Nothing New/Mindful Spending Week six

[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/unnecessary. 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!

Not a lot of spending this week, but I did buy something new: two jigsaw puzzles off Amazon after my puzzle thread. One that is more for me (that Bizzarre Bookstore one, OMG!) and one that is 300 pieces, so DS will do it with me. We just opened it up and started it today.

 

I bought lunch out today at Noodles &Co; I went to a funeral and wanted something nearby.

 

I paid for homeschool co-op classes, groceries and a Costco run.

 

I have continued to resist book-buying bad behavior.

[Ravin]

Not a lot of spending this week. I'm very bad at budgeting.

[Annie G]

Not too much spending outside of normal food and stuff.  

 

$3 for paint - I have a tiny half table that needs paint and a sample can is enough. Bonus: I won't have extra paint sitting around. 

 

Went into Chicago for the auto show yesterday.  So...tickets, parking, and lunch out.  It's an annual event that we really enjoy- even our adult daughter who doesn't even drive loves going.  It's kind of a struggle for me to accept some of the expense of this kind of outing. There is no way around it- parking at the venue was $23.  You can't bring food in and we're not going to stand up and eat a hot dog while being jostled by other folks, so we splurge and eat where we can sit down. But it's all so overpriced that I have to remember that I'm really enjoying time with dh and the kids.   Bonus: We had a cooler of drinks in the car, along with some cookies we made Thursday night so we had a nice snack on the long (but in traffic, woefully slow moving) drive home.  

 

Had some Kohl's cash and dh and I decided to use it to buy sheets. So with the cash, we were able to buy a nice queen set for under $20 out of our pocket. 

 

So how do you guys handle day trips or excursions like above?  Be totally frugal and sneak in food? Eat the cheapest thing on site? Suck it up and pay the price for decent food?   If we're out for the whole day we always bring a cooler of drinks- water, soda, whatever. And if we'll be gone for two meals we either bring picnic food for one or eat a largish meal out and skip the second meal...it depends on which option is more practical.  But I'd love to hear how you guys do it. We do a lot of day trips...like probably three or more a month in warm months...so I'm open to ideas so I can change up how we do things. 

 

 

 

 

 

[JustEm]

Hmmm aside from groceries and gas we spent a little more than I would have liked. $350 was spent on getting some siding replaced and fixed. We also ate out twice this week because I have been feeling ill all week and have had little energy to cook.

[Prairie~Phlox]

We got our tax refund & I will be paying off a credit card bill & we'll be able to start putting money into savings now & are in a much better position financially. Dh's new job is going well into the 8th month & he'll get a raise this summer. Still watching the budget, but feeling we have a little more breathing room. 😊

[Guest]

So how do you guys handle day trips or excursions like above? Be totally frugal and sneak in food? Eat the cheapest thing on site? Suck it up and pay the price for decent food? If we're out for the whole day we always bring a cooler of drinks- water, soda, whatever. And if we'll be gone for two meals we either bring picnic food for one or eat a largish meal out and skip the second meal...it depends on which option is more practical. But I'd love to hear how you guys do it. We do a lot of day trips...like probably three or more a month in warm months...so I'm open to ideas so I can change up how we do things.

It depends on what options are available and how money-sensitive I am being at any given time. So, for example, sometimes if we have gone to an amusement part (such as Hershey Park or even at Disney), we packed a cooler with sandwiches, fruit, drinks, etc. and came out of the park to eat lunch. It is obviously less convenient to exit the park, go back to the car, eat, then return to the park, but it really bothers me how expensive and mediocre the in-park venues are. I will also go to lengths to avoid buying water bottles, but some places make this very difficult. (Hershey park for one; they would not let me bring in my own bottled water.) Whenever a place has an open option to bring your own cooler of food and drinks, we do that in most cases. (Ex. Ski resort, beach, events at a park.) I have been known to smuggle a snack and water bottle to some events: movies, shows. Once in a blue moon I get a refusal if I'm packing snacks and it is a place that checks bags. (This happened in NYC and they refused to let me take my cupcake in. :()

[JustEm]

We pack food and eat in the car for most day trips but not all. I really hate paying for food that isn't that great and usually over priced so I save that for when I'm sick and can't cook. I have snuck good in before depending on the event and the reason for no food. A museum that doesn't sell food then I don't bring food. A place that has a no food rule simply so people buy from them, I'll bring food and not feel bad at all if the event isn't a food related event like a car show.

[Annie G]

We got our tax refund & I will be paying off a credit card bill & we'll be able to start putting money into savings now & are in a much better position financially. Dh's new job is going well into the 8th month & he'll get a raise this summer. Still watching the budget, but feeling we have a little more breathing room. 😊

 

I remember when we turned the corner and things  started falling into place. Gosh, that felt so good. So while I don't think money can buy happiness I do remember when having enough bought peace of mind and made our day to day life so much easier.   Congrats on the feeling of elation that comes with having more breathing room!  

[Annie G]

We pack food and eat in the car for most day trips but not all. I really hate paying for food that isn't that great and usually over priced so I save that for when I'm sick and can't cook. I have snuck good in before depending on the event and the reason for no food. A museum that doesn't sell food then I don't bring food. A place that has a no food rule simply so people buy from them, I'll bring food and not feel bad at all if the event isn't a food related event like a car show.

 

Oh I totally would have brought food in if I could have! They checked bags when we came in and every time we walked from one display hall to the next.  I think security was there just to protect the food vendors.  They took my empty water bottle- I brought an empty Dasani bottle to fill up when we had lunch since they give you tiny paper cups for water. They took my empty water bottle!!!  I was pretty mad about that. I almost made a snotty comment about the breath mints I had but thought they might take those too. 

[prairiewindmomma]

This week:

 

good:

*ds had to buy a tent for scouts. We talked about how much he is likely to camp in the future and about investing in good gear v. making a less expensive choice. He isn't planning to camp a lot on his own outside of scouts, so we went with an inexpensive Coleman tent off amazon.

*I found some latex-free therabands on amazon. We're continuing to do a lot of OT work at home. This week we're checking out a nonprofit that offers therapy at $35/hr (versus the standard $100-150/hr).

*We had an outing today--$5 for parking downtown & $15 at a bakery for breakfast out. Choosing to have little adventures every weekend is bring a lot of joy to a crazy daily life

*our HOA had a free appliance recycling day. We were able to donate our microwave for some guy to fix up rather than sending it to the dump.

*dh got a bonus at work :)

 

bad:

*dh is working so much that a lot of repair work is not happening through us.  I'll chalk it up to supporting the local economy, but it's been quite the outflow of cash this month.  I still need to hire a plumber, an arborist, and I'm going to pay to have my new microwave installed.  We're hoping the new HVAC happens this year; the new roof may wait until next year.

*I bought leftover valentine's day candy. I'm working with ds (SN) in school on some hard stuff and I'm still potty training my toddler; they are motivated by candy.  

[prairiewindmomma]

Day trips and outings:

 

I pack food for the car to eat where I can.  If I'm at a day-long event, I try to step out to a nearby restaurant rather than buy overpriced venue food, but it's not always possible to do so.  The quality of venue food varies dramatically; I don't mind paying $10/person for yummy food truck food. I have a hard time paying $10 for a small box of nachos with plastic cheese.

[Annie G]

Day trips and outings:

 

I pack food for the car to eat where I can.  If I'm at a day-long event, I try to step out to a nearby restaurant rather than buy overpriced venue food, but it's not always possible to do so.  The quality of venue food varies dramatically; I don't mind paying $10/person for yummy food truck food. I have a hard time paying $10 for a small box of nachos with plastic cheese.

 

This is the one thing that really bugs me about the venue- they charge $23 for parking but if you leave to go eat, you have to pay again to come back. And they located this place where there is NOTHING in walking distance. Well, not in Chicago in February, at least.  It's like they intentionally built in this location to screw people.  

 

I could leave the venue and get food from my car and eat it in the part of the building that's before where your ticket is scanned. But sheesh, that requires 2 escalators, an elevator, a walkway over the road, then navigating to the level where the car is parked, then all those same things back again. I guess I'm not as hardcore as I thought, because that is certainly an option. But not one I could sell to my family. 

 

Why these venues can't sell decent food is beyond me. I think the problem is that most people don't care...but I do.  

[BarbecueMom]

We did end up buying a crockpot and a coffee grinder this week. It's so much cheaper to make my own yogurt in the crockpot that it was worth buying a new one rather than waiting. The grinder was for coarser coffee in my French press, as we end up needing a full Mr. Coffee pot plus my press when DH is home all the time and trying not to drink soda.

 

I also told my people that I was not cooking a new meal until the leftovers were gone. Without going out to eat even once, I made a whopping total of three meals on the list. Nothing was thrown out, I have yet to make a big shopping trip since the beginning of the month, and I still have enough to make next week's meals. And I have yet to touch the big bag of "backup" frozen vegetables.

 

I think I figured out why the grocery bill is so high.

 

DH's surgery is in a week, so we've been picking up the things he'll need post-op. Usually Goodwill has a bunch of canes and walkers, but when I need to buy one, nooooo of course they don't have them. Go figure.

[SKL]

I mostly stayed home this week.  The only thing I remember buying was razors for my daughter.  Yes, she asked and was ready to shave her legs, and strange as it may sound, it made her very happy.

 

Oh wait, I did order flowers for my friend who was in the hospital after a heart attack.

 

My kids finally went back to the horse barn after a long break.  I owe them $300 for 3 days so far this year.  I keep forgetting to bring the checkbook.  :P

 

I thought I ordered a big garbage can from Amazon a while back, but now I don't see it in my orders.  Ever have that happen?  I've had it happen a few times, but it always makes me wonder if I'm remembering wrong.

[knoxinsox]

This week we bought groceries: Aldi $141.  HEB: $33.  This should last us for 2 weeks, except for milk and coffee creamer.  I bought a few extra things that Aldi doesn't carry, since as our favorite tea and some bulk dates. 

And 2 small Walmart trips: $52 and $23.  So I'm weird and have a minimalistic wardrobe, but I needed a warmer weather hat to cover up my 3 day old hair.  Got a pretty one and a pair of leggings, laundry bar soap to make more laundry sauce, some pansies for a centerpiece, 2 candles to mask the old house smell for company and a few extra ingredients for dinner for guests last night.  Some of that was technically not needed, but flowers and candles always make me happy.

 

Frugalities:

The weather has been warm here in TX--heat has been turned off and windows opened.  Should help with the electric bill.   Spring is on the way!!

 

I finally saved up enough money to order a massive drying rack from a homesteading family in Oregon.  Its ridiculous how excited I am about this. 

 

I'm making mama cloth--I purchased a few supplies--$15, and still need to order snaps, but I have 8 made and am really happy with them.  Using up old prefold diapers and small pieces of cotton fabric from my stash. I've been looking for a way to make some money from home, and I'm finding that I am really passionate about making these, and they are a small enough project that I don't lose interest halfway through. So maybe, I'll try selling some.  They allow crafters at our farmers market and I wonder if this would be socially acceptable....  LOL

 

We needed liquid soap, so I purchased one more mason jar pump--$4 and melted 1 oz. of grated bar soap into water and heated it till it was all melted.  Cooled and poured into a quart mason jar.  

 

My daughter asked us at dinner what a hippie is.   My husband told her that "your mother is trying to become one."    Nope, hon.  Just working at a mindful, low-consumerist lifestyle.  

 

[MomtoCandJ]

well lets see, bought tickets for Shedd's Aquarium and getting stuff set up for going to Chicago on Thursday and we will be back Saturday with a pit stop to see Disney on Ice on the way home. Other wise just the usual.... now next week will be different due to the Chicago trip :)

 

[Jane in NC]

Just returned from a long weekend in Denver to attend a special event in the life of a family friend.  I will argue that the cost of plane fare and the rental car was mindful--and a demonstration of why it is a good idea to save those pennies for the things in life that really matter.

 

Now we did keep costs down a bit on this trip by staying with a niece who graciously opened up her home to us. This also gave us quality time with grand nephews--again priceless.

 

Yikes!  Busy week ahead.  I need to do some meal planning...

[itsheresomewhere]

All the guinea pigs and rabbits needed new beds.  Went to the craft store and raided the scrap bin.  Got enough for beds, cage liners and fabric to make some clothes for DS and DD.  The guinea pigs are very happy with beds. I should finish the rabbit beds this week. I spent about 75 for everything so not too bad.  Spent more in the grocery store this week as they are closing out some high brand pasta at 69 cents a box.  We have filled the pantry with it.  I may go back and get some more for the local food pantry.  

 

This week should be lighter on the wallet.  I need to order another container for the guinea pig food. I also need to call and deal with the most dumbfounding dentist office I have ever dealt with.  They keep submitting a claim to several wrong insurances including ones we have never had. This information has only been updated a good ten times. Yet they have submitted two other claims correctly. I will be glad when the work on DH is done and we will no longer deal with them. The lady told me that is was a good thing I was on top of them with a lovely sarcastic tone.  I replied "Well, someone has to do your job."   

[Prairie~Phlox]

I realized that I had enough bank reward points for a Targer $50 gc, so I just got it & will be using it towards graduation supplies for dd. Smarties for the candy dishes, Oh The Places You'll Go to sign & it's on sale for $10. Thank You note cards & not sure what else. Planning on doing this: http://www.mylifeatplaytime.com/home/2015/6/22/graduation-themed-candy-dessert-bar

[SKL]

I think I filled the summer camp schedule.  I plan to add 3 free camps (15 half days) at the libraries, but I have to wait until May to register, and the classes are limited, so wish me luck.  :)  I also added a 3-day cooking camp and a 5-day arts sampler.  The prices are not too bad.  Cheaper than the ones we did last year.

 

I'm feeling pretty good about the line-up.  It's heavy on science, but it touches every area of learning.  I think my kids will like how the schedule plays out:

• School's out - chill for a few days
• 3 weeks of learning / culture camps
• 2 weeks of travel
• 3 weeks of mostly non-academic, mostly outdoorsy camps
• 2 weeks of academic camps - the back-to-school ramp-up
• 1 week of arts and fun stuff
• A few travel/chill days, then back to school.

They will also continue to do swim team (not expensive), TKD (already paid until we make black belt), gymnastics (1 class if we can fit it in), and horse riding (Saturdays & maybe a few other days, $100/day - yes, expensive).