Nothing New/Mindful Spending Week 31

[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!

So, I spent some money and I'm on the verge of spending more money as I hover my finger over the Buy Now button on Amazon, where my Instant Pot waits to be purchased. I do think I'm going to get that thing.

 

I bought soccer cleats for DS16, plus two pairs of compression shorts for him. He needed new cleats; the pair he had were used but gave him blisters. So I think these will be better. I did have a coupon for Dicks, so that was a tiny bit helpful.

 

I bought a couple other things for curriculum and I still have a few more bits of curriculum to get. I bought a book/training manual meant to help DS improve his concept imagery which should in turn improve his reading and oral comprehension and recall. There are materials used in the program that I do not have to buy because items I already have will do the job. It's kinda crazy how the "official" program marks up materials that are completely pedestrian, such as a stack of colored felt squares. I'm using color copies of pages out of my Draw Write Now books I've had for ages to do the visual imaging work; I'm also using these to help him develop his fine motor precision.

 

I bought DH some shorts at Kohl's today that he can use for work shorts. His are almost totally worn out, enough so that he actually asked me to please buy him new ones. Which is really saying something. The man never buys clothes.

 

I bought Chinese take-out for me and DD tonight; the boys are camping.

 

How is everyone else this week?

[Annie G]

I bought three nice notebooks for tutoring. If I'm tutoring teenagers who don't want to do math I am going to treat myself to nice, smooth paper and not the crappy 17 cent notebooks.  And two new nice mechanical pencils. $18 and I'm done buying supplies for the year!

 

We went to a drum corp competition in a nearby town. Paid for admission and spent $3 on drinks.  Had a great time. 

 

Went to a minor league baseball game with friends. They are season pass holders and had plenty of tickets to share. Spent $6 on drinks. 

 

Today dh and I took our last day trip before he returns to work. $20 for museum admission and $20 for a nice lunch out.  Ended up not cooking dinner because we were still full from lunch. Yay!

 

So dh has been recovering from his bypass surgery and it's been a rocky road. His incision became infected from the inside because his body rebelled against the interior stitches. He had pretty awful reactions to 2 of the 3 antibiotics they used to treat it. Finally on the mend and his left foot began bothering him. Like REALLY hurting. So after an x ray they determined he has two broken bones. I mean, seriously. The man has been down since June 17. How could he have broken 2 bones?????   The upside: he's already maxed out his out of pocket so I guess if he's gong to break something he might as well do it now while it's not costing us anything additional. 

 

 

[Baseball mom]

Annie -- your dh has been through a lot.  I hope he is on the mend now!

 

Thought I was doing good (stayed home all week)  then Friday hit.  Car messed, the few items needed from grocery turned out to be much higher than expected. Not a great day.

Today was good though.  Went to some yard sales and found some really good deals on items I actually needed but wouldn't spend the money at stores for!  Plus ds and I got in some good quality time.  He enjoys yard sales too.

[knoxinsox]

Hey everyone!

 

Not much going on here.  We're eating down the groceries in prep for a trip to Winco and the salvage store in 2 weeks. Its a stock the pantry trip--hoping for lots of goodies.   I went to Walmart to get Gatorade for my husband's employees, and picked up 2 frozen pizzas and pop for dinner last night.  The Gatorade will be reimbursed.  The Dr. Pepper was on rollback for $1 a 2L and I scanned in the receipt for a Swagbucks credit of $1.50.  Other than that, no spending, except for a tank of gas. I'll head out to Aldi this week for a few things--fruit, milk, eggs...

 

Sunday afternoon, I went on a manic search for the missing library DvD.  Moved furniture, and went through all 8 drawers of the media cabinet.  And yes!!  Finally, I found the DvD.   This saves us $65 in replacing the book. 

 

Sunday afternoon, I picked up one of the drawers for the cabinet and felt something go ping in my lower back.  I spent 3 days on the couch icing and doing stretches.  By Wednesday, I was feeling much better.  Guess all those prior PT visits for my slipped discs are good for something.  I did try to make my time on the couch count.  Got my school book list done and ready to go.  Did a ton of Swagbucks, and I am just a few dollars short of my goal to pay for the books with Paypal giftcards.  Also, I went through a bazillion links on my bookmarks and deleted most.  Worked on my Christmas gift list for the kids, and put a bunch of stuff in my Amazon cart, but did not buy yet. I binge watched Drop Dead Diva and read magazines and Kindle books, while my kids hung out laundry and vacuumed.  

 

Monday, my husband went back to hourly per the new federal regs.  First time since last October that he will get paid for his overtime.  21 hours of OT this week, which has been the norm since he started the position.  Trying not to think of all those hours in the last 10 months that he worked basically free.  Uggh.  Its pretty much a down payment on a house kind of money.  

 

I watched a Youtube video and decided to take apart my husband's laptop to fix it.  One of the kids had tripped over the cord and dislodged the cord socket.  Removed screws, and hot glued the socket back in place....now the laptop can be plugged in and is charging again.  YAY!!   I do need to figure out why only half the keys work on the keyboard now, hoping I didn't mess something up.  Still, saved a chunk of $$. 

 

Grandma is decluttering and brought the kids a stack of puzzles and games.  Such fun for the kids when its been too hot to be outside.  She had dumped some of the puzzles into ziplocs to bring them since the boxes were broken.  I transferred them into the zipper bags that go into a 3 ring binder--I had a bunch of empty ones.  Makes my game shelf look neat and organized, and we'll recycle the ziplocs for holding some of our outgrown toy sets when we have a yard sale.

 

Writing it all out every week has been good for me--to see where I overspend and also to see how much more mindful and frugal I have become.  My husband and I were talking about how my efforts in budget mindfulness, zero waste, conserving energy, cooking from scratch, etc together with doing a few Swagbucks have made a difference in our budget. Living below our means instead of on the edge or being like Cliffhanger--"Can't hold on much longer!!!"    All that to say, thank you for all your stories and ideas.  Its always meaningful to read here, and pushes me to try new things. I hope you all have a wonderful week!

 

[Annie G]

knoxinsox so happy to hear your dh is getting paid for the hours he's working! And glad your 'ping' was resolved in just a few days. 

[Guest]

Grandma is decluttering and brought the kids a stack of puzzles and games. Such fun for the kids when its been too hot to be outside. She had dumped some of the puzzles into ziplocs to bring them since the boxes were broken. I transferred them into the zipper bags that go into a 3 ring binder--I had a bunch of empty ones. Makes my game shelf look neat and organized, and we'll recycle the ziplocs for holding some of our outgrown toy sets when we have a yard sale.

THAT is a great idea, keeping the puzzles in binders.

 

yay for fixing the computer, too. I love it when I do something like that. :)

[SKL]

It's been a bad week if spending is bad.

• School tuition and fees, about $8,000.
• School clothes and supplies for 2016-2017.  Along with some nonperishable groceries, my orders totaled about $750.  Ouch.  I think we're done except for buying gym shoes - I will probably pick those up cheap at Wal-Mart.
• TKD belt tests for 3, total $180.  (We passed.)
• Riding boots and horse show accessories, $85.
• Horse show, about $100 (2 kids).  I probably also owe the horse barn for their work with us today - last year it was $50.
• History museum the kids hadn't visited before - $20.
• Car maintenance and repair, $160.
• Fall math class for 2 kids (Saturdays) - $278.
• Family request for emergency cash, $600.

That's what I remember off hand.

 

Was it mindful spending?  Yeah, most of it is for my kids' education and personal development.  I could get some of it cheaper, but I find that shopping around just leads to more shopping and spending.  The car maintenance may sound like a lot, but it's been over a year since the last appointment, and it included a tire replacement ($50 deductible from warranty).  The family $ request - all I can say is that it's been a while since that happened, which is a good thing.

 

I need to be better about storing things (and remembering where I put them) so that I don't by things I already have.  Like the helmet covers for the horse show.  I misplaced one of them a while back, and the other one is in the kids' helmet bag which is who knows where (probably at the horse barn).  And I need to do an inventory of what the kids have for school - I did salvage many things from last year, but I need to organize everything so it is accessible when we need it.

 

Coming up this week, I want to schedule a chiropractor appointment and a dentist appointment for myself.  I know I keep saying that ....

[Annie G]

SKL, what a week for you!!! 

[JustEm]

We are being super strict with our budget this month because July we spent too much and we have some savings goals were a little behind on.

 

Last week I bought some maternity clothes at Kohl's with birthday gift cards. I ended up spending $8 out of my own pocket. Yesterday we had an impromptu lunch out because of a miscommunication with my sil. I was not happy about that because the biggest thing I wanted to avoid thing month was eating out, our biggest budget buster. Luckily I had a $25 Panera gift card I ot for my bday. So we decided we'd get 2 kids grilled cheese and 2 adult sandwiches and just split everything. I spent 56 cents of my own money and we were are well fed!

[Jane in NC]

Hey Annie-- sending you and your husband good thoughts during this trying time.

 

I have been in and out with my summer travels. Most of the costs associated were anticipated-- except for the needed air conditioning repair discovered by my husband upon returning home from a business trip (and while I was visiting family). The unit was running but air was not blowing into the house due to a failed relay. Yikes! Want to predict what my electric bill is going to be?

 

As I write, zucchini bread is in the oven. Tis the season when friends and family distribute surplus. My friend had a small shopping bag full that she was giving away.

 

Picked up some interesting vintage items to repurpose. Must focus on craft projects for holiday gift giving...

[SKL]

Looks like I will have to buy some kid lunch stuff, since the camp they are at requires me to pack a "peanut free" lunch.

 

I'm so over packing lunches.  I think I will switch my kids to hot lunches once school starts.  We'll see how they do on making good choices.  It will save me so much stress in the morning.

Edited August 8, 2016 by SKL

[mommyoffive]

Looks like I will have to buy some kid lunch stuff, since the camp the are at requires me to pack a "peanut free" lunch.

 

I'm so over packing lunches.  I think I will switch my kids to hot lunches once school starts.  We'll see how they do on making good choices.  It will save me so much stress in the morning.

 

Oh yes.  Get them the hot lunch.  I would so do that from time to time just for a break.  

[mommyoffive]

Had a spendy week.

 

 

Bought airline tickets for our next vacation.  How can you pass up such cheap airfare, I ask myself all the time.   I just never know when it is going to stop, so we are traveling machines this last year.

 

Dh grocery shopped 190

 

I went to the store to pick up the things he forgot, presents for a birthday party, and some new cameras for the kids     $110

 

Dh just went to the dentist today.  Argh.  I think that was $200-300 

 

Party that the kids went to.  The oldest 2 were invited to a pool party.  I was just going to pay for the youngers to get in.  Dh ended up paying for all the kids and himself.    I was annoyed that we paid to go to the party plus paid for the presents.  

$16

 

I think dh went to the grocery store a few times during the week to pick up meds and random things.  I am going to estimate that at $20

 

We paid for a week worth of lodging for this vacation coming up.  Which I think I am going to come in $1000 under my goal.  Which is sweet.  I still need to book 4 more nights.

I did redeem 3 free nights from Hotels.com.  So that is decent savings.  Plus I book through ebates so that will be a little bit back after we come home.  Which is nice.

 

I got some rebate checks this week.   Hopefully my ebates check shows up soon.

 

 

I did sell some things on CL.  So there is that.  I love getting stuff out of my house. 

 

We need to go to the store sometime this week.  

[JustEm]

Oh I forgot dh spend 34 at Lowes getting things to fix our stupid fence gate

[Desert Strawberry]

Money is tight right now.

D is facing layoffs in the next few weeks.

We have more medical bills.

D's radiator exploded damaging the engine. He had put new tires on his car literally the day before. He is going to buy a "vintage" Mercedes tomorrow for $500. We have money coming soon (inheritance), but he needs this car to last two months.

The kids are officially homeschooling again, which makes me absurdly happy. We are mostly unschooling, library schooling, lots of free resources. Their laptop died, so we will be using library computers. They have clubs and activities every day, so this will actually save us time. They can all work simultaneously, and we will be there anyway. Now I need my van back so we can go.

I bought groceries, basic school supplies, workbooks and flashcards, and some personal and household stuff for $120. That should mostly take care of us for two weeks. I went to buy dog food, breakfast cereal, and a few small items today. I am hoping to get in on a food co-op this week. We need fruit and veg.

My washer was acting up again, but seems fine now. I think it is going to need a repair soon

Kids are absolutely thriving with our new plan. Aries took up a new hobby. Cup stacking. They spent the better part of two days timing themselves, racing, comparing times.

I checked Perilous Math for Sagg. He is loving it! He's using math to battle zombies and vampires, solve bizarre scenarios, and today he performed math tricks.

The older kids are creating hero stories. The little ones worked on their new workbooks together for hours. They made a Minecraft pig piñata together with zero instruction from me with found objects (a shipping box, toilet paper tubes). Tomorrow they will finish and paint it. This weekend, I will buy goodies, stuff it and let them whack it to joyous bits.

We may not have much money, but we are having a lot of fun.

[Desert Strawberry]

Taurus said, "My school is more fun than the iPad." The library has preloaded tablets with learning games for every level. Cheap workbooks ftw. $2 well spent.

 

Grandma sent Luna a package, and I cleaned out my closet and found some more things for her. She now has over 70 outfits, 8 nighties, and 17 onesies and undershirts. Eep. She needs more hangers. Grandma found her two pairs of size two shoes that fit perfectly. Her precious little size one sandals are too small :(

We will try some shoes at Wal-Mart and payless. If she can fit regular shoes, that will eliminate a lot of stress for me.

 

No co-op this week. Both of our co-ops are on break for the summer. I will have to buy more food on the weekend. Bummer.

 

I found missing painting supplies in the closet, so now I can finish my living room and I won't have to buy them again.

Edited August 9, 2016 by Desert Strawberry

[itsheresomewhere]

Expensive week here- I chipped a tooth and had it fixed.  Took the dog to the vet.  We will have some more vet expenses this month.  

[Annie G]

Expensive week here- I chipped a tooth and had it fixed.  Took the dog to the vet.  We will have some more vet expenses this month.  

Ugh. I can't like your post because  weeks like that just stink. 

[Desert Strawberry]

One more from me. Last month the temperature hovered around 115. It was awful. Our AC bill was $400. It ran continuously, and the house was still hot.

This month, the temperature has come way down. We have started turning off the AC during the day, and opening the doors instead. It's so nice! I'm anticipating a Much lower bill.

[SamanthaCarter]

So far this week, AC vent grills for the house and three bras for me. Woohoo!

[Annie G]

One more from me. Last month the temperature hovered around 115. It was awful. Our AC bill was $400. It ran continuously, and the house was still hot.

This month, the temperature has come way down. We have started turning off the AC during the day, and opening the doors instead. It's so nice! I'm anticipating a Much lower bill.

 

I'm pretty envious. Dh has been home all summer and has had the ac on constantly and also the tv. I can't complain because he's had an awful summer. But it sure is hurting my budget.  Oh, and the full lunch every day and afternoon snack is hurting both my grocery budget and my waistline. 

[JustEm]

One more from me. Last month the temperature hovered around 115. It was awful. Our AC bill was $400. It ran continuously, and the house was still hot.

This month, the temperature has come way down. We have started turning off the AC during the day, and opening the doors instead. It's so nice! I'm anticipating a Much lower bill.

That's a tough bill to stomach, especially when it isn't even comfortable enough in the house. Our AC is leaking so we haven't used it in about a month. It was in the mid 90s most of that time which is high here. The savings were great but I was a grumpy mess! It took dh a while to figure out why I was so grumpy because he was in AC all day at work.

[Desert Strawberry]

I'm pretty envious. Dh has been home all summer and has had the ac on constantly and also the tv. I can't complain because he's had an awful summer. But it sure is hurting my budget.  Oh, and the full lunch every day and afternoon snack is hurting both my grocery budget and my waistline. 

 Oh yeah. I would lose it. And feel horribly guilty, too, because he's been so sick. I am eternally grateful for headphones. 

It was so insanely hot, I didn't even consider not having AC on. Now that it's less hot, we are all so much more comfortable.

[Desert Strawberry]

D talked the tire shop into letting him exchange the tires from his car for tires for my van. We will donate the car to Children's Hospital. He just has to figure out how to get it all done. The car lot where the car is won't remove the tires.

Our HSA will cover the last medical bills. All good news.

[SamanthaCarter]

Two laminated wall maps (US and world), homeschool PE fees, and a bible study book for DS. Tomorrow is grocery shopping. Not a bad week!

 

I have REALLY been wanting a globe, but I just couldn't justify it while I was browsing Amazon last night. All of the pretty globes I've seen in secondhand furniture stores ("antique" stores) are priced lower than a new one, and since I'd use it mostly for history, current political boundaries aren't necessary. I can just hold out for a used post-USSR one and not be in a hurry.