend at the grocery store, and we eat out too much. I have printed out a weekly grid for July and posted it on my fridge. Each week has three boxes next to it: homemade, restaurants, and fast food. Every time we eat a meal, I add a tally to the appropriate box. I already use Mint, but I need something in my face telling me how we are doing. I think there's a psychological aspect of seeing the tallies add up, and fearing how bad it will look if our restaurant and fast food boxes are full of marks.

For the grocery store, I'm turning to online ordering. If I order everything on our list online, I can't make any impulse purchases. Or stop for a frapucino at the in-store Starbucks. Wah.

Congrats on the house! You can do it!

 

We don't do restaurants but groceries is one I overspend the easiest. I'm doing the opposite though, avoiding online and also trying to keep to 1 trip a week, with a list!!!

[Joyofsixreboot]

I'll join. Two in college this fall and things we can't control (gas taxes, plates for the cars, insurance ) keep going up. Time to refocus.

 

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[mommyoffive]

We are buying a house (closing on the 20th), so we are going from having a lot of disposable income to having virtually none. I want to really be frugal this month to prove to myself that we can still have enough left over for savings and not feel destitute.

 

Our two vice spending categories are groceries and restaurants. I overspend at the grocery store, and we eat out too much. I have printed out a weekly grid for July and posted it on my fridge. Each week has three boxes next to it: homemade, restaurants, and fast food. Every time we eat a meal, I add a tally to the appropriate box. I already use Mint, but I need something in my face telling me how we are doing. I think there's a psychological aspect of seeing the tallies add up, and fearing how bad it will look if our restaurant and fast food boxes are full of marks.

 

For the grocery store, I'm turning to online ordering. If I order everything on our list online, I can't make any impulse purchases. Or stop for a frapucino at the in-store Starbucks. Wah.

 

Congrats on the house!!!  So exciting.

 

Your spending plans sound like it will work.  

[readinmom]

July is always a rough month.  I already purchased dd's curriculum last month, so that's a relief. Dh and I are going on vacation, but have no idea where, thinking Colorado or Idaho.  Last year we went all out and went to Hawaii...this year it's definitely frugal.

 

I have to work numbers for new budget.  No summer school $$$ here either.  

[Soror]

Dental cleanings yesterday for ds and dh. Unfortunately, both have to come back for work. Ds has a filling he needs, which will hopefully be mostly covered but dh will have a crown that is only covered 50%. We still have some in our HRA which I think will be enough but between that and my consult this month we're probably going to be running out soon. Our dentist is very conservative so I'm certain if he says it is needed it is. I had them give me a second opinion on my other kids before and they have saved us money multiple times (and more importantly were right). 

 

We did buy some cleaning supplies this weekend, we've been planning to clean the house forever and had been given some cleaner by the in-laws, it wasn't enough to do the whole house so dh used Menard's rebate check plus some cash to finish it. Next month we're going to buy a couple more gallons and do the deck. We didn't buy any fireworks this year(they are legal here and we usually buy a few small things), we found some leftovers from last year. We did buy a few snacks while watching the show, spent $3.50. Dh and I are planning our anniversary, we are planning on a backpacking trip, the only cost should be gas to get there(it will be 2hr drive or less) and food(we will be making our own dehydrated food). 

 

I caught up with YNAB date entry this am. The new version is supposed to import but I find it glitchy, I think it is good to do it manually anyway. 

 

The boys are planning on hitting the grand opening to Academy Sports, we got a $10 off coupon in the mail and the in-laws said we could have their coupon too. Plus, if you are the first 150 in line you get at least a $20 giftcard so they are going to go in early to see if they can get one. They have pants just like Scout pants but half off. If they get a gift card I think they will be able to get a pair for both of them spending less than $10, as of now they only have 1 pair. 

[Soror]

Worked out with a friend today instead of paying for class.

 

Went by Krogers and picked up a couple of things that Aldi's doesn't carry. Also, got chocolate almond milk and butter as they had digital coupons saving me $1.5 over Aldi's prices. Used rental credit to get free Redbox movie and checked out another movie from library. Give kids $0.50 to share a drink.

 

I've started my grocery list and it looks good so far, but I've got to think because I'm sure I'm forgetting some things, I'm really trying to get costs back in line. Tomorrow Big Lots has 20% off, I need to survey my cabinets to see if there is anything I need from them. We started working on our backpacking food, fingers crossed our recipes work :) 

 

Signed up for email updates for the Uber Frugal July- thought some of you might be interested. It is encouraging and tasks for each day to keep you on track and motivated and is free.

http://www.frugalwoods.com/category/uberfrugalmonth/

[mommyoffive]

Oh I have to look into that!  Thank you.

[SamanthaCarter]

I've started my grocery list and it looks good so far, but I've got to think because I'm sure I'm forgetting some things, I'm really trying to get costs back in line. Tomorrow Big Lots has 20% off, I need to survey my cabinets to see if there is anything I need from them. We started working on our backpacking food, fingers crossed our recipes work :)

 

I'm curious about groceries at Big Lots. I have one convenient to me that I often use rather than Walmart or Target because it's friendly and quick to get in and out of. I've never put the time into comparing groceries though. I've noticed some things are cheap and others not so much. One good thing is their organic pint of maple syrup at $14! Please share your insights.

 

 

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[SamanthaCarter]

We've currently got about $80 in our account until next payday. I'll be spending that for next weeks groceries tomorrow. It's gonna be like this all month as we work to pay off our bathroom remodel from last month as quickly as possible. No vacations or extracurriculars this summer, and I really wish people would stop asking my kids about (where they are going for) their vacation and if they are going to summer camp. [emoji31][emoji849][emoji49]

 

 

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Edited July 8, 2017 by SamanthaCarter

[Soror]

Nothing new to report. I've not really been spending money other than groceries and gas. For the first time ever dh is getting on board with the idea of an earlier retirement. I've been running and re-running numbers, studying this and that and got him to actually look at it and see I'm not crazy. We're on budget lock-down until we get the e-fund built back up and then up the retirement, right now we're looking at retirement at age 55 for him. I'd like to push that back to 50 but 55 is more realistic. I guess we'll see how much we can bring up income, how the market and our accounts do, and how much we can cut.

 

little victories-

inching the AC up, have it at 80 during the day and 75 at night (dh didn't even complain about this, shockingly!!!)

 

line drying clothes- I used to dry all our clothes and then babies and illness and I've not been able to get back in the habit- lo and behold the older 2 children are now tall enough to put stuff on an off the line so it hardly takes any time at all 

 

we've had blackberries, tomatoes, cucumbers, and zucchini from our (very small garden)

 

On the not so good side, I somehow missed the fact that this month as 5 Saturdays, I grocery shop on Sat BUT we only have 4 paychecks as he is paid on Thurs. So, we've got $284 for 3 grocery trips. I'm going to have my lists like a hawk, looks like we have plenty of beans in our future :) 

 

Sorry I missed these replies!

We've currently got about $80 in our account until next payday. I'll be spending that for next weeks groceries tomorrow. It's gonna be like this all month as we work to pay off our bathroom remodel from last month as quickly as possible. No vacations or extracurriculars this summer, and I really wish people would stop asking my kids about (where they are going for) their vacation and if they are going to summer camp. [emoji31][emoji849][emoji49]


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How's it going? Sorry people are harassing your kids :( Do you guys have much free stuff locally? Our library puts on a lot of great programs. We're keeping it low key this summer too. Ds did summer camp for Boy Scouts and we did a few days camping for vacation, otherwise they had time at the grandparents, which was as good as camp for the girls. We did cheap swim lessons and have done some local hiking and biking.

I'm curious about groceries at Big Lots. I have one convenient to me that I often use rather than Walmart or Target because it's friendly and quick to get in and out of. I've never put the time into comparing groceries though. I've noticed some things are cheap and others not so much. One good thing is their organic pint of maple syrup at $14! Please share your insights.


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Big Lots is good for me for their selection of GF treats and dried goods (huge selection of Bob's Red Mill). Yes, on the maple syrup, also I find coconut milk cheaper than anywhere else(locally). I often go there before a camping trip for snacks and things like gf dried noodles that Aldi's doesn't carry. 

[prairiewindmomma]

I hear you about people asking about vacations. We need to buckle down for the next many years. Both of our vehicles are on their last legs and need to be replaced and college is two years away for our oldest.

[Soror]

I did forget another good thing dh's employer has been giving us $800 a year in an HRA for going through health risks assessments(you get extra for not smoking), this year they are increasing it to $800 just for him and $400 for me but they are adding on extra requirements, a physical yada yada and you have to meet certain parameters. I always pass all the tests but dh needs to lose a bit of weight(if you are overweight the requirement is to lose 5%), anyway, dh is working to lose it and we've set up our appointments because $1200 for medical expenses is nothing to sneeze at.

 

On the bad news front dh has a crown tomorrow, the insurance will pay for half, I'm not sure what our final amount will be but I'm pretty sure that will wipe out what is left of our HRA this year, nothing to be done for it though. Our dentist is very conservative and only does work when it is absolutely needed and charges very reasonable rates (WAY cheaper to take the kids to him than to the "kid" focused dentist and they survive without the tv's in the rooms)!

I hear you about people asking about vacations. We need to buckle down for the next many years. Both of our vehicles are on their last legs and need to be replaced and college is two years away for our oldest.

Part of our savings is for our vehicles too. Our van doesn't show any signs of needing to be replaced but it is older(although fairly low mileage considering) and it will be a good chunk to replace it so I want a head start, dh's car has never been nice so although it doesn't have any major problems I'd not be surprised if it died at any time.

Nothing new here, either! We haven't done wonderfully, but not so bad, either. Work for me slowed down a bit, so much less in commission and overtime this month. And we bought a juicer.
I made just over $200 at my side job. We're juicing mostly with some vegan/vegetarian meals, so while that isn't cheap in and of itself, I'm not spending much on meat (just some for dc).
Still shooting for the vacation starting on July 25th. Dd's grandma offered to pay for the aquarium (in Dallas), Perot museum, and something else. Thank God for that!

Ya on the side job and help on vacation!

[hjffkj]

I got some bday money from my dh's grandmother so I happily spent it on 2 new books​ and a water bottle. The books are a business expense technically so I'll write that off but it was nice getting books I really wanted without feeling guilty about taking from the family budget.

 

My bday is in a little over a week and dh kinda has free range on spending for it, well within reason. So until after my bday I'm not spending anything but groceries and then getting our budget back in order.

 

I've got about $500 in pet sitting to do from now until the first of August so that is awesome! That money will go directly into savings.

[mommyoffive]

Nothing new to report. I've not really been spending money other than groceries and gas. For the first time ever dh is getting on board with the idea of an earlier retirement. I've been running and re-running numbers, studying this and that and got him to actually look at it and see I'm not crazy. We're on budget lock-down until we get the e-fund built back up and then up the retirement, right now we're looking at retirement at age 55 for him. I'd like to push that back to 50 but 55 is more realistic. I guess we'll see how much we can bring up income, how the market and our accounts do, and how much we can cut.

 

little victories-

inching the AC up, have it at 80 during the day and 75 at night (dh didn't even complain about this, shockingly!!!)

 

line drying clothes- I used to dry all our clothes and then babies and illness and I've not been able to get back in the habit- lo and behold the older 2 children are now tall enough to put stuff on an off the line so it hardly takes any time at all 

 

we've had blackberries, tomatoes, cucumbers, and zucchini from our (very small garden)

 

On the not so good side, I somehow missed the fact that this month as 5 Saturdays, I grocery shop on Sat BUT we only have 4 paychecks as he is paid on Thurs. So, we've got $284 for 3 grocery trips. I'm going to have my lists like a hawk, looks like we have plenty of beans in our future :)

 

Sorry I missed these replies!

 

How's it going? Sorry people are harassing your kids :( Do you guys have much free stuff locally? Our library puts on a lot of great programs. We're keeping it low key this summer too. Ds did summer camp for Boy Scouts and we did a few days camping for vacation, otherwise they had time at the grandparents, which was as good as camp for the girls. We did cheap swim lessons and have done some local hiking and biking.

Big Lots is good for me for their selection of GF treats and dried goods (huge selection of Bob's Red Mill). Yes, on the maple syrup, also I find coconut milk cheaper than anywhere else(locally). I often go there before a camping trip for snacks and things like gf dried noodles that Aldi's doesn't carry. 

 

 

That is amazing!  Congrats on being able to retire so early. 

[Soror]

I spent FOREVER making my menu and grocery list and then I left the house without all of it, ugh!!! I did keep my bill EXACTLY on budget at $94 but I ended up with some things not on my list and forgot some things on my list. I'm hoping we can make do with what what we got. 

 

I went to Goodwill to look for some household items I need, I found a laundry bag for ds for $3 and got dd a pair of shorts for $2.5(she only has 1 nice pair).  Then dd2 ended up losing her wallet so I bought what she had picked out at $4. Poor thing she had $11, which is a TON for her, we looked all over and never could find it.

 

Went to the library for books and a few movies.

That is amazing!  Congrats on being able to retire so early. 

We'll see how it works out but it looks pretty good right now, no guarantees in life.

[mommyoffive]

I spent FOREVER making my menu and grocery list and then I left the house without all of it, ugh!!! I did keep my bill EXACTLY on budget at $94 but I ended up with some things not on my list and forgot some things on my list. I'm hoping we can make do with what what we got. 

 

I went to Goodwill to look for some household items I need, I found a laundry bag for ds for $3 and got dd a pair of shorts for $2.5(she only has 1 nice pair).  Then dd2 ended up losing her wallet so I bought what she had picked out at $4. Poor thing she had $11, which is a TON for her, we looked all over and never could find it.

 

Went to the library for books and a few movies.

We'll see how it works out but it looks pretty good right now, no guarantees in life.

 

Boo about losing her wallet.  I hope it turns up.

 

 

 

Did you start saving really early?   If I could go back in time I would have started sooner and made sure dh did too.  

 

 

 

The last few weeks have been pretty good.  

Ending up getting a totally free vacation.  Sweet deal. 

Still have tons of points left for our next one.  Just trying to decide where.   We keep travel hacking.   It is so worth it. 

 

 

Dh was able to do the work on the house that I thought we would have to hire out.  Spent $700 instead of the 5k I had thought we would.  Awesome. 

 

 

I think I really want to get a job.  So I will be thinking of that.  May go back to the idea I had a few months back and didn't get off the ground. 

 

 

A few bummers this week.  

Missed out on some cheap Europe tickets

A small library fine

was supposed to sell something on CL and it didn't work out.  

 

But overall a great summer. 

 

 

I do need to sit down and go over our goals again.  Figure out what to do with all our $$.  Thinking about moving, but I think instead of moving out of state we want to stay here now.  People are having an easy time selling, but there is just nothing in the area to move into.  I guess that is better than being underwater like we were for a while. 

We could build I guess.   I have some friends who are going through this and it just sounds so stressful.  The moving not really the building. 

[mommyoffive]

I am right there with you, on all of this.  In the last 2 years we have had: dishwasher die and flood the kitchen resulting in new floors and new dishwasher along with having to replace a section of our water soaked cabinets,  a bathtub leak resulting in a new bathtub and surround, AC going out resulting in an entire replacement of the HVAC system.   The financial total has been incredibly high.  I have paid off everything except the bathtub.  I just finished paying for the kitchen floor today and will now kick into high gear to pay for the bathtub, in the hopes of paying it off much sooner than it is scheduled.   You know, when I type that out, I am pretty darn proud of us, that is a heck of a lot of expensive repairs paid for in full in a short period of time.

 

But my gosh, why does EVERYONE have to ask my daughter about her fun summer vacation plans and what she is doing.  We are doing nothing except pulling ourselves out of home repair debt! 

 

Oh wow.   I am so sorry about all the repairs.   I hope that is it for you guys for like 15 years!

[Soror]

Boo about losing her wallet.  I hope it turns up.

 

 

 

Did you start saving really early?   If I could go back in time I would have started sooner and made sure dh did too.  

 

Yes, we did from the start, not always as much as we should have and I wish you would have done more and paid more attention to compound interest charts, you better believe we're making the kids memorize them before they graduate, what they do is on them but they'll understand what they should do!

 

The last few weeks have been pretty good.  

Ending up getting a totally free vacation.  Sweet deal. 

Still have tons of points left for our next one.  Just trying to decide where.   We keep travel hacking.   It is so worth it. 

 

 

Dh was able to do the work on the house that I thought we would have to hire out.  Spent $700 instead of the 5k I had thought we would.  Awesome. 

 

Sweet.

I think I really want to get a job.  So I will be thinking of that.  May go back to the idea I had a few months back and didn't get off the ground. 

I'm thinking I'd like to work some too. I wish we would have done more too. I wish we would have paid more attention to compounding interest charts, coulda, woulda, shouldas

 

A few bummers this week.  

Missed out on some cheap Europe tickets

A small library fine

was supposed to sell something on CL and it didn't work out.  

 

But overall a great summer. 

 

 

I do need to sit down and go over our goals again.  Figure out what to do with all our $$.  Thinking about moving, but I think instead of moving out of state we want to stay here now.  People are having an easy time selling, but there is just nothing in the area to move into.  I guess that is better than being underwater like we were for a while. 

We could build I guess.   I have some friends who are going through this and it just sounds so stressful.  The moving not really the building. 

Good luck on picking a place to live, we live close to family, I've no clue where I'd pick if it wasn't for family.

 

Please school me on travel hacking. Who/what do you follow? I've got a good chunk of points I'd like to use to take dh and I some place overseas, perhaps in the fall. Italy had been an old dream but we'd be happy to check out lots of different places. I'd like to spend part of our pinched pennies on more travel.

Edited July 14, 2017 by soror

[Soror]

I am right there with you, on all of this.  In the last 2 years we have had: dishwasher die and flood the kitchen resulting in new floors and new dishwasher along with having to replace a section of our water soaked cabinets,  a bathtub leak resulting in a new bathtub and surround, AC going out resulting in an entire replacement of the HVAC system.   The financial total has been incredibly high.  I have paid off everything except the bathtub.  I just finished paying for the kitchen floor today and will now kick into high gear to pay for the bathtub, in the hopes of paying it off much sooner than it is scheduled.   You know, when I type that out, I am pretty darn proud of us, that is a heck of a lot of expensive repairs paid for in full in a short period of time.

 

But my gosh, why does EVERYONE have to ask my daughter about her fun summer vacation plans and what she is doing.  We are doing nothing except pulling ourselves out of home repair debt! 

When it rains it pours!  :( Did your insurance not cover any of that? Goodness, I can imagine that was a pretty penny for all of that.

[mommyoffive]

Insurance paid for the water clean up from the dishwasher leak and a small portion towards repairs.  It didn't even come close to being truly helpful though because the cost to replace everything was so high.  We didn't report the bathtub leak due to 2 things: the fear of them dropping us because it happened mere months after the dishwasher and my husband caught it so quickly that it caused no damage (we just used the other tub until this one was fixed).  Of course, insurance won't do a thing about  AC going out when it is completely age related.    In between all of this we have been trying to make improvements on the house too, but they largely stalled due to the suicide mission the place seems to have!   It has been hugely expensive, I haven't added it up.  I have worked furiously so that things have been paid off before interest kicked in or paid things off quickly enough that interest paid was very very low.   We have avoided thousands in interest as a result of my diligence.

 

Argh how insurance upsets me sometimes.

 

I am glad your dh caught the leak so fast  and that you are working hard saving lots of money.    

[mommyoffive]

Good luck on picking a place to live, we live close to family, I've no clue where I'd pick if it wasn't for family.

 

Please school me on travel hacking. Who/what do you follow? I've got a good chunk of points I'd like to use to take dh and I some place overseas, perhaps in the fall. Italy had been an old dream but we'd be happy to check out lots of different places. I'd like to spend part of our pinched pennies on more travel.

 

 

These are the blogs I follow for hacking. 

 

thepointsguy

 

millionmilesecrets

 

mommypoints.boardingarea.com

 

 

 

Where are your points?  I mean what airline or company?  That would probably make the difference on what you want to pursue on more cards if you already have a stash built up.  If you need more of that kind. 

Or if you already have the airlines then you could concentrate on getting hotel points to save on that. 

Some people say start with a destination in mind, and others say to just build up the points from all different places so that you can jump on deals. 

 

 

 

 

We have been able to take our family of 7 on international vacations because of this.  We do have the money to pay for the trips out of pocket, but why when you can do this?  I wish I would have gotten into this years and years ago.   

It is so easy to do this and gain the points.  We pay our card off in full every month and pay no interest at all.

I don't currently do the MS that some people do to churn cards.  Just put our normal spends on it.  It adds up fast.

[Soror]

These are the blogs I follow for hacking. 

 

thepointsguy

 

millionmilesecrets

 

mommypoints.boardingarea.com

 

 

 

Where are your points?  I mean what airline or company?  That would probably make the difference on what you want to pursue on more cards if you already have a stash built up.  If you need more of that kind. 

Or if you already have the airlines then you could concentrate on getting hotel points to save on that. 

Some people say start with a destination in mind, and others say to just build up the points from all different places so that you can jump on deals. 

 

 

 

 

We have been able to take our family of 7 on international vacations because of this.  We do have the money to pay for the trips out of pocket, but why when you can do this?  I wish I would have gotten into this years and years ago.   

It is so easy to do this and gain the points.  We pay our card off in full every month and pay no interest at all.

I don't currently do the MS that some people do to churn cards.  Just put our normal spends on it.  It adds up fast.

I have points on Chase right now, 73k. I had thought I could use that for flights and then look for cheap accomodations using airbnb or something. We'd love to do more traveling and have never done any internationally but it needs to be cheap as we need to put whatever we can to savings. On the plus side, dh can usually get vacation most anytime if he requests it early enough and he gets 5 wks paid vacation a year. 

[mommyoffive]

I have points on Chase right now, 73k. I had thought I could use that for flights and then look for cheap accomodations using airbnb or something. We'd love to do more traveling and have never done any internationally but it needs to be cheap as we need to put whatever we can to savings. On the plus side, dh can usually get vacation most anytime if he requests it early enough and he gets 5 wks paid vacation a year. 

 

Oh Chase points are awesome.   Which Chase card do you have?   Would you be open to getting another one?   

 

Is it just the 2 of you that want to travel?

 

You could go the Airbnb route for sure, but you could also get more pts to use for hotels.   

 

Where do you want to go?  Europe? 

 

We got 7 tickets for less than 170k pts.  

That is round trip in Economy. 

 

You could go so many places. 

 

 

Not sure where you are flying from but there are great deals to be had to Europe.  There was just a great deal for a lot of cities for around 3-500 a ticket for late summer-feb. 

 

It has happened a few times since Thanksgiving this past year.  I would say at least 6 times.   A lot of the sales prices are matched on Chase's travel portal.  Which is amazing.

 

 

If you are open to budget airline then it is there a lot. 

 

I get emails from scott's cheap flights (the free version)

 

theflightdeal.com

 

secretflying.com

 

 

Edited July 15, 2017 by mommyoffive

[Soror]

Oh Chase points are awesome.   Which Chase card do you have?   Would you be open to getting another one?   

 

Is it just the 2 of you that want to travel?

 

You could go the Airbnb route for sure, but you could also get more pts to use for hotels.   

 

Where do you want to go?  Europe? 

 

We got 7 tickets for less than 170k pts.  

That is round trip in Economy. 

 

You could go so many places. 

 

 

Not sure where you are flying from but there are great deals to be had to Europe.  There was just a great deal for a lot of cities for around 3-500 a ticket for late summer-feb. 

 

It has happened a few times since Thanksgiving this past year.  I would say at least 6 times.   A lot of the sales prices are matched on Chase's travel portal.  Which is amazing.

 

 

If you are open to budget airline then it is there a lot. 

 

I get emails from scott's cheap flights (the free version)

 

theflightdeal.com

 

secretflying.com

We don't care to go economy or budget airlines. Really we don't need luxury at all, we are more interested in seeing places.

 

I think to start off we'd like to go to Europe, dh's big dream is Rome but I don't know if this is realistic for now. At this point I'd just like to take a vacation the 2 of us but definitely would like to do some family trips in the future.

 

I was wondering if I needed to transfer points to an airline but you say that they are often available through the Chase portal. I tried to find one of the deals posted through the portal and searching around I could find fare at $530 per ticket (to Luxemborg) whereas the cheapest he had it listed was for $470. But if I book through the portal I can't use Expedia to get free cancellations can I?

 

We have a Chase Sapphire, Freedom, and an Amazon card. I don't care to open more cards although spending is not too high right now so I can't meet any high spending requirements. In Sep. I'm due to pay membership fees on my Chase Sapphire and had planned to cancel it before then.

[mommyoffive]

We don't care to go economy or budget airlines. Really we don't need luxury at all, we are more interested in seeing places.

 

I think to start off we'd like to go to Europe, dh's big dream is Rome but I don't know if this is realistic for now. At this point I'd just like to take a vacation the 2 of us but definitely would like to do some family trips in the future.

 

I was wondering if I needed to transfer points to an airline but you say that they are often available through the Chase portal. I tried to find one of the deals posted through the portal and searching around I could find fare at $530 per ticket (to Luxemborg) whereas the cheapest he had it listed was for $470. But if I book through the portal I can't use Expedia to get free cancellations can I?

 

We have a Chase Sapphire, Freedom, and an Amazon card. I don't care to open more cards although spending is not too high right now so I can't meet any high spending requirements. In Sep. I'm due to pay membership fees on my Chase Sapphire and had planned to cancel it before then.

 

If you are going to Cancel the Sapphire will your points still be tied to your Freedom account?  Just make sure you wont lose them. 

 

 

Not sure what airport you are looking to fly out of, but the deals where there for about 2 days this week before they started dying.    They were on Tues-Thursday

 

There were some to Rome for cheap out of the East Coast. 

 

But lots of times the portal does match the sales prices.    

You could transfer them to airline too. 

[Soror]

If you are going to Cancel the Sapphire will your points still be tied to your Freedom account?  Just make sure you wont lose them. 

 

 

Not sure what airport you are looking to fly out of, but the deals where there for about 2 days this week before they started dying.    They were on Tues-Thursday

 

There were some to Rome for cheap out of the East Coast. 

 

But lots of times the portal does match the sales prices.    

You could transfer them to airline too. 

 

The plan was to use the points then cancel, I've been just sitting on it though not sure how to proceed.

 

 

We are in the Midwest, we can get to St. Louis, N. Texas, Chicago, Memphis, TN, OK within a day's drive. How far are you willing to drive for a good deal on tickets? 

 

Thanks so much!

[mommyoffive]

The plan was to use the points then cancel, I've been just sitting on it though not sure how to proceed.

 

 

We are in the Midwest, we can get to St. Louis, N. Texas, Chicago, Memphis, TN, OK within a day's drive. How far are you willing to drive for a good deal on tickets? 

 

Thanks so much!

 

Depends on the deal.  I have to figure in if we are actually saving anything.   We take all the kids which means a slower drive.  Most likely getting hotel rooms and on an on. 

 

 But i have also thought of taking a flight to get a cheaper ticket.  Say flying to the east coast to grab a Europe flight.  You can get good deals on the east coast almost all the time.  

 

 

This is another great search tool

 

https://www.google.com/flights/explore/#explore;f=ORD;t=FCO,CIA,IRT,XRJ;li=6;lx=14;d=2017-07-22

 

For finding cheap dates if you are going to then look it up on the Chase portal.  

[Soror]

Depends on the deal.  I have to figure in if we are actually saving anything.   We take all the kids which means a slower drive.  Most likely getting hotel rooms and on an on. 

 

 But i have also thought of taking a flight to get a cheaper ticket.  Say flying to the east coast to grab a Europe flight.  You can get good deals on the east coast almost all the time.  

 

 

This is another great search tool

 

https://www.google.com/flights/explore/#explore;f=ORD;t=FCO,CIA,IRT,XRJ;li=6;lx=14;d=2017-07-22

 

For finding cheap dates if you are going to then look it up on the Chase portal.  

Thanks, I was looking at some of the search engines but hadn't figured them out yet, this one seems easy to use.

 

I put that info into the portal and the price at Chase, $679, that's way cheaper than anything else I've seen. Not sure if that is considered a good deal by the experts, what do you think?

[mommyoffive]

Thanks, I was looking at some of the search engines but hadn't figured them out yet, this one seems easy to use.

 

I put that info into the portal and the price at Chase, $679, that's way cheaper than anything else I've seen. Not sure if that is considered a good deal by the experts, what do you think?

 

ORD to Rome? 

 

I think that is decent deal.   It seems like that price (today) is pretty steady for the next few months. 

 

Every so often there are deals to places in Europe for the 300-400.   But you never know if it is going to be for the place you want to go.  Yes you can find cheap flights in Europe, but they have lots of fees too.  So you have to be careful about that.  

You also never know when these sales will come around. 

 

But is possible to fly into a cheaper place and then grab a flight to Rome and still save money.  

[heartlikealion]

Apparently right now you can earn Michael's bucks (new thing?)

 

http://www.michaels.com/MichaelsBucks

[Soror]

random acts of frugality : 

 

meals made using my homemade chicken broth

 

fresh basil from the garden for soups and side dishes

 

homemade blackberry cobbler with our own blackberries- YUM!

 

currently making homemade jerky for our next backpacking trip, made a batch for summer camp and it was a huge hit

 

met a friend to visit and instead of going out somewhere expensive went to the park and brought our own drinks and fruit and picked       up fries and half-off frosty's for $7.5 (would have ate at home or packed more but we didn't have any notice- that is all we've spent     eating out this month)

 

we'd been rather lax on snacks lately which of course adds up quickly but with recent budget cuts those were an obvious choice, the        kids whined and moaned but have adjusted, this means they are eating healthier as well

 

frugal snack fail- dh and ds LOVE rice pudding but the little cups they like are $1 per 8 oz, I decided to try an easy recipe first using a      boxed pudding mix as they are 50 cents. Well, we followed it exactly but it isn't a hit at all. They're eating it but don't love it. I'll have      to look for another recipe.

 

instead of going to the gym to workout I've invited friends to workout with me at the park- same motivation as we're working out                 together but I'm not paying fees for a class, we've met the last 2 Fridays and plan to continue. I've started doing shopping then           and hitting the library as well so I'm saving money by cutting extra trips.

 

frugal to-dos- I've got some patterns I've found for simple skirts to wear around the house, just need to borrow MIL's sewing machine as mine isn't working. With keeping our air up higher it is warmer and skirts are my favorite to wear in the heat. Just above my knees so I don't have to worry about showing anything and loose enough I can move around, win, win!

 

This week will (hopefully) be a very frugal one as I don't think I've got any trips to town until Friday. I'm so looking forward to a nice quiet week to get back in the groove with school.

 

 

 

Apparently right now you can earn Michael's bucks (new thing?)

 

http://www.michaels.com/MichaelsBucks

 

Wish we had one of those, I've heard they have good deals.

ORD to Rome? 

 

I think that is decent deal.   It seems like that price (today) is pretty steady for the next few months. 

 

Every so often there are deals to places in Europe for the 300-400.   But you never know if it is going to be for the place you want to go.  Yes you can find cheap flights in Europe, but they have lots of fees too.  So you have to be careful about that.  

You also never know when these sales will come around. 

 

But is possible to fly into a cheaper place and then grab a flight to Rome and still save money.  

Yes, ORD to Rome. I think we've decided to aim for a trip in the Spring. We've got various things going on with family members right now that will probably make this fall a bad time. It will also give us enough time to save up points and hoard Christmas money so hopefully nothing is out of pocket. I was looking today and saw some tickets in May for $560 on the portal and great deals on AirBnB (researching ways to use cards and points to pay for this too).

Edited July 16, 2017 by soror

[SKL]

Hi guys.  I haven't been frugal in a long time, LOL.  Not sure I remember how.

 

When I saw this post yesterday, I was gonna be all cheeky and say other than my Norwegian cruise, I was living cheap.  :P  Then my parakeet somehow managed to break its leg.  Needless to say the cost of fixing the leg is going to be many times the cost of the original bird.  :P  But you can't just not fix a broken leg.  So far the vet bills cost me roughly $250, and we still have to go back at least a couple times.  :/  Of course this was preventable, in retrospect, but I try not to waste mental energy on things I can't change.  :/

 

Other things this month:

• Quarterly chiro appointments for my kids and me.
• Dental appointment for me (kids' is in August - when the orthodontist will do a "look-see" dunt dunt dunnnnnnn).
• Kid scratched her glasses and needs them fixed.  This one is under warranty though.  One time only.
• Need to sit with the kids and order school supplies and school clothes.
• Signed up for a test to see if Miss A needs more math tutoring.  Test is about $50.
• Only 2 horse riding lessons this month, for 1 kid, so I saved some $$ on that.  :)
• Sister needed some money.  But she got a job - starts tomorrow - yippee!
• Been utilizing the many public parks more as I try to walk every day.
• Utilizing free reading and writing programs at the library as part of summer enrichment.
• Got a request for medical cost assistance from one of my scholarship students.  Must remember to send them something.
• Really hoping to get back into TKD this month - it's already paid for, so it is stupid not to push on and get our black belts.  Also swimming for the girls - we have the membership, might as well use it.  Here's hoping my health holds up!
• I was supposed to schedule follow-ups for my health and my kid's eyes.  Guess I should get on that.  Or maybe skip it.
• Whatever else I'm forgetting ....

[mommyoffive]

random acts of frugality : 

 

meals made using my homemade chicken broth

 

fresh basil from the garden for soups and side dishes

 

homemade blackberry cobbler with our own blackberries- YUM!

 

currently making homemade jerky for our next backpacking trip, made a batch for summer camp and it was a huge hit

 

met a friend to visit and instead of going out somewhere expensive went to the park and brought our own drinks and fruit and picked       up fries and half-off frosty's for $7.5 (would have ate at home or packed more but we didn't have any notice- that is all we've spent     eating out this month)

 

we'd been rather lax on snacks lately which of course adds up quickly but with recent budget cuts those were an obvious choice, the        kids whined and moaned but have adjusted, this means they are eating healthier as well

 

frugal snack fail- dh and ds LOVE rice pudding but the little cups they like are $1 per 8 oz, I decided to try an easy recipe first using a      boxed pudding mix as they are 50 cents. Well, we followed it exactly but it isn't a hit at all. They're eating it but don't love it. I'll have      to look for another recipe.

 

instead of going to the gym to workout I've invited friends to workout with me at the park- same motivation as we're working out                 together but I'm not paying fees for a class, we've met the last 2 Fridays and plan to continue. I've started doing shopping then           and hitting the library as well so I'm saving money by cutting extra trips.

 

frugal to-dos- I've got some patterns I've found for simple skirts to wear around the house, just need to borrow MIL's sewing machine as mine isn't working. With keeping our air up higher it is warmer and skirts are my favorite to wear in the heat. Just above my knees so I don't have to worry about showing anything and loose enough I can move around, win, win!

 

This week will (hopefully) be a very frugal one as I don't think I've got any trips to town until Friday. I'm so looking forward to a nice quiet week to get back in the groove with school.

 

 

 

 

Wish we had one of those, I've heard they have good deals.

Yes, ORD to Rome. I think we've decided to aim for a trip in the Spring. We've got various things going on with family members right now that will probably make this fall a bad time. It will also give us enough time to save up points and hoard Christmas money so hopefully nothing is out of pocket. I was looking today and saw some tickets in May for $560 on the portal and great deals on AirBnB (researching ways to use cards and points to pay for this too).

 

Sounds like a great plan.  I bet a sale will come up before than that will be even lower. 

 

Is Detroit close to you?  They have flights from Det to Rome for 427 right now.  That is really good. 

[Soror]

chicken chili last night, used the chicken breasts left from a roast chicken- half the chicken the recipe called for and double the beans (cooked in my instant pot from dry) and the whole fam loved it, dh was licking the bowl.

 

another frugal thing- we usually use brown sugar for things like oatmeal but I ran out and decided just to use honey. We have our own bees and have plenty of honey. The kids didn't even notice it this am. 

 

tonight is our anniversary- we're planning a local backpacking trip when the weather cools and we can get babysitting but until then I'm working on some cheapo plans. 

 

I will see if the in-laws can watch the kids otherwise I think we'll send them downstairs while we have some alone time. I've got stir fry on the menu tonight. I think I'll go ahead and make homemade icecream for a special treat.

Sounds like a great plan.  I bet a sale will come up before than that will be even lower. 

 

Is Detroit close to you?  They have flights from Det to Rome for 427 right now.  That is really good. 

Detroit is about 10 hrs away. That is a really good price. I saw some out of NY for that much, but NY is 16.5 hr drive from me. Glad to hear you think there will be more good deals coming. I've not watched this so I don't know what is the "best price ever" or run of the mill good deal.

[mommyoffive]

chicken chili last night, used the chicken breasts left from a roast chicken- half the chicken the recipe called for and double the beans (cooked in my instant pot from dry) and the whole fam loved it, dh was licking the bowl.

 

another frugal thing- we usually use brown sugar for things like oatmeal but I ran out and decided just to use honey. We have our own bees and have plenty of honey. The kids didn't even notice it this am. 

 

tonight is our anniversary- we're planning a local backpacking trip when the weather cools and we can get babysitting but until then I'm working on some cheapo plans. 

 

I will see if the in-laws can watch the kids otherwise I think we'll send them downstairs while we have some alone time. I've got stir fry on the menu tonight. I think I'll go ahead and make homemade icecream for a special treat.

Detroit is about 10 hrs away. That is a really good price. I saw some out of NY for that much, but NY is 16.5 hr drive from me. Glad to hear you think there will be more good deals coming. I've not watched this so I don't know what is the "best price ever" or run of the mill good deal.

 

Happy Anniversary!!!

 

 

I will post if I see great deals, they have happened at least 6 times since Thanksgiving.   Also follow those blogs.

 

A great price from the east coast is in the 300s.  Maybe low 400s

 

But you can get all over the country for high 300s to 400s.   That 427 for Rome is really good.  

But sometimes going for a more expensive fare that is close to you makes sense.   If ORD is way closer paying the extra 100 sometimes is worth it. 

Edited July 17, 2017 by mommyoffive

[mommyoffive]

 

Hi guys.  I haven't been frugal in a long time, LOL.  Not sure I remember how.

 

When I saw this post yesterday, I was gonna be all cheeky and say other than my Norwegian cruise, I was living cheap.  :p  Then my parakeet somehow managed to break its leg.  Needless to say the cost of fixing the leg is going to be many times the cost of the original bird.  :p  But you can't just not fix a broken leg.  So far the vet bills cost me roughly $250, and we still have to go back at least a couple times.  :/  Of course this was preventable, in retrospect, but I try not to waste mental energy on things I can't change.  :/

 

Other things this month:

• Quarterly chiro appointments for my kids and me.
• Dental appointment for me (kids' is in August - when the orthodontist will do a "look-see" dunt dunt dunnnnnnn).
• Kid scratched her glasses and needs them fixed.  This one is under warranty though.  One time only.
• Need to sit with the kids and order school supplies and school clothes.
• Signed up for a test to see if Miss A needs more math tutoring.  Test is about $50.
• Only 2 horse riding lessons this month, for 1 kid, so I saved some $$ on that.  :)
• Sister needed some money.  But she got a job - starts tomorrow - yippee!
• Been utilizing the many public parks more as I try to walk every day.
• Utilizing free reading and writing programs at the library as part of summer enrichment.
• Got a request for medical cost assistance from one of my scholarship students.  Must remember to send them something.
• Really hoping to get back into TKD this month - it's already paid for, so it is stupid not to push on and get our black belts.  Also swimming for the girls - we have the membership, might as well use it.  Here's hoping my health holds up!
• I was supposed to schedule follow-ups for my health and my kid's eyes.  Guess I should get on that.  Or maybe skip it.
• Whatever else I'm forgetting ....

 

 

Oh no poor bird.  How did it break happen?

[SKL]

Oh no poor bird.  How did it break happen?

 

I wasn't in the room to see it.  I have my suspicions.  In any case it was an accident.  It was probably a mistake on my part to let the kids try to transfer the bird from one cage to another.  Bird doesn't really like people, so it flew away.  (Kids weren't as smart as they thought about keeping bird contained.)  Either bird's nail got snagged on the crocheted curtains, or kids accidentally hurt it when they tried to catch it.  The doc also said the bones seem to indicate calcium deficiency, which could cause the leg to break easily.

 

Well anyway, past is past.  Bummer.  :(

[DawnM]

We leave for our vacation TOMORROW!!!!!!!

 

I got some great deals on places to stay.   I originally was worried this trip would be $5,000.  It may shape up to be closer to $3,000, even with extra lodging needed.  Three week trip for 5 people, and a dog.....not too bad.  Friends in Dallas will watch the dog for free.   :hurray:   We will drop her off there.  Lodging I found great deals on, roughly $2,000 total.  Gas, around $500, food will be from our reg. food budget, so no real extra $$, and then activities......I keep finding great deals for!  :hurray:   Some things I will have to pay, but they aren't bad.

 

$0- Beach

$35- Grand Canyon entrance

$33- Museum membership for the family on Groupon!

$0- other museums

$0- Sedona

$0- College tours

$0- Studio tour

$30-Mission tour

 

We have some things up in the air, but I am finding more and more deals. 

 

I budgeted $500 for "experiences" so I may come in way under

[mommyoffive]

We leave for our vacation TOMORROW!!!!!!!

 

I got some great deals on places to stay.   I originally was worried this trip would be $5,000.  It may shape up to be closer to $3,000, even with extra lodging needed.  Three week trip for 5 people, and a dog.....not too bad.  Friends in Dallas will watch the dog for free.   :hurray:   We will drop her off there.  Lodging I found great deals on, roughly $2,000 total.  Gas, around $500, food will be from our reg. food budget, so no real extra $$, and then activities......I keep finding great deals for!  :hurray:   Some things I will have to pay, but they aren't bad.

 

$0- Beach

$35- Grand Canyon entrance

$33- Museum membership for the family on Groupon!

$0- other museums

$0- Sedona

$0- College tours

$0- Studio tour

$30-Mission tour

 

We have some things up in the air, but I am finding more and more deals. 

 

I budgeted $500 for "experiences" so I may come in way under

 

 

Awww have fun.   You decided to drive there and back then? 

[DawnM]

Awww have fun.   You decided to drive there and back then? 

 

 

Yup!  It saves us $3,000.  It was almost $2,000 for tickets and I couldn't find any car large enough for the 5 of us for less than $1,400.  Never mind that we would also need to leave our dog for 21 days and pay around $450 to have her looked after.

 

So.....driving the SUV, dropping the dog off in Dallas with friends, $0.