Nothing New/Mindful Spending Week 44

[Ginevra]

The "rules" of this challenge are self-defined. Anyone can join in at any time. The aim of the challenge (for me) is to combat consumerism, wastefulness, mindless buying, and overspending. It is meant to nurture creative problem solving, ecology, frugality, intentionalism, and resourcefulness. To support these goals, I seek to buy nothing new. I aim to use existing resources, borrow, hand-craft, and buy existing second-hand materials to the greatest extent possible. However, I recognize that life is unpredictable, and family life increases this factor exponentially, so I will buy new in the following cases, when a non-buying option does not present:

 

Food, health, and necessary household goods excluded.

Requirements for school, work, or health and well-being which cannot be obtained used.

Gifts, when a creative non-commercial option will not suffice.

Anything animal or gardening related that cannot be obtained used.

Fuel/energy sources.

 

Posts will appear each Saturday, referring to the week that is ending. Post your successes, creative solutions, relapses and weak moments. It doesn't matter if you have a weak moment! Just keep swimming!

So once again, my post from last week is not appearing in My Content...not sure what's going on there, but I think we are at Week 44.

 

Today, I bought more craft materials for Craft Day at co-op. Not cheap, but reimbursable, and I expect to have some very lovely crafts this year.

 

I also bought a Chik-Fil-A milkshake that I needed not at all! 570 calories that could have been better spent.

 

Bought a Kindle book on impulse.

 

Paid a couple bucks for laminating a zentangle art bookmark I made for my friend; I had a cup of coffee with her Wednesday and her birthday is tomorrow. I was totally delighted with how it turned out. :)

 

Well, this is a big one, but DH and I bought the lot where our driveway enters from the road. It was once a county-owned easement, but the county auctioned it off in a sealed bid, which we participated in but lost. :( We *really* want that property because if we have to move our driveway to the alternate driveway site, it will be tens of thousands of dollars due to a stream crossing and EPA regulations. So, DH contacted the winning bidder and we just settled on the property this past Thursday. Now, we don't have to move the driveway and we could potentially sell some lots off our property. So I think it will be a good investment in the long run. But it is scary writing that check.

[Annie G]

Congrats on the property purchase!

 

I don't want to talk about this week but when I'm stupid, I have to face my stupidity.  I own a rake and have two college age kids at home. No need to buy a leaf blower to move our leaves to the curb, right? So I started raking and set the 'kids' to gathering and hauling to the curb.  I wore gloves and raked for a while, until I developed a small rubbed spot where my thumb and hand meet. Handed the rake over to dd and went inside. It wasn't a blister, just a spot where the skin had been rubbed raw- you know, that awful raw skin feeling.  But it was the size of a pinhead and didn't hurt at all. 

 

A couple hours later I headed to the gym and did some weight training. At one point I noticed my hand was a little oozy so I carefully disinfected the equipment and went home. Washed my hand, put  a bandaid on it, and forgot about it. Bad me.  24 hours later I was at urgent care, with a huge pus filled blister and an infection that made my hand hot, swollen, and sore.  Evidently I picked something up at the gym.  Between the doc, the culture to determine which specific infection I had (TWO! Strep and staph), the two antibiotics, probiotics to counter the antibiotic effect on my gut, and other assorted costs, I was out far more money than the cost of a stupid leaf blower.  

 

But in other news, I haven't bothered to buy groceries and my family has been happy to just fix whatever they want from the pantry and fridge.  I'm taking it easy and hoping for a less costly week next week. 

 

 

[Desert Strawberry]

I got back this afternoon from Cali for my dad's cremation and memorial. That was a fair chunk of cash, though my aunts and brother paid quite a lot, so it could have been worse. We were able to stay with family for most of the time, so that saved a lot. 
This was our second trip back-first to deal with his apartment and possessions ( including bringing home two small doggies). I'm glad that's done. 

We are closing on our house this week, if all goes well. We are taking tomorrow off, and starting on the house Monday. It belongs to my cousin's holding company, so we can start working even before we take possession. We have to reevaluate our $$ after this past two weeks' expenses. We will own the house free and clear, but I'm not sure how much of the repairs we will be able to cover. 

Beans and rice for a while and hopefully we can get into our house quickly. No rent and lower utilities will be magnificent. 

[Guest]

Annie G, that is dreadful! That would skeeve me out on gym equipment for a while!

 

Desert Strawberry, I'm sorry about your dad...I don't recall you mentioning his death on here. So are you saying you "inherited" his dogs? Is that a good thing? (Sometimes Other People's Dogs...make me think I don't like dogs at all.)

[Annie G]

Desert Strawberry, I hope having your dad's doggies will be a comfort to you.  And congrats on the house! Dh and I love beans and rice - hope you guys do too!  So sorry to hear about your dad. 

 

Quill, the doc said it's really common to pick up this stuff at the gym. Yeah, it's kind of making me wary, but I guess I learned to cover every little scratch and to wash well when I'm done.   They're also testing for MRSA but I'm already improving so I'm not concerned about that. But I was when they told me it was a real concern! I'm just feeling stupid that this could have been avoided.  

[Desert Strawberry]

I'm not sure how the dogs will pan out. I have always loved one. The other...he may have been a mistake. I felt strongly that they should come home with us. Now that they are here...I hope I haven't made a mistake. 

Of course it hasn't been long, and I have been away. We are crate training and house training older dogs. Hopefully once the kids and I are home more with them, it will be better. 

We do like beans and rice and have plenty in the pantry :D I will also be baking sourdough and soda bread now that the weather is cool, and there will be LOTS of warm, yummy soup. I am very happy with this. 

Quill, how frustrating that you essentially had to buy back your own land. Ugh. I do hope it all works out for you. 

Annie, ew, ew, ew. How icky. I've never been one to disinfect my gym equipment, but perhaps it's not such a bad idea. 

[Hikin' Mama]

Desert Strawberry, I'm sorry to hear about your dad.

 

Quill, yay on that lot!

 

Annie, I'm glad you're okay. I always thought the only danger to myself while lifting weights would be dropping a weight on my foot. : /

 

Last week I mentioned signing up for Stitch Fix. I haven't received any shipments yet and this week I suspended shipments indefinitely. I decided I needed other things more than clothes. I bought about $150 in cold weather running gear. For that price, I got 2 pairs of running tights, 2 hats, one headband (earwarmers), gloves, and a long sleeved running top. I bought all this stuff at Target and TJ Maxx; they have pretty decent prices. I also ordered a pair of pants for snowshoeing from Eddie Bauer. I have been looking at thrift stores for the past couple years and can't find what I need. Ski pants are way too hot, but I've been wearing running tights with sweats over top and I get soaking wet. The pants I ordered shed water, but if they are insulated at all, I will be sending them back.

 

Edited to demonstrate that I do know the difference between your and you're. Aargh!

[prairiewindmomma]

Other than groceries, I bought two bras, a bit of makeup, a new wreath and a new pillow for my couch (I am decorated for the holidays!), a soup ladle and a butter dish. Both the kitchen items are replacements for broken items.

[SKL]

Let's see.  Probably the biggest thing this week was my kids' passport renewals.  Total over $250, and they are only good for 5 years.  But I'm sure they will be worth it in the long run.

 

Did I mention my kids' dentist bill?  I thought they were covered by insurance, but they weren't.  Sucky.  I paid the >$600 the other day.  It will be a while before I can add the kids, so I hope they won't have any emergencies in the mean time.  (I did call the dentist to see if they would give me a break, but no luck.)

 

This week I will probably order some gifty things that the school is doing using my kids' artwork.  Between you and me and the whole internet, the artworks they are going to use are not all that great, but how do you tell your kids that?  You don't.  I think the deadline to place the orders is tomorrow morning. 

 

I also need to order nut tins for their scouts fundraiser, which will be Christmas gifts.  I'm such a giving person.  :P  I'm also supposed to be figuring out something for the Operation Christmas Child projects of my kids' scouts and their school, but I'm not sure exactly what my involvement will be.  I think I will pay for the shipping for the scout boxes.  'Tis the season!

 

The biggie which is coming up is a trip to Vegas / Grand Canyon / Disneyland over Thanksgiving.  We needed to go eventually, right?  A friend is going this month, so we decided to tag along.  I wonder if I should look up the dealie where 4th graders get into national parks for free, but since we're planning to take a bus tour to the canyon, the park entry fee probably won't be a separate item anyway.

[Tsuga]

I'm going to join this group. My big thing is eating convenience food because bread goes moldy so fast here and there's not room in the office fridge. So I end up making excuses and buying a sandwich at the deli--or more. This must stop. Today we went to Trader Joe's for food and I bought lunches for the week: two salads each, a tamale each, and then a noodle bowl. That leaves one more lunch to procure. I should have gotten it but the kids were driving me insane. I should eat more noodle bowls.

 

As for money spent... so much on activities. So much. Instrument rental. Luckily we got some hand-me-down leotards for gymnastics. What else do we spend $ on?

 

I also had to buy a new book for DD's violin, but she loves it so that's good.

[Annie G]

Welcome, Tsuga!   Work lunches and snacks can really wreck a grocery budget. I work really hard to make sure dh and I have lunches ready to eat when we walk in the door, with just a few minutes to heat.  It really keeps us from defaulting to eating out, but it is definitely a chore. 

What's in your noodle bowl? I make one that's good either cold or hot and it's a great base to add leftover meat or veggies throughout the week. But I always need ideas- what is in the noodle bowls you buy?

[SKL]

When I used to work in an office every day, I would bring an orange, an apple, and a yogurt each day and I'd keep a bag of baby carrots, a bag of mixed greens, and a box of cereal bars at the office.  So I would eat the fruit and yogurt for my "mid-morning snack" and then later I'd have the veggies and a cereal bar.  If I had time, I'd go for a walk and maybe buy a bagel or similar.  When I had friends working nearby, we'd go to a food court or fast pasta place about once a week.  It was worth a little $ to keep in touch with friends.

[Tsuga]

Thanks for the welcome.

 

I've bought the Trader Joe's Noodle Bowl. I'm just going to be honest with myself. I'm not going to make my own. One step at a time. When my kids are a bit older maybe I will put more into it, but for now, 100% of cooking effort goes into dinner, and then we get leftovers sometimes. Otherwise, it's a prepared meal.

 

I work in an EXTREMELY high COL area (even higher than where I live) so eating out is a terrible idea. But the food is so, so incredibly good. Some of the best Russian, Thai, Indian and Chinese food on the West Coast within walking distance (not to mention random fusion restaurants that have won national awards). But I will eat my noodle bowl. I will do it.

[Guest]

Thanks for the welcome.

 

I've bought the Trader Joe's Noodle Bowl. I'm just going to be honest with myself. I'm not going to make my own. One step at a time. When my kids are a bit older maybe I will put more into it, but for now, 100% of cooking effort goes into dinner, and then we get leftovers sometimes. Otherwise, it's a prepared meal.

 

I work in an EXTREMELY high COL area (even higher than where I live) so eating out is a terrible idea. But the food is so, so incredibly good. Some of the best Russian, Thai, Indian and Chinese food on the West Coast within walking distance (not to mention random fusion restaurants that have won national awards). But I will eat my noodle bowl. I will do it.

Welcome, Tsuga! Eating lunch out can definitely add up fast. My DH had fallen off the brown bag wagon and has been buying lunch out almost every day. I tallied it up last month (he puts it on his credit card). I won't say how much it was, but it was triple digits and way, way too much.

 

And I understand how it is when the food is so good. In my BC years, I worked downtown in Baltimore's harbor. Often, I brought lunch, but it was fascinating that virtually any kind of food I could think of was available right there. And the seafood....serious yum!

[Deee]

I was planning post-car-buying poverty for us here, till DH spilt pool chlorine on his best trousers at a client's house (note to DH - change out of good office clothes from job A before pouring chlorine at job B). He also discovered that the fly was broken on his other good pants (he has owned those for nearly 10 years, so not so awful). So we bought two pairs of good trousers. Or rather I did, hoping that they will fit. Because Mr Picky-Pants never goes shopping.

 

Then DS14 announced that his shorts are all too tight. All but one pair. Just now. Right now, and he has NOTHING TO WEAR!!!!!!! So we bought three pairs of shorts.

 

Then DS14 developed another nail bed infection in his big toe. Because his shoes are too tight. And he has no shoes. NO SHOES. OMG!!!!! So we bought a pair of runners.

 

I'm off to find the Australian equivalent of beans and rice.

D

[Annie G]

Tsuga, prepared lunches from Trader Joe's is a great way to stay within your budget. Our nearest Trader Joe's is over an hour away so I can't  buy their tasty treats very often.  I totally get eating lunch out with friends- you have a double whammy of living where there is also fantastic food! I'd have a lot of trouble not eating out where you are. Between work friends and good nearby restaurants, it would be quite a test of wills for me.   

 

Deee, we have weeks like you describe and I used to get bummed about them. But dh pointed out that we seem to have a 'bad week' about once every three months and he prefers to just get it all over with rather than spreading it out. And I guess his optimistic view is pretty good. Instead of having something unexpected come up three weeks in a row, go ahead and just make one week awful and then we deal with it all at once.   Of course he can say that- he's not the one out there scrambling to buy stuff.  

 

I sympathize with your pants shopping- dh has just in the past year agreed to try clothes on at a store and he's still like a small child about it.  But I whined that him taking ten minutes to try on pants saves more time than the 90 minutes it takes for me to drive all the way back there, return them, buy a new size, and come back home. Not to mention the Starbucks that I'd be tempted to buy to reward myself for not strangling my husband. 

[SKL]

Yeah, speaking of clothes not fitting, I can't believe I managed to find the one pair of leggings that is long enough for my 8yo but too tight.  My 8yo is a skinny-butt with long legs, so I don't see how this is even possible.  I had my [smaller] 9yo try them - the one who just moved up to a size 5 in underwear - and they are tight on her too.  So I will probably need to order some more and pass these down to a skinny toddler somewhere.  I think my 4yo niece might be skinny enough.

 

Leggings.  Who knows how many people they are bankrupting.  :P

[Tsuga]

You guys, what is so pathetic is that I am not eating out with friends. It is just me. And I come back to my desk. :(

 

EtA: leggings are the bane of my existence. Once my partner sent DD 9 to school in mine. "I thought they were just stretched out." He doesn't have many dad doofus moments but that was one of them.

[Annie G]

You guys, what is so pathetic is that I am not eating out with friends. It is just me. And I come back to my desk. :(

 

 

 

To be honest, when I last worked outside the house I liked food a whole lot more than my coworkers.  I rarely ate with anyone, and I only keep in touch with two friends from there (who never could take lunch at the same time I did when we worked together). 

 

So I totally get going out, getting a tasty lunch, and coming back to eat it.  

 

I'm an extreme introvert though. 

[Deee]

I always ate at my desk - too much office politics over lunch.  Besides, I had to leave early to do the school pick-up.  So don't miss that!!!!!

 

DH's trousers fitted.  I ignored the small complaints about the colour ("Well I suppose I can wear maroon."  At $15 off, you can most certainly wear maroon, my lover!).  DS, on the other hand, who also refuses to try anything on, but will at least come to the shops, declared all but one pair of shorts to be too tight.  How? He's built like a preying mantis!!!!  So its back to the *#@* shops tomorrow.

D