October Frugalistas

[mommyoffive]

2 minutes ago, hjffkj said:

 

The problem with the once a year thing is that it hasn't been once a year. The last raise was the first in years and frankly i think it was another carrot because they knew he was halfway out the door. It was just enough to keep him satisfied for a bit, clearly not long enough. 

He is paid above industry average not above it entirely, meaning there are plenty in his same position making more than average and room for him to grow if they allow it.

Out old home was comfortable for our income but it was in a bad neighborhood so we had to get out. The fact that we can't purchase a house in a safe neighborhood is the deciding factor that he can't stay there. So one of us will find work else where. I hate all of this so much.

 

 

Sending some hugs.  I am sure it is all going to work out.  But it is that middle part that sucks so much.  The not knowing, the searching, the start of something new.  You will get there one step at a time. 

[BarbecueMom]

Sorry for the "like" spam... had some catching up to do.

Congrats @soror on passing your demo!  And I'm sorry things are not going as hoped, @hjffkj.  It sounds like opening his own business may be the best long-term solution, but it certainly would complicate things in the short term, especially with a mortgage approval.

*********

I've been staying out of stores this week, except for a couple errands we ran after soccer today - some hunting/cold weather gear (ha! it's still almost 90 degrees) and a curtain for the TV room downstairs.  We finally got our refund for one expensive item for the basement we had to return, which was somewhere between "hassle" and "nightmare".  It didn't hit my credit card until the day after my statement, so I'm hoping to keep all of our grocery/gas/other stuff expenses under that amount and have a $0 credit card bill next month!

Any ideas for frugal easy-to-grab food to stave off "hangry + fall allergies" in a preteen (gluten free if homemade)?  He's doing the whole asking for a certain food item, and when we don't have it, sulking away grumbling and refusing to come up with anything else.  I think the options need to right in front of his nose.  Someone here makes popcorn at least once a day.  We always have bananas, apples, tortilla chips, and homemade yogurt.  I'm going to make some quick breads/muffins and pick up a few things to make several batches of granola bars.  PB&J is a frequent-enough meal that I don't think he wants extras for second/third/fourth meals.  He's not picky, but I don't think he'll eat hardboiled eggs.  He'll make eggs or oatmeal (when not too far gone down the grumpy hole), but TBH I am so sick of extra dishes/mess, so something that can be just shoved in a napkin and carried to the table would be nice.  Is there an easy , filling food I'm forgetting?

[regentrude]

13 minutes ago, BarbecueMom said:

Any ideas for frugal easy-to-grab food to stave off "hangry + fall allergies" in a preteen (gluten free if homemade)?  He's doing the whole asking for a certain food item, and when we don't have it, sulking away grumbling and refusing to come up with anything else.  I think the options need to right in front of his nose.  Someone here makes popcorn at least once a day.  We always have bananas, apples, tortilla chips, and homemade yogurt.  I'm going to make some quick breads/muffins and pick up a few things to make several batches of granola bars.  PB&J is a frequent-enough meal that I don't think he wants extras for second/third/fourth meals.  He's not picky, but I don't think he'll eat hardboiled eggs.  He'll make eggs or oatmeal (when not too far gone down the grumpy hole), but TBH I am so sick of extra dishes/mess, so something that can be just shoved in a napkin and carried to the table would be nice.  Is there an easy , filling food I'm forgetting?

Cheese

Nut butters/nuts

hummus

 

[frogger]

Sorry I haven't been getting on here. Life is just crazy busy. 

I'm sorry about the lack of a raise hjffjk. Safe housing is such a big issue in so many parts of our country. ?

 

Basic cleaning and reorganizing helps me feel better about my house too Soror.

I've been trying so hard this year but I feel our cash flow is just too tight. Sometimes I want to loosen the spigot a little. Maybe save less for retirement though I don't want too. I went over on groceries. Tomorrow is my son's birthday but I haven't got him a present. He does need good winter boots as his feet are always cold but that is also more than I want to spend so I'm not sure what I'll do.

 

 

[BarbecueMom]

31 minutes ago, regentrude said:

Cheese

Nut butters/nuts

hummus

 

I did forget about hummus.  Is the Aldi brand any good?  I'd rather buy a premade batch and make sure he still likes it before I buy all the ingredients to make it from scratch again. Whole nuts are still kind of difficult with his space maintainer.  Cheese is on sale Monday for $1.20 for an 8oz block, I might grab some pepperjack and keep it sliced up in the fridge.  Thanks!

[regentrude]

4 minutes ago, BarbecueMom said:

I did forget about hummus.  Is the Aldi brand any good?  I'd rather buy a premade batch and make sure he still likes it before I buy all the ingredients to make it from scratch again.

Aldi hummus is very good; they have different flavors, and sometimes special flavors. Right now I love their Thai curry hummus, and they had an excellent red beet hummus a while ago.

If you are looking for frugal, making it yourself is way, way cheaper. You don't need a ton of fancy ingredients, mainly just chick peas. You do not need to buy tahini; you can make hummus without it. Adding roasted sweet potato is divine.

 

[frogger]

36 minutes ago, regentrude said:

Aldi hummus is very good; they have different flavors, and sometimes special flavors. Right now I love their Thai curry hummus, and they had an excellent red beet hummus a while ago.

If you are looking for frugal, making it yourself is way, way cheaper. You don't need a ton of fancy ingredients, mainly just chick peas. You do not need to buy tahini; you can make hummus without it. Adding roasted sweet potato is divine.

 

 

I agree with the above. For tahini, we just toast and grind sesame seeds,  which are really not that expensive from the bulk area of the grocery store.  Then we add a little olive oil. It's not hard.

Edited October 6, 2018 by frogger

[BarbecueMom]

36 minutes ago, regentrude said:

Aldi hummus is very good; they have different flavors, and sometimes special flavors. Right now I love their Thai curry hummus, and they had an excellent red beet hummus a while ago.

If you are looking for frugal, making it yourself is way, way cheaper. You don't need a ton of fancy ingredients, mainly just chick peas. You do not need to buy tahini; you can make hummus without it. Adding roasted sweet potato is divine.

 

I used to make roasted red pepper hummus to take with us for park days.  I probably got out of the habit when I could no longer eat anything with lemon juice in it.  Apparently I can make it w/o tahini or lemon juice.  Maybe I'll roast some garlic to throw in there for extra flavor.

I showed him a recipe for buffalo sauce hummus and that won him over.  Sweet potato sounds really good, too.

 

[BarbecueMom]

15 minutes ago, frogger said:

 

I agree with the above. For tahini, we just toast and grind sesame seeds,  which are really not that expensive from the bulk area of the grocery store. 

There's only one store near us with a bulk section (higher priced local chain, my "odds and ends" store), and almost everything is more expensive per pound than buying prepackaged.  It's strange.  For example, 1lb. bag of beans on the shelf might be 1.99, but the beans in the bulk bins is 2.99/lb.  Cross-contamination is an issue with the bulk bins, too (DH has Celiac).

[frogger]

6 hours ago, BarbecueMom said:

There's only one store near us with a bulk section (higher priced local chain, my "odds and ends" store), and almost everything is more expensive per pound than buying prepackaged.  It's strange.  For example, 1lb. bag of beans on the shelf might be 1.99, but the beans in the bulk bins is 2.99/lb.  Cross-contamination is an issue with the bulk bins, too (DH has Celiac).

 

Yes, that would be a problem with Celiac.

[mommyoffive]

14 hours ago, frogger said:

Sorry I haven't been getting on here. Life is just crazy busy. 

I'm sorry about the lack of a raise hjffjk. Safe housing is such a big issue in so many parts of our country. ?

 

Basic cleaning and reorganizing helps me feel better about my house too Soror.

I've been trying so hard this year but I feel our cash flow is just too tight. Sometimes I want to loosen the spigot a little. Maybe save less for retirement though I don't want too. I went over on groceries. Tomorrow is my son's birthday but I haven't got him a present. He does need good winter boots as his feet are always cold but that is also more than I want to spend so I'm not sure what I'll do.

 

 

 

Wouldn't that be nice.  I dream of having a pension so that we wouldn't have to save anything.  We would have so much extra $ it would be awesome. 

[Baseball mom]

soror  I usually save my birthday money for house stuff too.  

heartlikealion feel you with dh and the money.  My dh and I are not always on the same page either.  

hjjkjk  sorry about not getting the raise

Barbeque mom  nuts & pepperoni slices were my fall back for snacks

I miss our bread store.  I could get some really good deals there but they closed down.

Not sure I knew about budget bytes.  I have the page open now so I don't forget to look.  

My stepmom just gave me a big container of yeast.  It was buy one get one and she said she only needed one.  I guess I need to try my breadmaking skills again.  I do have a 2nd hand bread machine, I need to find some recipes.

Went to the grocery, think I did ok.   Got "real" food that goes with stuff had on hand.  Didn't buy any snacks.  I haven't been buying snacks lately. 

Used most of dh check to pay bills.  Again I totally forgot about a bill but at least nothing got cut off this time.  I have always been on top of bills but the last few months it just slips my mind.  I have had some added stress and maybe that is why I am forgetting.  I am going back to writing it all on a calendar and marking it off when paid.  Give my brain a rest. 

 

 

 

 

[Soror]

I had 9 classes as of yesterday. Now this am I've got 53 classes booked for the next 2 weeks. Now they can cancel 24 hours out and I don't get paid but past that I get paid 100%, even if they don't show up. I don't know why I'm getting so lucky but I'm thrilled and nervous. All but 2 of these are Master Classes, mostly I've taught trials which are easy in a way because they are the same handful of classes over and over again and these are nearly all different

.+++++++++++++ Gas expenses are still sucking. Dh did some grocery shopping, he is trying but doesn't always keep it as tight as I do. Hoping for a better week than last week. +++++++

Dh hung up my bathroom mirror, my $12 Goodwill find, it looks great. I moved a picture from the kitchen and love it in there. Dd2 would like a few things for her room still but that will be bday stuff. So, it looks like I'm done on house stuff for the time being.

Edited October 8, 2018 by soror

[mommyoffive]

1 hour ago, soror said:

I had 9 classes as of yesterday. Now this am I've got 53 classes booked for the next 2 weeks. Now they can cancel 24 hours out and I don't get paid but past that I get paid 100%, even if they don't show up. I don't know why I'm getting so lucky but I'm thrilled and nervous. All but 2 of these are Master Classes, mostly I've taught trials which are easy in a way because they are the same handful of classes over and over again and these are nearly all different

.+++++++++++++ Gas expenses are still sucking. Dh did some grocery shopping, he is trying but doesn't always keep it as tight as I do. Hoping for a better week than last week. +++++++

Dh hung up my bathroom mirror, my $12 Goodwill find, it looks great. I moved a picture from the kitchen and love it in there. Dd2 would like a few things for her room still but that will be bday stuff. So, it looks like I'm done on house stuff for the time being.

 

Amazing!!!  Have you ever thought of working for another company too?  I know there are people who work mornings and night and do it for 3 or 4 different companies. 

 

Sold one thing on CL.  Was supposed to be two, but the other person had their car break down.  Poop.  That was the much more expensive thing.  Listed some other stuff.  Would love the $ and the cleaner house. 

[Soror]

5 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

 

Amazing!!!  Have you ever thought of working for another company too?  I know there are people who work mornings and night and do it for 3 or 4 different companies. 

 

Sold one thing on CL.  Was supposed to be two, but the other person had their car break down.  Poop.  That was the much more expensive thing.  Listed some other stuff.  Would love the $ and the cleaner house. 

Girl, I'm working about what I want to now. Now, if things slow down I might consider it but they all have pain in the butt hiring processes that I'd rather not go through unless I have to. I don't want to working evening either b/c that is the time I can see the kids and we have activities Mon, Tues, and Thurs.  Good job on the sale, hope you get more, it is such a pain to sell sometimes.

[mommyoffive]

2 minutes ago, soror said:

Girl, I'm working about what I want to now. Now, if things slow down I might consider it but they all have pain in the butt hiring processes that I'd rather not go through unless I have to. I don't want to working evening either b/c that is the time I can see the kids and we have activities Mon, Tues, and Thurs.  Good job on the sale, hope you get more, it is such a pain to sell sometimes.

 

Yeah it sounds like you are working lots.   I just mentioned it because I read a mom's blog (from here) that does that.   Just pushing me that I should do this. 

 http://lextineclectic.com/2018/09/what-its-like-to-teach-esl-online-and-homeschool.html

 

Yeah selling is a pain sometimes.  But I have so much stuff that I know is worth $ that I could sell. 

[Carrie12345]

I'm thinking about joining you guys! Wish I would have considered it a week ago, lol.

I am usually an excellent budgeter.  Dh, not so much, but he's made huge improvements over the past few years.  I do the vast majority of the financial planning and literal bill paying, give him updates, and get the thumbs up.  It worked out well for a long time.

I'm not managing as well lately. Though we have continued to make some progress in paying down our debt, it hasn't been as much as we originally intended.  Ds moved back in after 6 years and I scrambled to redo space to fit another adult person.  I paid for a couple of cc classes.  We finally decided to invest in some camping equipment so we could have some adventures before the 15, 16, and 20yos are too busy for that sort of thing.  (Admittedly, it's already kind of hard to schedule!)  Dh's company car was taken away, so we had to take on another loan and his new car allowance falls a little bit short once you add insurance and upkeep.  And our cat's thyroid decided to conk out!

With all that, I do feel like I've fallen into the habit of shrugging off added expenses.  I want to fix that because, for one thing, our big goal is to get out of our upside down mortgage, and that can't happen if I don't get back on track.  For another, dh's company has been jerking him around lately.  He used to get an annual commission check, an annual bonus check, and annual profit sharing.  Now we hear a lot of "It's coming" or "Here's some of it."  He's looking at jumping ship for a potentially better offer, but then other adaptations would need to be made. (Like trying to offload a car loan!)

Anyway, that's my long winded lecture to myself.  I need to get back on track or we'll be at risk for "little surprises" becoming major problems.

 

 

[BarbecueMom]

Currently at $261 for the month in groceries.  I spent $78 at the store around the corner from my house.  I don't usually go there unless I'm just running in to grab something we forgot or for sick people food, but these were really great sales.  I also went to Aldi, but still need a few things from Costco.  And I forgot snacks and drinks for DS5's soccer team next weekend.  I'd really like to be at less than $300 for the halfway point.  We'll see.

This week's menu: (ACK I KEEP HITTING ENTER WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME)

Monday - Grilled Marinated Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Steamed Carrots (steaks were part of that great sale, and I have Worcestershire nearing expiration to use up)

Tuesday - Southwest Spaghetti Squash Bowls (Budget Bytes!), Chips and Salsa

Wednesday - Baked Potatoes, Baked Beans, Broccoli

Thursday - Chicken and Noodles

Friday - Frozen Junk Food

Saturday - Burgers, Potato Wedges, Cinnamon Vanilla Applesauce (middle DS's birthday)

Sunday - Chili Rubbed Pulled Pork (Budget Bytes again!), Rice, Green Beans

 

ETA:  Two more days of air conditioning.  Just two. more. days.  Really don't want my budget billing to skyrocket because of this weird October weather.

Edited October 8, 2018 by BarbecueMom

[Ravin]

For the first time in five months, I put $$ that's not medical or automotive bills on a credit card that won't be paid off immediately. The receipts went up on my Wall of Shame. It was all stuff for DD's birthday party that went beyond my weekly budget. There are some other receipts that are living in my wallet for things that went onto my Discover and Costco Visa cards that will have to be paid off this month--next week's spending money is already spent, ugh.

And we don't even have Halloween costumes yet!

[mommyoffive]

1 hour ago, BarbecueMom said:

Currently at $261 for the month in groceries.  I spent $78 at the store around the corner from my house.  I don't usually go there unless I'm just running in to grab something we forgot or for sick people food, but these were really great sales.  I also went to Aldi, but still need a few things from Costco.  And I forgot snacks and drinks for DS5's soccer team next weekend.  I'd really like to be at less than $300 for the halfway point.  We'll see.

This week's menu: (ACK I KEEP HITTING ENTER WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME)

Monday - Grilled Marinated Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Steamed Carrots (steaks were part of that great sale, and I have Worcestershire nearing expiration to use up)

Tuesday - Southwest Spaghetti Squash Bowls (Budget Bytes!), Chips and Salsa

Wednesday - Baked Potatoes, Baked Beans, Broccoli

Thursday - Chicken and Noodles

Friday - Frozen Junk Food

Saturday - Burgers, Potato Wedges, Cinnamon Vanilla Applesauce (middle DS's birthday)

Sunday - Chili Rubbed Pulled Pork (Budget Bytes again!), Rice, Green Beans

 

ETA:  Two more days of air conditioning.  Just two. more. days.  Really don't want my budget billing to skyrocket because of this weird October weather.

 

Thanks for the meal plan.  I need to get back on that.  Dh has been doing the shopping and just buys things, no plan.  

I also need to get some of those food thermos for the kids.  If anyone sees a deal on it post it please.  We are gone 2-3 nights a week at dance and don't get back until 9:30pm.  I think eating peanut and jelly and other stuff is getting old.  

[HomeAgain]

We're at $140 so far out of $250 for the week.  I still need to get more milk.  Dh made up the meal plan this time, respecting the fact that one in the house works until 9pm, one goes to work at 5:30pm, and one has a full schedule of school and activities:

-Sat/Sun: Meatball subs.  Crockpot meal, dh made up the meatballs Friday night so all I had to do was add them to the sauce and let the crockpot take care of the rest.  Which turned out to be a really great idea after we came home from ds's ice skating lesson to have a warm meal ready.
-Monday: Chicken chili over rice.
-Tuesday: leftovers
-Wednesday: frozen pizza
-Thursday: homemade mac n' cheese, chicken, green beans
-Friday......don't know.

Friday is up in the air because if the weather works out, dh and I want to take the kids to Salem, MA.  Youngest ds is learning about the witch trials right now and it would be a pretty sweet field trip in October, yeah? ?  But the hurricane (tropical storm?) Michael may end up affecting the weather enough where it'll be pouring rain.  We'd pack picnic foods if we did go, but keep our options open for a small dessert or the like.

I have had such a hard time getting into the Halloween spirit this year.  Usually I'm planning elaborate costumes and we're off doing things, but this year has felt so.....meh.  DS doesn't want a new costume, we haven't gone to any of the corn mazes or anything, and the weather has been just off enough that I haven't wanted to decorate out front yet.  Maybe Salem will help get me in the mood.

[mommyoffive]

Dh got new brakes on his car and oil change.  $400 some bucks.  

I have spent $200 at the store so far.  Goal is $600 more for the month.  The kids are eating so much right now.   Growth spurt anyone?

I am annoyed.  Does anyone get really bothered by little things with money?  Ds has a school project to build some thing.   I told him to use supplies we have at home.  Draw a picture, paint it, build it with legos.  No no no. 

He wanted to build it out of sticks.  Dh goes and buys him 8 bucks worth of supplies at the store.  Which I think if they would have looked hard enough in the basement and the garage they would have found things that would have worked.  Ds worked 2 days on the project and is giving up and now going to use his legos.   So I have 8 bucks worth of supplies that we will not use for anything and will just sit.  I am so bothered by that.  URGH

[mommyoffive]

2 minutes ago, heartlikealion said:

Friday we got a phone call that another campus house is available and we were offered it. I got the key yesterday to look inside. I think overall it's an upgrade so I think we need to move. Dh is going to look at it today (he's been inside in the past, but not recently and worked out of town yesterday) and ask about timeline for getting repairs done/new paint job. I'm going to continue to declutter. I have a couple things I'm dropping off today when I go out. Same rent. This one has an extra bedroom (each kid would have their own room and we'd still have one room we could use as an office/craft room). More bathrooms. Nothing glamorous but here we only have one bathroom. The other home is 2.5 baths. We've basically just outgrown this home.

I won't be placing my huge curtain order from Kohl's afterall. The other home has less windows and they are mainly up high/small so I don't need these huge curtains like I do here. The ones I currently own might go above the sliding glass doors, though. The kitchen is small, but has a better flow to the dining area (has a pass through) and the dining room has a pantry. The laundry will no longer be in my kitchen. I will have to figure out where to park the portable dishwasher when it's not in use.

This guy backed out of buying my guitar this weekend, but my friend heard about it and said she'd buy it.

Dh noticed our Prime renewed and my inlaws usually offer to pay for it (and share perks with us) so we'll see about that.

I used my Fetch rewards to shave off a few bucks from my Panera Bread order. I'm hosting Game Day today there and I placed a pick up order for dd. For myself I might just get a drink since it's not directly at lunch time. I'll probably pack myself a sandwich to eat in the car lol.

Dh is up in the air on what nights they need him to teach. It's driving me nuts. If they switch to several days a week (condensed classes and more of them instead of spread out more weeks) then I have to cancel my tutoring job. I'd be okay with that, but they are already short on tutors and I hate to do that to them. I did reach out to try to find another tutor/homework helper, but no luck so far.

We celebrated my birthday last weekend. I got some birthday money so that covered a chunk of it. Dropped the kids off at a friend's home. We paid her, but she didn't ask for full rate. Ate out and played mini golf near her home. Money well spent. First date night in forever. I'm working on finding other sitters so I don't have to rely on dh  and his schedule so much. Yesterday he said he'd pick up my medication at Sam's Club and didn't take lunch at a good time/got there too late after work. I just can't rely on him. Paying a sitter is worth it if I can juggle my own schedule. They did get an opening for me this Friday (when dh and ds are on fall break) so I can get a consultation at this place with an OT to discuss ds. For now at least I can lean on our flex spending plan. Dd's teeth work will cut into a lot of that but I found a place that won't require a hospital visit.

 

Wow, the move sounds like a great move.  More space for the same $.  So nice!

[BarbecueMom]

16 hours ago, mommyoffive said:

 

Thanks for the meal plan.  I need to get back on that.  Dh has been doing the shopping and just buys things, no plan.  

I also need to get some of those food thermos for the kids.  If anyone sees a deal on it post it please.  We are gone 2-3 nights a week at dance and don't get back until 9:30pm.  I think eating peanut and jelly and other stuff is getting old.  

 

14 minutes ago, heartlikealion said:

I heard some of the REGULAR thermos were on sale about $4 so check for the mini ones. This was at a Target around here. Someone posted about it in my couponing group and said they got the last Harry Potter one lol.

I'm headed to Target today, so I'll see what they have.  I, too, am growing weary of PB&J for the road (she says, as she packs a cooler full of them because we'll be out of the house all day).  We used to shove hot dogs into the taller thermoses (thermi? thermen?), pour boiling water over them, and have hot dogs for lunch.  Except... they are still too hot to eat after 4-5 hours!  And the thermos can never be used for anything but food again, because the seal retains the "essence of hot dog".  Maybe if it ever drops below 85 degrees here, we can take some homemade ramen or chili with us.

We also had one of those "hot packs" to put in the Pyrex casserole-size insulated carrier.  If we were going to be eating after only an hour or two, I could wrap hot dogs and hamburgers and grilled cheese or breakfast sandwiches in foil and stack them in the carrier with the hot pad, and they'd be still fresh by meal time.

[Soror]

2 hours ago, mommyoffive said:

Dh got new brakes on his car and oil change.  $400 some bucks.  

I have spent $200 at the store so far.  Goal is $600 more for the month.  The kids are eating so much right now.   Growth spurt anyone?

I am annoyed.  Does anyone get really bothered by little things with money?  Ds has a school project to build some thing.   I told him to use supplies we have at home.  Draw a picture, paint it, build it with legos.  No no no. 

He wanted to build it out of sticks.  Dh goes and buys him 8 bucks worth of supplies at the store.  Which I think if they would have looked hard enough in the basement and the garage they would have found things that would have worked.  Ds worked 2 days on the project and is giving up and now going to use his legos.   So I have 8 bucks worth of supplies that we will not use for anything and will just sit.  I am so bothered by that.  URGH

4

Boo! on the car repairs and the school supplies. I've decided I'm not doing an allowance for ds anyway, I'll just give him money here and there as needed, there's always some little thing. 

1 hour ago, heartlikealion said:

Friday we got a phone call that another campus house is available and we were offered it. I got the key yesterday to look inside. I think overall it's an upgrade so I think we need to move. Dh is going to look at it today (he's been inside in the past, but not recently and worked out of town yesterday) and ask about timeline for getting repairs done/new paint job. I'm going to continue to declutter. I have a couple things I'm dropping off today when I go out. Same rent. This one has an extra bedroom (each kid would have their own room and we'd still have one room we could use as an office/craft room). More bathrooms. Nothing glamorous but here we only have one bathroom. The other home is 2.5 baths. We've basically just outgrown this home.

I won't be placing my huge curtain order from Kohl's afterall. The other home has less windows and they are mainly up high/small so I don't need these huge curtains like I do here. The ones I currently own might go above the sliding glass doors, though. The kitchen is small, but has a better flow to the dining area (has a pass through) and the dining room has a pantry. The laundry will no longer be in my kitchen. I will have to figure out where to park the portable dishwasher when it's not in use.

This guy backed out of buying my guitar this weekend, but my friend heard about it and said she'd buy it.

Dh noticed our Prime renewed and my inlaws usually offer to pay for it (and share perks with us) so we'll see about that.

I used my Fetch rewards to shave off a few bucks from my Panera Bread order. I'm hosting Game Day today there and I placed a pick up order for dd. For myself I might just get a drink since it's not directly at lunch time. I'll probably pack myself a sandwich to eat in the car lol.

Dh is up in the air on what nights they need him to teach. It's driving me nuts. If they switch to several days a week (condensed classes and more of them instead of spread out more weeks) then I have to cancel my tutoring job. I'd be okay with that, but they are already short on tutors and I hate to do that to them. I did reach out to try to find another tutor/homework helper, but no luck so far.

We celebrated my birthday last weekend. I got some birthday money so that covered a chunk of it. Dropped the kids off at a friend's home. We paid her, but she didn't ask for full rate. Ate out and played mini golf near her home. Money well spent. First date night in forever. I'm working on finding other sitters so I don't have to rely on dh  and his schedule so much. Yesterday he said he'd pick up my medication at Sam's Club and didn't take lunch at a good time/got there too late after work. I just can't rely on him. Paying a sitter is worth it if I can juggle my own schedule. They did get an opening for me this Friday (when dh and ds are on fall break) so I can get a consultation at this place with an OT to discuss ds. For now at least I can lean on our flex spending plan. Dd's teeth work will cut into a lot of that but I found a place that won't require a hospital visit.

13

Congrats on the new house, may the move go smoothly. and happy bday again. 

On 10/8/2018 at 8:50 AM, Carrie12345 said:

I'm thinking about joining you guys! Wish I would have considered it a week ago, lol.

I am usually an excellent budgeter.  Dh, not so much, but he's made huge improvements over the past few years.  I do the vast majority of the financial planning and literal bill paying, give him updates, and get the thumbs up.  It worked out well for a long time.

I'm not managing as well lately. Though we have continued to make some progress in paying down our debt, it hasn't been as much as we originally intended.  Ds moved back in after 6 years and I scrambled to redo space to fit another adult person.  I paid for a couple of cc classes.  We finally decided to invest in some camping equipment so we could have some adventures before the 15, 16, and 20yos are too busy for that sort of thing.  (Admittedly, it's already kind of hard to schedule!)  Dh's company car was taken away, so we had to take on another loan and his new car allowance falls a little bit short once you add insurance and upkeep.  And our cat's thyroid decided to conk out!

With all that, I do feel like I've fallen into the habit of shrugging off added expenses.  I want to fix that because, for one thing, our big goal is to get out of our upside down mortgage, and that can't happen if I don't get back on track.  For another, dh's company has been jerking him around lately.  He used to get an annual commission check, an annual bonus check, and annual profit sharing.  Now we hear a lot of "It's coming" or "Here's some of it."  He's looking at jumping ship for a potentially better offer, but then other adaptations would need to be made. (Like trying to offload a car loan!)

Anyway, that's my long winded lecture to myself.  I need to get back on track or we'll be at risk for "little surprises" becoming major problems.

 

 

4

I hear you, it is easy to spend extra, there is always something to spend money on. 

19 hours ago, BarbecueMom said:

Currently at $261 for the month in groceries.  I spent $78 at the store around the corner from my house.  I don't usually go there unless I'm just running in to grab something we forgot or for sick people food, but these were really great sales.  I also went to Aldi, but still need a few things from Costco.  And I forgot snacks and drinks for DS5's soccer team next weekend.  I'd really like to be at less than $300 for the halfway point.  We'll see.

This week's menu: (ACK I KEEP HITTING ENTER WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME)

Monday - Grilled Marinated Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Steamed Carrots (steaks were part of that great sale, and I have Worcestershire nearing expiration to use up)

Tuesday - Southwest Spaghetti Squash Bowls (Budget Bytes!), Chips and Salsa

Wednesday - Baked Potatoes, Baked Beans, Broccoli

Thursday - Chicken and Noodles

Friday - Frozen Junk Food

Saturday - Burgers, Potato Wedges, Cinnamon Vanilla Applesauce (middle DS's birthday)

Sunday - Chili Rubbed Pulled Pork (Budget Bytes again!), Rice, Green Beans

 

ETA:  Two more days of air conditioning.  Just two. more. days.  Really don't want my budget billing to skyrocket because of this weird October weather.

1

Good menu, I made one this week but have to hunt it down. Last night was gf lasagna/pasta bake. 

[Soror]

I had more classes booked last night, I'm now at 15 hrs for this week, which is every slot I opened from Tues- Sun this week. Next week I'm at 17.5 hrs, which is all but 1 class I have opened. 

I'm considering opening up some slots Friday night to see if they will fill to help make up for the slow week last week. 

I've been so nervous but my classes today went off without a hitch, I did pre-read them several times. Once I get more experience I'll be able to open and go better but right now it sets me at ease to really Know what I'm teaching, plus I'm trying like the dickens to make a good impression and have parents rebook me, I want to knock it out of the park. I did have one girl rebook me as soon as our class was older and this was her first class, that is very good, maybe she'll become a regular, she was a great student, I hope so!

Edited October 9, 2018 by soror

[JustEm]

44 minutes ago, soror said:

I had more classes booked last night, I'm now at 15 hrs for this week, which is every slot I opened from Tues- Sun this week. Next week I'm at 17.5 hrs, which is all but 1 class I have opened. 

I'm considering opening up some slots Friday night to see if they will fill to help make up for the slow week last week. 

I've been so nervous but my classes today went off without a hitch, I did pre-read them several times. Once I get more experience I'll be able to open and go better but right now it sets me at ease to really Know what I'm teaching, plus I'm trying like the dickens to make a good impression and have parents rebook me, I want to knock it out of the park. I did have one girl rebook me as soon as our class was older and this was her first class, that is very good, maybe she'll become a regular, she was a great student, I hope so!

 

how many rebooks have you gotten so far?  

[JustEm]

dh and I went out to eat last night to get away from the kids and talk about our future and where we go from here.  We had a $50 gift card to a local restaurant and it wasn't until we went to pay that we realized it was for food only.  What bs! Oh well, at least we have more on that card and will be able to go out again and just not get drinks.  So we ended up spending money I hadn't anticipated because of the drinks but not too much.  Plus, the restaurant was having trivia night, which we love, so we stayed for the whole thing and had a blast.  Trivia night was something we used to do regularly at a now closed dive bar when we were dating so it was nice to do it again.  

We've made a plan for the future and will take it slowly.  Dh and I are going to start researching the area we want to open a school and creating a business plan.  While we do that we will also look for a house and hopefully find something we are happy with.  I will end up getting a job most likely at the beginning of 2019 so we can still bring in money while the school is in the red. I'm horrified but excited.  Dh will be working with his current employer to open the school under the current school's name but it will be our business. This way all the marketing material and class curriculum, which dh created, is already done and he doesn't have to start from scratch. 

Now to decide what type of job to seek out.  I really hate working for other people but expanding my pet sitting business to the level it would need to be to support us is almost as big of an undertaking as  dh starting his own martial arts school.

[Soror]

16 minutes ago, hjffkj said:

 

how many rebooks have you gotten so far?  

That's hard to count- 1 girl I've taught 7 times, 6-10 I've taught more than once. Most of my classes so far have been Trials, which are when the kids are trying it out. I'm just now this week getting a ton of Master Class students which are the ones I'm hoping to rebook. So, these next 2 weeks are a big test to see if I can retain these new students and keep the ones I've had.

 

Edited October 9, 2018 by soror

[JustEm]

8 minutes ago, soror said:

That's hard to count- 1 girl I've taught 7 times, 6-10 I've taught more than once. Most of my classes so far have been Trials, which are when the kids are trying it out. I'm just now this week getting a ton of Master Class students which are the ones I'm hoping to rebook. So, these next 2 weeks are a big test to see if I can retain these new students and keep the ones I've had.

 

 

Good luck, it sounds like you are doing all the right things to be properly prepared.  It will pay off, I'm sure.

[BarbecueMom]

I didn't see any sales on Thermos today.  There were a couple Kleen Kanteen bottles on the clearance shelf, about 50% off, and I think there's still a 10% off coupon in the Cartwheel, but I passed on it.  Those narrow necks look like a pain to wash or cram ice cubes into, definitely not usable for soup!

I did get my flu shot there today and got a $5 off a Target purchase coupon.  They had a Wahl hair clipper set for $25, but it was $20 online.  Price matched it, used the $5 coupon and the $10 gift card from DS8's birthday gift purchase, and saved 90% on haircuts this month!

DS10 picked out new glasses at the eye doctor today that were less than our insurance's max allowance, ended up $25 under my estimated budget for glasses.  The kids also got a cheap toy from there and a sucker for not completely flipping out at the doctor for their flu shots today.  They're all about the freebies lately.

After Costco, I'm at $330 on food for the halfway point.  Would have been under except for the soccer treats... and the caffeine I picked up at Starbucks when the impending 40 degree temperature drop hit my sinuses this afternoon like a brick to the face.  It feels like someone is pulling on my nose and randomly shoving things in my ears at the same time.

[mommyoffive]

21 hours ago, soror said:

I had more classes booked last night, I'm now at 15 hrs for this week, which is every slot I opened from Tues- Sun this week. Next week I'm at 17.5 hrs, which is all but 1 class I have opened. 

I'm considering opening up some slots Friday night to see if they will fill to help make up for the slow week last week. 

I've been so nervous but my classes today went off without a hitch, I did pre-read them several times. Once I get more experience I'll be able to open and go better but right now it sets me at ease to really Know what I'm teaching, plus I'm trying like the dickens to make a good impression and have parents rebook me, I want to knock it out of the park. I did have one girl rebook me as soon as our class was older and this was her first class, that is very good, maybe she'll become a regular, she was a great student, I hope so!

 

I am so happy for your success.  Nice part time job.  I wish I had the courage to get that started.  

[mommyoffive]

20 hours ago, hjffkj said:

dh and I went out to eat last night to get away from the kids and talk about our future and where we go from here.  We had a $50 gift card to a local restaurant and it wasn't until we went to pay that we realized it was for food only.  What bs! Oh well, at least we have more on that card and will be able to go out again and just not get drinks.  So we ended up spending money I hadn't anticipated because of the drinks but not too much.  Plus, the restaurant was having trivia night, which we love, so we stayed for the whole thing and had a blast.  Trivia night was something we used to do regularly at a now closed dive bar when we were dating so it was nice to do it again.  

We've made a plan for the future and will take it slowly.  Dh and I are going to start researching the area we want to open a school and creating a business plan.  While we do that we will also look for a house and hopefully find something we are happy with.  I will end up getting a job most likely at the beginning of 2019 so we can still bring in money while the school is in the red. I'm horrified but excited.  Dh will be working with his current employer to open the school under the current school's name but it will be our business. This way all the marketing material and class curriculum, which dh created, is already done and he doesn't have to start from scratch. 

Now to decide what type of job to seek out.  I really hate working for other people but expanding my pet sitting business to the level it would need to be to support us is almost as big of an undertaking as  dh starting his own martial arts school.

 

I am glad you have a plan.  I feel like that is the hardest part.  But once you get the plan it is just doing one thing after the other.   

[mommyoffive]

13 hours ago, BarbecueMom said:

I didn't see any sales on Thermos today.  There were a couple Kleen Kanteen bottles on the clearance shelf, about 50% off, and I think there's still a 10% off coupon in the Cartwheel, but I passed on it.  Those narrow necks look like a pain to wash or cram ice cubes into, definitely not usable for soup!

I did get my flu shot there today and got a $5 off a Target purchase coupon.  They had a Wahl hair clipper set for $25, but it was $20 online.  Price matched it, used the $5 coupon and the $10 gift card from DS8's birthday gift purchase, and saved 90% on haircuts this month!

DS10 picked out new glasses at the eye doctor today that were less than our insurance's max allowance, ended up $25 under my estimated budget for glasses.  The kids also got a cheap toy from there and a sucker for not completely flipping out at the doctor for their flu shots today.  They're all about the freebies lately.

After Costco, I'm at $330 on food for the halfway point.  Would have been under except for the soccer treats... and the caffeine I picked up at Starbucks when the impending 40 degree temperature drop hit my sinuses this afternoon like a brick to the face.  It feels like someone is pulling on my nose and randomly shoving things in my ears at the same time.

 

You and me both sister.  I have been having so much caffeine because of the constant temp changes. I never have caffeine.  I am a water girl. 

[JustEm]

5 hours ago, mommyoffive said:

 

I am so happy for your success.  Nice part time job.  I wish I had the courage to get that started.  

 

Right? That is how I feel.  I guess there isn't really anything stopping me from getting started but myself.  Maybe I'll set some time aside tonight to look further into it.  

[Soror]

1 hour ago, hjffkj said:

 

Right? That is how I feel.  I guess there isn't really anything stopping me from getting started but myself.  Maybe I'll set some time aside tonight to look further into it.  

 

Looks like you are doing pretty darn good with your pet sitting, not like you are doing nothing!

 

6 hours ago, mommyoffive said:

 

I am so happy for your success.  Nice part time job.  I wish I had the courage to get that started.  

 

Aww, thanks, I only finally started out of desperation. I was so nervous. 

20 hours ago, BarbecueMom said:

I didn't see any sales on Thermos today.  There were a couple Kleen Kanteen bottles on the clearance shelf, about 50% off, and I think there's still a 10% off coupon in the Cartwheel, but I passed on it.  Those narrow necks look like a pain to wash or cram ice cubes into, definitely not usable for soup!

I did get my flu shot there today and got a $5 off a Target purchase coupon.  They had a Wahl hair clipper set for $25, but it was $20 online.  Price matched it, used the $5 coupon and the $10 gift card from DS8's birthday gift purchase, and saved 90% on haircuts this month!

DS10 picked out new glasses at the eye doctor today that were less than our insurance's max allowance, ended up $25 under my estimated budget for glasses.  The kids also got a cheap toy from there and a sucker for not completely flipping out at the doctor for their flu shots today.  They're all about the freebies lately.

After Costco, I'm at $330 on food for the halfway point.  Would have been under except for the soccer treats... and the caffeine I picked up at Starbucks when the impending 40 degree temperature drop hit my sinuses this afternoon like a brick to the face.  It feels like someone is pulling on my nose and randomly shoving things in my ears at the same time.

3

Good job on the glasses and the clippers. Good deal on the water bottles too. I need to add up where we are at on groceries, not doing too great so far!

[JustEm]

59 minutes ago, soror said:

Looks like you are doing pretty darn good with your pet sitting, not like you are doing nothing!

 

Yeah, I do alright.  The problem with it is that if I wanted to expand that more then I'd have be away from the kids more and I'm just not in that situation yet. I'd love to aim for making $1000 a month with pet sitting and have considered running the numbers and seeing what I could realistically do without interrupting homeschooling too much.  I did recently up my prices significantly, and have gotten 2 new clients with those new prices so that is a start.  

[mommyoffive]

17 hours ago, hjffkj said:

 

Yeah, I do alright.  The problem with it is that if I wanted to expand that more then I'd have be away from the kids more and I'm just not in that situation yet. I'd love to aim for making $1000 a month with pet sitting and have considered running the numbers and seeing what I could realistically do without interrupting homeschooling too much.  I did recently up my prices significantly, and have gotten 2 new clients with those new prices so that is a start.  

 

I have thought of pet sitting too.  A few years ago it would have worked ok since dh worked from home.   Now it could possibly work since my oldest could probably be left home to watch the others.  

But yeah the tutoring is so perfect since you don't have to leave home.  I mean I know there are tons of work from home jobs like that.   I should do it.  We don't need the money at all, but extra money is nice. 

[mommyoffive]

40 minutes ago, heartlikealion said:

How did your current clients take the increase? 

———————

dh took a look at the house. He said he saw evidence of mice and he made a list of things he’d want done before we moved in. Now we are concerned about the wiring. He left a message for the person in charge to call him so they could discuss the home saying we are interested. Dh isn’t super interested but I don’t feel confident we can make our current home fit our needs. We tried to get a half bath added before and it was denied or we were told it wasn’t possible. I don’t know how long it will be before we get more info on the home. I’ll just focus on decluttering this one. 

Dh worked wit the person in charge of his night class schedule to compromise on days and allow me to keep tutoring once a week. I am very happy. 

I racked up on ibotta offers last night. Lots of Butterball products. Stocked up on oatmeal. Got $1.25 credit for each canister   (select kinds not steel cut). Will be able for cash out soon. 

 

I need to get into Ibotta.  That offer on oatmeal is SWEET.

Doesn't the college own the house?  They should fix all of that shouldn't they? 

I am glad you get to keep tutoring.  

[JustEm]

1 hour ago, heartlikealion said:

How did your current clients take the increase? 

 

 

They took it well.  I made sure to give them a heads up by sending out a mass email and making it clear that anything already booked would be under the previous rates.  A few have booked with the new rates.

[JustEm]

25 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

 

I have thought of pet sitting too.  A few years ago it would have worked ok since dh worked from home.   Now it could possibly work since my oldest could probably be left home to watch the others.  

But yeah the tutoring is so perfect since you don't have to leave home.  I mean I know there are tons of work from home jobs like that.   I should do it.  We don't need the money at all, but extra money is nice. 

 

Extra money is nice

[mommyoffive]

1 minute ago, hjffkj said:

 

Extra money is nice

 

For sure.  Do any of you guys to surveys for extra money? 

[Soror]

41 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

 

I have thought of pet sitting too.  A few years ago it would have worked ok since dh worked from home.   Now it could possibly work since my oldest could probably be left home to watch the others.  

But yeah the tutoring is so perfect since you don't have to leave home.  I mean I know there are tons of work from home jobs like that.   I should do it.  We don't need the money at all, but extra money is nice. 

I hear you. I wish I would have pursued this sooner. Not that we technically needed it before but there are always things to spend money on. Dh feels a relief with it, especially with the kids getting older, ds will be driving in not quite 2 yrs. I really hope it continues to work, it is a nice compromise between staying home full time and working outside the home. Right now all the money is going into savings. It's very exciting to think what we might be able to do after we get our short-term savings where we want it, G-d willing we can have that done by the end of next year. There are so many things we would like to do but haven't been able to- dh needs a shop/barn (he has inherited all this stuff from his Dad but nowhere to put it- it's still at his Mom's now), we'd like to travel, I'd like to fund IRAs (in addition to our 401k), etc. etc. But we are just focusing on the present for now, who knows how this will go from month to month. I'm just hoping and praying it continues like it has. On the plus side, there have been some positive rumors spreading around dh's work, they are working on producing another part, which is very good news (as the problem is what they are producing hasn't been selling well). 

On the spending front- dh's work boots finally fell apart beyond repair, that was $280. His last ones made it 3.5 yrs, that is pretty darn good for him to wear full time in the wet conditions on concrete. Cheap boots only last 6 months and hurt his feet, the good ones are well worth it to protect his joints from the concrete and his feet from the moisture. 

[JustEm]

20 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

 

For sure.  Do any of you guys to surveys for extra money? 

 

I used to but they are just not worth my time.  When you actually calculate out the per hour amount your could make it is nothing.  So I decided my time was better spent working on other goals.  And for me it pays off.  For example, I used to do surveys while watching shows at night because I viewed it as a way to make money while still doing something I would be doing anyway.  Now while I watch shows I work on editing my writing, jot down new writing ideas, pay bills,fold laundry, organize random paper, clean my room, etc.  The two writing things make me more money than surveys and writing is something I love doing.  Doing the chores that don't require much thought while watching tv frees up time during the day that I can spend reading for pleasure, working on my writing, working on my pet sitting website, responding to emails, etc.

[mommyoffive]

Some freebies

https://hip2save.com/2018/10/11/free-8x10-photo-print-w-free-walgreens-store-pickup-5/

 

https://hip2save.com/2018/10/10/free-national-parks-annual-pass-for-families-with-4th-graders-visit-parks-wildlife-refuges-more/

[mommyoffive]

Just now, hjffkj said:

 

I used to but they are just not worth my time.  When you actually calculate out the per hour amount your could make it is nothing.  So I decided my time was better spent working on other goals.  And for me it pays off.  For example, I used to do surveys while watching shows at night because I viewed it as a way to make money while still doing something I would be doing anyway.  Now while I watch shows I work on editing my writing, jot down new writing ideas, pay bills,fold laundry, organize random paper, clean my room, etc.  The two writing things make me more money than surveys and writing is something I love doing.  Doing the chores that don't require much thought while watching tv frees up time during the day that I can spend reading for pleasure, working on my writing, working on my pet sitting website, responding to emails, etc.

 

I hear you.  I only do ones that pay a good amount.  Some places pay you a dollar if you make it through.  There are some surveys that the lowest I have seen is $75 and going up into thousands. 

[JustEm]

1 minute ago, mommyoffive said:

 

I hear you.  I only do ones that pay a good amount.  Some places pay you a dollar if you make it through.  There are some surveys that the lowest I have seen is $75 and going up into thousands. 

 

I've never seen ones that high.  The highest I've ever seen is $20.  That I did do because it took less than an hour and that is worth it to me.

[mommyoffive]

5 minutes ago, soror said:

I hear you. I wish I would have pursued this sooner. Not that we technically needed it before but there are always things to spend money on. Dh feels a relief with it, especially with the kids getting older, ds will be driving in not quite 2 yrs. I really hope it continues to work, it is a nice compromise between staying home full time and working outside the home. Right now all the money is going into savings. It's very exciting to think what we might be able to do after we get our short-term savings where we want it, G-d willing we can have that done by the end of next year. There are so many things we would like to do but haven't been able to- dh needs a shop/barn (he has inherited all this stuff from his Dad but nowhere to put it- it's still at his Mom's now), we'd like to travel, I'd like to fund IRAs (in addition to our 401k), etc. etc. But we are just focusing on the present for now, who knows how this will go from month to month. I'm just hoping and praying it continues like it has. On the plus side, there have been some positive rumors spreading around dh's work, they are working on producing another part, which is very good news (as the problem is what they are producing hasn't been selling well). 

On the spending front- dh's work boots finally fell apart beyond repair, that was $280. His last ones made it 3.5 yrs, that is pretty darn good for him to wear full time in the wet conditions on concrete. Cheap boots only last 6 months and hurt his feet, the good ones are well worth it to protect his joints from the concrete and his feet from the moisture. 

 

I am glad it brings such a relief to your dh.  It sounds like you have so many good ideas on how to use it.  I have always thought doing something all these years and never had to, so I didn't.  But I still might just to be doing something on my own. 

[mommyoffive]

1 minute ago, hjffkj said:

 

I've never seen ones that high.  The highest I've ever seen is $20.  That I did do because it took less than an hour and that is worth it to me.

 

What company do you use?   The one company has never had one less than $75 and that is rare.  Most are at least double that and some lots more. 

[prairiewindmomma]

We're getting a bit of a financial reprieve on some things at home due to insurance policies on various things...and other odd tidbits

Last I posted, I mentioned the garage door was being repaired but I didn't know the state of coverage on our air conditioner and microwave. So, it looks like the air conditioner and microwave will be covered under the home warranty. ?  The air conditioner needs a new metering valve and we just got word that the $1000 part is covered and on order. Combined with labor, that's about $1200-1300 saved on the ac. The microwave is not repairable and needs to be replaced. They offered us one that I don't like (dial knob, not numeric keypad) or a cash out offer. I think we're going to take the cash out offer instead. Altogether, our $460 home warranty policy that we purchased when we bought the house has saved us over $5k. (We've had $15k we've had to pay out on things not covered this year....but most of that amount was due to known maintenance issues we discovered during the home inspection and needed to address.)

The moving company hired a furniture repair person to come bid on doing some repairs on pieces of furniture that were damaged by movers. We're still working on keeping that claim moving forward.

The city adopted a bit of road near us which means we don't have to pay into a joint neighborhood fund to replace some faded road signs. I did the legwork to make that happen and fortuitously was in the right place at the right time to see the "private road" sign be taken down this morning. 

Dh's car didn't start last week.  We got lucky and it appears that it was just the battery.  We replaced it ourselves, and avoided a larger repair bill. 

We're still saving up for some major car maintenance and new tires.....so we've been eating out of the pantry.  Our Halloween costumes this year are going to be homemade from moving boxes and packing tape and art supplies we have around the house. I also need to start crafting for unicorn birthday parties....sweat equity instead of buying stuff at the store...