Shoeless Posted January 25, 2020 Share Posted January 25, 2020 On 1/21/2020 at 2:12 PM, mommyoffive said: I haven't done them in years. Usually it is stuff we don't get or need. But I found some on things we always buy. I need to do the cash back apps too. But yeah there is so much of the cheap household items at the Dollar Tree too. I am someone that loves a stockpile. I have one for all household things and food and it is great. Instead of kids running to tell me we are out of this or that, check the stash. I don't like having to run out to the store on Christmas Eve to get conditioner. True story. I find that I like to coupon in "spurts". I'll do it dependably for a few months and then stop when it seems like the offerings don't line up with things we use. I mostly just coupon at Dollar General and Family Dollar, and use their digital coupon apps. I'm not good at remembering to use paper coupons! I was able to make about $200 from cash back apps for Christmas last year, and that was nice. DH finally received and signed the offer letter for his new position. Huzzah! Now it feels more real. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted January 25, 2020 Share Posted January 25, 2020 I haven’t done anything *remarkably* frugal this past week or two, but I’ve certainly been more mindful. I’ve gone into stores and walked out with only the things I went in for. I feel silly saying that, but it is a big deal to me. Especially when I took my dds to Ulta. 😮 I’ve passed up ads that reminded me about things I wanted (not needed.) My big splurge, which I may have mentioned before, was an $8 or $9 set of press on nails, lol. I haven’t had the time to give myself a good manicure, so I figured I’d see what advances have been made in the press on world over the past 20-25 years. They’re actually not as terrible as they used to be. I’d say they’re worth about 6 or 7 bucks, so close enough! My cat’s check up was covered by my remaining balance from my dog’s visit and I still have a small credit. Dh’s car got inspected and shouldn’t need breaks until the fall. The snow we got last weekend wasn’t as much as predicted, so I didn’t have to consider paying to have my driveway plowed. My Kohl’s return wound up being a dollar more than I put on my card, which I did not question. I did pay for my dds’ dmv physicals because we’re “in between” doctors right now. (They already had well visits in the past 12 months on our insurance and our urgent care does them for $30.) And I forgot to license my dog last month, so that was another $10. Those were expenses that should have been planned, but were not! I also had to get more gas than usual. I was expecting it with our change in schedules this semester, but I’m still not thrilled about it, lol. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethel Mertz Posted January 25, 2020 Share Posted January 25, 2020 It finally dawned on me to grocery shop on Tuesday, the day the store gives triple gas points. Our gas fill up was 15 cents off per gallon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustEm Posted January 25, 2020 Share Posted January 25, 2020 January is turning out to be pretty frugal. There have been zero impulse buys and even dh came to his senses and bought a reasonably priced phone. We did have to buy a carseat for the baby but I've been watching prices for months waiting for a good deal. Finally got that deal this week! My youngest DD has a birthday at the beginning of Feb and mil's was this week so I got them their gifts using cc rewards. $0 out of my pocket! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
historically accurate Posted January 25, 2020 Share Posted January 25, 2020 We're doing pretty well on keeping to the plan. We got a debt consolidation loan, and I don't have to worry about 5 different payments now. We are making sure that we keep it in our minds that we still have the same amount of debt though, so we don't run it up again. I feel a huge weight off though because we really were just sinking into the hole every month. I did the taxes last night - Turbo Tax wanted to charge me since I had self employment income. So, I did it free hand (I was an accountant before I homeschooled). We are getting enough back that Tae Kwon Do will be covered for the year for both middle and youngest. We will sit it aside for that purpose. Hopefully, VIPKid will pick up and I can start to cover that expense soon. I am going to do the SCRIP program through our co-op starting this coming week. Scrip is where I buy gift cards and then get a rebate at the end of the semester which is split between the co-op and me. I already set aside cash to pick up Amazon, Walmart and a Little Caesars card. I figure it's probably the same amount as I was getting in credit card rewards, but I'll be using cash. The Amazon card will pay for our Subscribe and Save this next month, Walmart is where I finish up grocery shopping after Aldi (and DH has a "I'm gonna run to Walmart" problem - this gives him a limit), and I'm going to be realistic that we will still order pizza. My oldest will be 18 on Feb 15th. I asked her what she wanted, bracing myself for something big since it's a "big birthday". She wants to tour Fermi Lab, which is free. So, we'll pay for gas, tolls, and probably lunch for us and a friend. I can do that! Middle has her first high school dance through co-op this coming week. We just ordered compression tights from Amazon to hopefully keep her from fainting, which were pricier than I wanted, but I got the same brand off of Amazon for half of what the medical supply store in town wanted! We also purchased her some Spanx for Tae Kwon Do hoping to keep her from fainting during Demo Team practice (sadly, they do not help). We will buy her a little drugstore makeup, and she's ready to go. Keep your fingers and toes crossed for my oldest this coming Saturday - she is interviewing for a full-ride scholarship at one of the colleges she was accepted to! Tens of thousands of dollars possibly saved! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted January 25, 2020 Author Share Posted January 25, 2020 6 hours ago, MissLemon said: I find that I like to coupon in "spurts". I'll do it dependably for a few months and then stop when it seems like the offerings don't line up with things we use. I mostly just coupon at Dollar General and Family Dollar, and use their digital coupon apps. I'm not good at remembering to use paper coupons! I was able to make about $200 from cash back apps for Christmas last year, and that was nice. DH finally received and signed the offer letter for his new position. Huzzah! Now it feels more real. Congrats! Now it is real. Wow, 200 from cash back apps. That is awesome. I need to do it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted January 25, 2020 Author Share Posted January 25, 2020 4 hours ago, Carrie12345 said: I haven’t done anything *remarkably* frugal this past week or two, but I’ve certainly been more mindful. I’ve gone into stores and walked out with only the things I went in for. I feel silly saying that, but it is a big deal to me. Especially when I took my dds to Ulta. 😮 I’ve passed up ads that reminded me about things I wanted (not needed.) My big splurge, which I may have mentioned before, was an $8 or $9 set of press on nails, lol. I haven’t had the time to give myself a good manicure, so I figured I’d see what advances have been made in the press on world over the past 20-25 years. They’re actually not as terrible as they used to be. I’d say they’re worth about 6 or 7 bucks, so close enough! My cat’s check up was covered by my remaining balance from my dog’s visit and I still have a small credit. Dh’s car got inspected and shouldn’t need breaks until the fall. The snow we got last weekend wasn’t as much as predicted, so I didn’t have to consider paying to have my driveway plowed. My Kohl’s return wound up being a dollar more than I put on my card, which I did not question. I did pay for my dds’ dmv physicals because we’re “in between” doctors right now. (They already had well visits in the past 12 months on our insurance and our urgent care does them for $30.) And I forgot to license my dog last month, so that was another $10. Those were expenses that should have been planned, but were not! I also had to get more gas than usual. I was expecting it with our change in schedules this semester, but I’m still not thrilled about it, lol. Sometimes it is the little things that add up. Good job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted January 25, 2020 Author Share Posted January 25, 2020 2 hours ago, Ethel Mertz said: It finally dawned on me to grocery shop on Tuesday, the day the store gives triple gas points. Our gas fill up was 15 cents off per gallon. Nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted January 25, 2020 Author Share Posted January 25, 2020 1 hour ago, hjffkj said: January is turning out to be pretty frugal. There have been zero impulse buys and even dh came to his senses and bought a reasonably priced phone. We did have to buy a carseat for the baby but I've been watching prices for months waiting for a good deal. Finally got that deal this week! My youngest DD has a birthday at the beginning of Feb and mil's was this week so I got them their gifts using cc rewards. $0 out of my pocket! You are doing great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted January 25, 2020 Author Share Posted January 25, 2020 38 minutes ago, beckyjo said: We're doing pretty well on keeping to the plan. We got a debt consolidation loan, and I don't have to worry about 5 different payments now. We are making sure that we keep it in our minds that we still have the same amount of debt though, so we don't run it up again. I feel a huge weight off though because we really were just sinking into the hole every month. I did the taxes last night - Turbo Tax wanted to charge me since I had self employment income. So, I did it free hand (I was an accountant before I homeschooled). We are getting enough back that Tae Kwon Do will be covered for the year for both middle and youngest. We will sit it aside for that purpose. Hopefully, VIPKid will pick up and I can start to cover that expense soon. I am going to do the SCRIP program through our co-op starting this coming week. Scrip is where I buy gift cards and then get a rebate at the end of the semester which is split between the co-op and me. I already set aside cash to pick up Amazon, Walmart and a Little Caesars card. I figure it's probably the same amount as I was getting in credit card rewards, but I'll be using cash. The Amazon card will pay for our Subscribe and Save this next month, Walmart is where I finish up grocery shopping after Aldi (and DH has a "I'm gonna run to Walmart" problem - this gives him a limit), and I'm going to be realistic that we will still order pizza. My oldest will be 18 on Feb 15th. I asked her what she wanted, bracing myself for something big since it's a "big birthday". She wants to tour Fermi Lab, which is free. So, we'll pay for gas, tolls, and probably lunch for us and a friend. I can do that! Middle has her first high school dance through co-op this coming week. We just ordered compression tights from Amazon to hopefully keep her from fainting, which were pricier than I wanted, but I got the same brand off of Amazon for half of what the medical supply store in town wanted! We also purchased her some Spanx for Tae Kwon Do hoping to keep her from fainting during Demo Team practice (sadly, they do not help). We will buy her a little drugstore makeup, and she's ready to go. Keep your fingers and toes crossed for my oldest this coming Saturday - she is interviewing for a full-ride scholarship at one of the colleges she was accepted to! Tens of thousands of dollars possibly saved! Sending every good thought to your oldest! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
historically accurate Posted January 25, 2020 Share Posted January 25, 2020 (edited) It's still snowing here, so I did a full inventory in my pantry and freezer today before I go grocery shopping. I have a lot more food than I originally thought - I was able to make up a crockpot of chili with just what I had in the pantry. So, I'm working on a plan to use some of this up over the next month or so. I did find 2 bags of frozen butternut squash - I've never eaten this, so I have no idea why I would have 2 bags. Only thing I can think of is I buy sweet potatoes cubed and frozen through Walmart occasionally; either they pulled the wrong bags or I accidentally ordered the wrong bags. So, I'll look at Pinterest for some butternut squash recipes. Another surprise: a huge bag of pecans (Dh hates nuts, so I don't buy them) - thinking I will make candied pecans in the crockpot for salad toppings and snacks. I like nuts, so I'm happy. Found a spare bag of shredded mozzarella cheese and 6 single sized pizza crusts in the freezer and a pack of turkey pepperoni in the fridge, so I'll make up some personal pizzas this afternoon. This may end up being dinner tonight. Also used up a Christopher and Banks rewards certificate (my oldest bought several layering tanks/tees a couple of months ago), so I have a Tshirt being shipped to the store (for the free shipping). It cost me $0 out of pocket. Edited January 25, 2020 by beckyjo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted January 30, 2020 Author Share Posted January 30, 2020 How is the month going? It is almost done. I am annoyed at the moment because we don't have dh's W2 for taxes. I love filing in January. Guess that isn't going to happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustEm Posted January 30, 2020 Share Posted January 30, 2020 The month is going well for us. We're in pretty good shape despite the craziness of the last few months. We are certainly happier as a family with the new set up so that makes the financial strain worth it. We had to fill up our oil tank which was $$$. I hate oil heat so much. But other than that it has been a predictable month. Oh i forgot, we have another darn roof leak. It is on the same roof as the other one but a completely different spot. Probably another nail pop so dh is going to take a look over the weekend if the weather is good enough. It only leaks when it rains really hard. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted January 30, 2020 Author Share Posted January 30, 2020 2 hours ago, hjffkj said: The month is going well for us. We're in pretty good shape despite the craziness of the last few months. We are certainly happier as a family with the new set up so that makes the financial strain worth it. We had to fill up our oil tank which was $$$. I hate oil heat so much. But other than that it has been a predictable month. Oh i forgot, we have another darn roof leak. It is on the same roof as the other one but a completely different spot. Probably another nail pop so dh is going to take a look over the weekend if the weather is good enough. It only leaks when it rains really hard. That is so great to hear. I feel like that is what happens for a lot of people after they lose their job, you end up in a better place. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted January 30, 2020 Share Posted January 30, 2020 Both of our older vehicles made it through inspection! And, that was the bright spot in this month’s financial news. A lot of annual bills hit this month and we paid ds’s surgery bills from last month. I hit my deductible Jan 3rd this year, and should hit personal max out in February. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
historically accurate Posted January 30, 2020 Share Posted January 30, 2020 5 hours ago, mommyoffive said: How is the month going? It is almost done. I am annoyed at the moment because we don't have dh's W2 for taxes. I love filing in January. Guess that isn't going to happen. We made it through the month within budget. We're doing really well actually knowing how much we have to spend. I have been using cash for groceries which does mean that I have to stay under budget. I was even able to swing by the bakery outlet and get Feb's bread for $7. I wish there were more places like that in town - the savings are wonderful. I picked up my free tee from Christopher and Banks. I also won a small cheesecake from a local place, and we had some of that for snack today. Yummy! I am going to pay for the kids' belt tests tonight. I have to set aside $ for Saturday's college visit - I am assuming we will have to either pack a lunch or eat out on the way south. On the negative side, DD's wisdom teeth extraction was more than expected, so I got a bill for the remainder today. DH had a crown put in this month and that was extremely expensive. I think we need to switch dentists after 16 years since they are out-of-network this year. The office assured me that it wouldn't change the amount that insurance paid for the stuff, but it does. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted January 31, 2020 Author Share Posted January 31, 2020 Just got the W2. I can't wait to do taxes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shoeless Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 The local Dollar General marked all their Christmas stuff down to 10 cents per item. They had a pile of plain white tissue paper -92 packs of 25 sheets each! I bought the whole pile. I use tissue paper all the time for my eBay business. When I was checking out, the manager came up and gave me a 2 pack of pine-scented air freshener for 10 cents. Woo hoo! We did an eat-at-home challenge for January. Only ate out one time the whole month! I've done really well using what we have on hand, using up what is about to go bad, and sticking to a plan. I'm going to try for zero food waste in February. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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