October Frugalistas

[mommyoffive]

Target has 5% of their giftcards through the 14th.

[Soror]

Yesterday morning our water stopped working. Thank goodness dh is handy, it was a little part on the pump. Of course, Menard's, where I have gift cards didn't have it, but it only cost $24.

My brother is going to get me a deer and my parents volunteered to butcher it (they live next to my brother). I've helped dh do it but it has been years and he don't have time to help with school and work. I planned to make my way through this on my own but won't turn them down. Tags are just $7, so that will be some cheap meat to help get us through until we get half a beef in the beginning of Feb. I finally finished my ground beef stash I got last Feb and have been having to buy at the store. The kids are very excited about jerky, I don't usually buy or make it for the expense but will splurge and do some up.

upcoming expenses: Halloween costumes- dd3 found a hand me down one, dd2 wants to be a monster and dd1 a hippy. The girls are inviting friends over for a bonfire, so there will be candy too, probably just roast hot dogs and have chips. I've budgeted $25, here's hoping I can keep it to that

Dd1 needs more winter clothes- she had at least 4 pairs of jeans when the school year started but her body is still growing and changing. I think I'll budget $50 for discount and resale stores.

Dh gets paid today, I think he has a Saturday of OT on there (he's pay schedule changed and I can't remember what days are on there for sure). Hoping so to see how much (if any) we can throw to savings for various upcoming things.

 

eta: Stromboli was a big hit!

 

 

Edited October 14, 2020 by Soror

[historically accurate]

Kids aren't trick or treating this year, and we won't be handing out candy (I don't even know if TorT is happening here). They just want me to purchase some candy. Yay! No cash outlay for costumes. 

DD's rollerblades broke. They were completely trashed as she spends approximately 1-2 hours per day on them as her mental health break. My mother replaced them immediately as an early Christmas present. Yay! She's back on wheels.

I went through the Amazon cart and found that a pair of gloves DH put in there last year were on Amazon Prime day sale. So I purchased them for his Christmas. We don't usually exchange presents, but I figure these can be from the kids if they want.

Youngest and I went through the freezers and made an inventory. We all sat down as a family and made a menu plan for the week. We haven't eaten restaurant food at least since middle got out of the hospital. I took my brother to two food pantries this week because he is completely out of money. Food pantry food is weird and one size does not fit all. A single man does not need 7 pounds (!) of breakfast sausage links, so we have a lot of sausage links to work through. 

DH has been going in on Saturdays to work on the computer system when fewer people are in the building, which means overtime. So that is nice. 

Still working on getting $ for tires. 

[mommyoffive]

Lowes canceled our rug order.  300 saved.  I swear ordering thins in 2020 just sucks.   

We will not be Trick or treating or handing out candy.   Our state is in a surge, record deaths,  field hospital set up, and they are urging people to stay home.  So i am not going to participate in Trick or treating in any way.  I don't think it is responsible.   It is still on in our city, as are in person schools and sports.  Anyway 40 saved on candy.

We have been looking for a new home or land to build.   Our real dream as we want to live on more than an acre.    I am tired of looking as everything we look at has draw backs.   Sigghhhh

 

[Alicia64]

Wow, this group is on it!!

I'm still making my monthly list:

10-12 -- Gas, $20.

10-13 -- Trader Joes, $125.00

10-13 -- Visa statement arrived today.

10-14 -- Pay Bryan for Oct. and Nov. piano, $140.

 

I only go to Trader Joe's every other month which is why it's high.

 

Writing down my spending really helps me stay sane. We have a lot of birthdays in October too -- including DH. I might just give him small "fun" gifts -- like the stuff that goes on your car windshield that makes the rain roll off, $4 -- and explain that I'm saving. I think he'd appreciate that I'm limiting spending. Maybe I'll order his favorite See's candy too. The rain stuff and the See's comes to under $30.

 

And, yikes, Christmas. Any suggestions for 17 year old boys? They love videogames and books.

 

Thanks for this great group!

 

Wendy

[hjffkj]

I bought a few more things on Amazon yesteryday, just christmas gifts for a niece and nephew. Total spent was $50. I have two more nieces to shop for and I'm hoping I find their gifts on amazon today.

So far, I have avoided getting anything for my family and I will try really hard to keep it that way.  Unless dh and I agree on gifts for the kids.  but i don't have much of an idea for them right now

[Ditto]

I am jumping in here because I desperately need to curtail the spending!  With the library closed we have been buying far more books that we typically would.  Books, in my opinion, are always a good purchase and while I don't regret buying so many, it is time to reign it in.  Another issue is that I have been continuing to stock up on both food and other needed supplies.  I am just so afraid of what the next few months will bring that I keep panic buying "just in case".    In fact I have already written down every ingredient for every dish I am making for all the holidays (including Halloween...we will not be going out) and have purchased everything, including replacement items, except fresh ingredients.  Yet, the fear is so real that I keep thinking of other things I should have gotten.    To help curb the spending I chose to not food shop this week.    No idly looking through store websites "just in case" there is something I "need" (if i didn't need it before seeing it, then i don't need it).   I don't have Amazon Prime (and don't like Amazon so I rarely purchase from there) so no money spent there this week.  

[Ditto]

8 hours ago, hjffkj said:

 

So far, I have avoided getting anything for my family and I will try really hard to keep it that way.  Unless dh and I agree on gifts for the kids.  but i don't have much of an idea for them right now

Our Christmases have gotten considerably more simple in the last few years.  We don't buy gifts and it has worked out very well.   It has made all of us much happier.  We focus on time with each other and having fun together.  The relief I feel at having gotten us to this point is incredible.  No more dreading the holidays and what to buy (and how to afford it all sometimes).  

[historically accurate]

I've been needing winter boots for a couple of years. Oldest didn't like any boots, so she stole mine (that I had bought at Nordstrom Rack like almost 30 years ago LOL). I found this sale today, and I picked them up. https://www.steepandcheap.com/the-north-face-ballard-lace-ii-boot-womens?irgwc=1&ircid=5418&irpid=36345&clickid=xjdyWnXvWxyOWKiwUx0Mo3bzUkE0fwTFRSBIy80

 

[hjffkj]

21 minutes ago, Ditto said:

Our Christmases have gotten considerably more simple in the last few years.  We don't buy gifts and it has worked out very well.   It has made all of us much happier.  We focus on time with each other and having fun together.  The relief I feel at having gotten us to this point is incredible.  No more dreading the holidays and what to buy (and how to afford it all sometimes).  

I have never really dreaded holidays, minus last year because of a job situation right before Thanksgiving.  And I really enjoy giving gifts so that isn't an issue for me.  We have one main idea for the kids and that is a gaming computer. But I still want to get each kid one individual gift.  I just haven't had time to sit with dh and figure out what so I can't shop for them on Prime Day without talking to him first.  

I budget monthly for Christmas so finding the money isn't difficult.  But I do love finding deals to stretch the dollars more. Most of our kids are family focused like board games or experiences.

[Soror]

On 10/14/2020 at 5:00 PM, Ditto said:

Our Christmases have gotten considerably more simple in the last few years.  We don't buy gifts and it has worked out very well.   It has made all of us much happier.  We focus on time with each other and having fun together.  The relief I feel at having gotten us to this point is incredible.  No more dreading the holidays and what to buy (and how to afford it all sometimes).  

I've dropped so many gifts over the years. I hate buying gifts. It is not my thing whatsoever and dh's family has all the women that are super into it and have a billion times more cash to spend and to top it off shop with each other so they know exactly what to buy each other. I told sil I wanted to stop exchanging gifts for the kids but she still buys mine stuff, typically she will buy them more than we do. Their income is more than double ours and they have only 2 kids and a much more free relationship with debt. So, I look like the curmudgeon aunt if I don't get hers something because she buys mine all this. I started just doing gift cards they are older anyway. I do gift cards for ever niece and nephew, my parents, one of dh's aunt, and his mom. I suck at picking out gifts and after really trying over the years and seeing them hate everything anyways I gave up. Every year I've dropped more of the gift giving, that is what we are left with besides our own kids. Dh and I typically don't do much for ourselves, something small usually. We have had so many bills this year and more upcoming we probably won't do anything.

[Soror]

Grocery shopping done- $8 over but that is apples and eggs for next week as Kroger had them on a sale and they will keep. I have $121 each of the next 2 weeks to spend. I started with $600 but $100 went towards the last grocery trip of September. The next 2 weeks will be even less snacks. I'm trying to keep some special things so they don't feel deprived but basics are first.

Dh's check did have extra on it and barring anything else coming up (heaven help me) we will end with some extra in savings to boot.

I've added on some evening and Sunday classes as I'm not working as much as I'd like- the pandemic already made things wonky and then there was an 8 day holiday in China this month that also screwed things up. This weekend I'm going to work on more certifications and look at applying to another company to help fill in any gaps in my schedule. Since I started over 2 yrs ago I've mostly been fully booked but since the pandemic there have been holes here and there and I'm not making as much as I want to.

Bought girls pumpkins to carve at Aldi's, only $2.89 there. Costumes bought too- $3 for one, $13 for the other. $3 spent from misc for a sled I found that hopefully we will get some good use out of this winter.

Dh got in some OT this week (and is working today), so his next check will have a little extra and the one after will be really good.

[mommyoffive]

2 hours ago, Soror said:

I've dropped so many gifts over the years. I hate buying gifts. It is not my thing whatsoever and dh's family has all the women that are super into it and have a billion times more cash to spend and to top it off shop with each other so they know exactly what to buy each other. I told sil I wanted to stop exchanging gifts for the kids but she still buys mine stuff, typically she will buy them more than we do. Their income is more than double ours and they have only 2 kids and a much more free relationship with debt. So, I look like the curmudgeon aunt if I don't get hers something because she buys mine all this. I started just doing gift cards they are older anyway. I do gift cards for ever niece and nephew, my parents, one of dh's aunt, and his mom. I suck at picking out gifts and after really trying over the years and seeing them hate everything anyways I gave up. Every year I've dropped more of the gift giving, that is what we are left with besides our own kids. Dh and I typically don't do much for ourselves, something small usually. We have had so many bills this year and more upcoming we probably won't do anything.

Ugh that stinks.   Our family used to do gifts with adults, but it was just dumb.  We were making specialized lists for each other.  Like get this kind, style, and fabric of socks.   I just thought we could all buy what we wanted for ourselves instead of buying things for each other.  It was expensive and stressful.   And at the time we didn't make as much as the other adults. So we stopped giving presents to the adults. Love Christmas so much more.  We will sometimes give consumable gifts we know they would enjoy. 

My family still gives tons of presents to our kids,more than us.  But the are the only kids in our family and they enjoy watching the kids be excited.   

[mommyoffive]

So happy right now.  Our main tv was not working anymore and you couldn't change channels or get into Netflix.   I was worried that a 2 year old tv was done.  We called the manufacturer and we got support online that fixed it.  Yay.

We did have a relatively newish tv die over the summer.   

[prairiewindmomma]

I have a win! I called on a warranty issue with my water saving shower head and they replaced it!!! 

 

[prairiewindmomma]

5 hours ago, Soror said:

I've dropped so many gifts over the years. I hate buying gifts. It is not my thing whatsoever and dh's family has all the women that are super into it and have a billion times more cash to spend and to top it off shop with each other so they know exactly what to buy each other. I told sil I wanted to stop exchanging gifts for the kids but she still buys mine stuff, typically she will buy them more than we do. Their income is more than double ours and they have only 2 kids and a much more free relationship with debt. So, I look like the curmudgeon aunt if I don't get hers something because she buys mine all this. I started just doing gift cards they are older anyway. I do gift cards for ever niece and nephew, my parents, one of dh's aunt, and his mom. I suck at picking out gifts and after really trying over the years and seeing them hate everything anyways I gave up. Every year I've dropped more of the gift giving, that is what we are left with besides our own kids. Dh and I typically don't do much for ourselves, something small usually. We have had so many bills this year and more upcoming we probably won't do anything.

I hate this dynamic and live an aspect of it too. Hugs!

[mommyoffive]

1 hour ago, prairiewindmomma said:

I have a win! I called on a warranty issue with my water saving shower head and they replaced it!!! 

 

Yay.  I love brands that do this.  Some are so helpful. 

[Ditto]

9 hours ago, Soror said:

I've dropped so many gifts over the years. I hate buying gifts. It is not my thing whatsoever and dh's family has all the women that are super into it and have a billion times more cash to spend and to top it off shop with each other so they know exactly what to buy each other. I told sil I wanted to stop exchanging gifts for the kids but she still buys mine stuff, typically she will buy them more than we do. Their income is more than double ours and they have only 2 kids and a much more free relationship with debt. So, I look like the curmudgeon aunt if I don't get hers something because she buys mine all this. I started just doing gift cards they are older anyway. I do gift cards for ever niece and nephew, my parents, one of dh's aunt, and his mom. I suck at picking out gifts and after really trying over the years and seeing them hate everything anyways I gave up. Every year I've dropped more of the gift giving, that is what we are left with besides our own kids. Dh and I typically don't do much for ourselves, something small usually. We have had so many bills this year and more upcoming we probably won't do anything.

How irritating!  Gift cards are good, but honestly, they need to honor your wishes.  Good for you for dropping more of the gift giving, feel free to continue to do so until it is just your own kids.  My husband and I don't exchange and we are both completely good with that.   It has been an extremely expensive year for us as well.  I just want us to keep our heads above water, that is all the present I need (he feels the same way).

[historically accurate]

Youngest got an email today that she won a Trick or Treat bag. It says the prize is worth $20. I may not have to spend anything for Halloween this year. 

[hjffkj]

Spent $100 on Amazon this week but half of that was sneakers for my oldest who grew out of his pair. The other half were Christmas gifts for 5 people!  I love when Amazon has book sales because I can knock a lot of people out for cheap. Only problem this year is my mil and fil don't have books on their lists yet so I couldn't take advantage of the sale for their gifts 😞  Hopefully they'll do the same deal for Black Friday

[Soror]

20 hours ago, mommyoffive said:

So happy right now.  Our main tv was not working anymore and you couldn't change channels or get into Netflix.   I was worried that a 2 year old tv was done.  We called the manufacturer and we got support online that fixed it.  Yay.

We did have a relatively newish tv die over the summer.   

 

18 hours ago, prairiewindmomma said:

I have a win! I called on a warranty issue with my water saving shower head and they replaced it!!! 

 

Awesome ladies! We got our new garbage disposal from warranty this week and dh installed it.

21 hours ago, mommyoffive said:

Ugh that stinks.   Our family used to do gifts with adults, but it was just dumb.  We were making specialized lists for each other.  Like get this kind, style, and fabric of socks.   I just thought we could all buy what we wanted for ourselves instead of buying things for each other.  It was expensive and stressful.   And at the time we didn't make as much as the other adults. So we stopped giving presents to the adults. Love Christmas so much more.  We will sometimes give consumable gifts we know they would enjoy. 

My family still gives tons of presents to our kids,more than us.  But the are the only kids in our family and they enjoy watching the kids be excited.   

 I know right, why buy for each other, buy what you want yourself.

12 hours ago, hjffkj said:

Spent $100 on Amazon this week but half of that was sneakers for my oldest who grew out of his pair. The other half were Christmas gifts for 5 people!  I love when Amazon has book sales because I can knock a lot of people out for cheap. Only problem this year is my mil and fil don't have books on their lists yet so I couldn't take advantage of the sale for their gifts 😞  Hopefully they'll do the same deal for Black Friday

It is nice to get gifts knocked out.

[mommyoffive]

Dh is starting a masters program this month.   All paid for by his work. 

Cashed some checks from some over payments.

Finally turned dh onto online grocery shopping.   I have tried for so long. I think we have only done it once before.   

[hjffkj]

dd5 only wants one thing for Christmas, a specific Calico Critters house with furniture.  It was marked down to $72 today on Amazon so I put it in the cart. That is a little more than I'd usually spend on a single gift for a kid at Christmas at this point but since it is really the only thing she wants I decided she'll get it.  Well just before I was going to buy it I decided to check Ebay one last time, I've been looking for a few weeks, and someone had just posted the exact house plus a few additional families for $60 shipped so I got that instead!  She'll get the house for Christmas and the additional families for her birthday in Feb! I'm very excited

[mommyoffive]

1 hour ago, hjffkj said:

dd5 only wants one thing for Christmas, a specific Calico Critters house with furniture.  It was marked down to $72 today on Amazon so I put it in the cart. That is a little more than I'd usually spend on a single gift for a kid at Christmas at this point but since it is really the only thing she wants I decided she'll get it.  Well just before I was going to buy it I decided to check Ebay one last time, I've been looking for a few weeks, and someone had just posted the exact house plus a few additional families for $60 shipped so I got that instead!  She'll get the house for Christmas and the additional families for her birthday in Feb! I'm very excited

Score!

I did some Christmas shopping today too.  Got some pet supplies.   And some dance stuff tights for some of the girls and stuff to make our home dance studio bigger.   We are still considering making it even bigger. 

[Soror]

21 hours ago, mommyoffive said:

Dh is starting a masters program this month.   All paid for by his work. 

Cashed some checks from some over payments.

Finally turned dh onto online grocery shopping.   I have tried for so long. I think we have only done it once before.   

Congrats to your dh! Dh's work did pay for 75% of college but with the troubles dropped that benefit. With our income level and dependents he does get a grant that covers most of it though.

I still hate online grocery shopping. Still hate it. Only place I like it is for Wal-Mart because I hate going in there. I like going in Aldi's and they don't have online here.

12 hours ago, hjffkj said:

dd5 only wants one thing for Christmas, a specific Calico Critters house with furniture.  It was marked down to $72 today on Amazon so I put it in the cart. That is a little more than I'd usually spend on a single gift for a kid at Christmas at this point but since it is really the only thing she wants I decided she'll get it.  Well just before I was going to buy it I decided to check Ebay one last time, I've been looking for a few weeks, and someone had just posted the exact house plus a few additional families for $60 shipped so I got that instead!  She'll get the house for Christmas and the additional families for her birthday in Feb! I'm very excited

great find!

[Soror]

Menu made and grocery list nearly finished. I want to go through the pantry and frig one more time to see if I'm missing something. I'm trying to buy an extra thing or two of various things each week. Costumes and pumpkins for the 3 kids, total was $27.38- I went over $2.38. Everyone is very pleased, considering how expensive new costumes are I am happy enough with that. 

Monday: Spaghetti w/ meat sauce; side salad

Tuesday: Burritos/Bowls w/ taco seasoned leftover turkey; black beans, homemade guac, and cilantro rice

Wednesday: chicken legs (or wings); brussel sprouts; corn on the cob

Thursday: Green chile enchiladas w/ leftover turkey and refried beans

Friday: Burgers w/ fries/baked potato; quick slaw

Saturday: Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

Sunday: Malaysian Chicken Satay Curry w/ jasmine rice and roasted cauliflower

[hjffkj]

14 minutes ago, Soror said:

Menu made and grocery list nearly finished. I want to go through the pantry and frig one more time to see if I'm missing something. I'm trying to buy an extra thing or two of various things each week. Costumes and pumpkins for the 3 kids, total was $27.38- I went over $2.38. Everyone is very pleased, considering how expensive new costumes are I am happy enough with that. 

Monday: Spaghetti w/ meat sauce; side salad

Tuesday: Burritos/Bowls w/ taco seasoned leftover turkey; black beans, homemade guac, and cilantro rice

Wednesday: chicken legs (or wings); brussel sprouts; corn on the cob

Thursday: Green chile enchiladas w/ leftover turkey and refried beans

Friday: Burgers w/ fries/baked potato; quick slaw

Saturday: Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

Sunday: Malaysian Chicken Satay Curry w/ jasmine rice and roasted cauliflower

I really need to get back into the habit of meal planning.  Most days I don't know what I'm making until about an hour before we need to eat.  IT is really stressful.  Must form some sort of habit around meal planning again.

[mommyoffive]

Walmart just released their black Friday ad.  Deals start November  4th.

Then they have other sales that start November 7, 11, and 25th

Edited October 19, 2020 by mommyoffive

[mommyoffive]

Finally found a place in my area that does the farmer to family free food box.  I missed the sign up for this week.   Boo.  Hopefully I can get on it for next week.    

I am thinking of going back to picking up the free school meals again. 

[mommyoffive]

Yay, I just got signed up the free farmer food box for next week.  Hopefully it is a good box.  Soror you did this once right?  Did you like it?

Another savings I had bought myself a pair of lined rubber boots a year ago or so.  Never took them out out of the box.  Gave them to odd even though she is about 2 sizes smaller.  She has wide feet and only wears them to check on her chickens.

Looked at the Walmart black Friday add.  There are some really great deals.

Edited October 20, 2020 by mommyoffive

[hjffkj]

18 hours ago, mommyoffive said:

Finally found a place in my area that does the farmer to family free food box.  I missed the sign up for this week.   Boo.  Hopefully I can get on it for next week.    

I am thinking of going back to picking up the free school meals again. 

 

I can't even find a place that does the free food boxes.  But I did finally figure out where the free school meals are being distributed.  During the summer it was easy but once school started not so much.  Finally found a place so I'll go pick up lunches for the week tomorrow. 

[Soror]

1 hour ago, mommyoffive said:

Yay, I just got signed up the free farmer food box for next week.  Hopefully it is a good box.  Soror you did this once right?  Did you like it?

Another savings I had bought myself a pair of lined rubber boots a year ago or so.  Never took them out out of the box.  Gave them to odd even though she is about 2 sizes smaller.  She has wide feet and only wears them to check on her chickens.

Looked at the Walmart black Friday add.  There are some really great deals.

Yes, we did it a few times. They had good produce, they are no longer in operation here- they quit when school started, too bad would be a big help with my tight budget now. Where did you see the WM ad? I looked but didn't find it or don't think I did.

[Soror]

I found some clothes I bought for ds that he never even took off the tags so I'm taking them back to Marshall's, according to their website I can still get credit, not sure how much as they might be on markdown by now but it is better than just sitting there. I'm going to let dd use the credit to look for pants.

Dh has to have a new pair of work boots so whatever dd can squeeze out of the Marshall's credit will have to do until next month. I forgot his were getting rough, they should have already been replaced, they are really bothering his feet now.

[mommyoffive]

27 minutes ago, hjffkj said:

 

I can't even find a place that does the free food boxes.  But I did finally figure out where the free school meals are being distributed.  During the summer it was easy but once school started not so much.  Finally found a place so I'll go pick up lunches for the week tomorrow. 

It was hard for me too.  I tried when it was first mentioned on here and could not find a place doing it.  The website at that time didn't have any locations listed on it.  I gave up and forgot about.   But just saw it listed on a community website. 

We did the school lunches for a long time.  The kids got sick of the meals.  It was nice though. We haven't started since started.   Cases were so bad here and they were not very safe pickup in the spring and summer.   

Glad you found the school lunches. I wish this information was easy to find.

[mommyoffive]

27 minutes ago, Soror said:

Yes, we did it a few times. They had good produce, they are no longer in operation here- they quit when school started, too bad would be a big help with my tight budget now. Where did you see the WM ad? I looked but didn't find it or don't think I did.

I saw the Walmart add on hip2save yesterday. 

[mommyoffive]

26 minutes ago, Soror said:

I found some clothes I bought for ds that he never even took off the tags so I'm taking them back to Marshall's, according to their website I can still get credit, not sure how much as they might be on markdown by now but it is better than just sitting there. I'm going to let dd use the credit to look for pants.

Dh has to have a new pair of work boots so whatever dd can squeeze out of the Marshall's credit will have to do until next month. I forgot his were getting rough, they should have already been replaced, they are really bothering his feet now.

Are your Dh's boots for work?  Does his work pay for them?

[Soror]

3 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

Are your Dh's boots for work?  Does his work pay for them?

Yes for work and no they don't pay for them.

I'll look at hip2 save thanks!

[Soror]

Returned clothes to Marshall's and got full credit on a gift card. Got dd1 2 pants and dd2 1 pair with $8 cash. Found dh some boots, $20 cheaper on WalMart than Amazon in a different color but he don't care. So stayed in budget. Had to get a few other household items- litter, detergent, and pick up prescription.

 

[mommyoffive]

Got some more coverage checks.  One was really surprising. 

Did some Christmas, household, and clothing shopping last night.

[historically accurate]

Bleah! Our garage door opener broke yesterday. I had $200 with this week's check to finish off our tire fund. It cost $175 to fix, so we had the cash, but ugh.

DD's candy winnings came today. She asked me to add a 3 Musketeers bar and a Reese's to it for Halloween. So, I bought those and only those.

Same old, same old other than those things. Just keep swimmin', right?

[mommyoffive]

Ugh ordered ds some new snow pants from Costco.   Then today I realized some of the girls could use new winter coats.  They have a deal buy 5 items of clothes and get 20 bucks off.  Ugh.

[Soror]

On 10/22/2020 at 12:38 PM, historically accurate said:

Bleah! Our garage door opener broke yesterday. I had $200 with this week's check to finish off our tire fund. It cost $175 to fix, so we had the cash, but ugh.

DD's candy winnings came today. She asked me to add a 3 Musketeers bar and a Reese's to it for Halloween. So, I bought those and only those.

Same old, same old other than those things. Just keep swimmin', right?

UGH, I absolutely hate that, things happen but it still stinks. Nice you had the money but sad it didn't go for what you planned. Score on the candy!

On 10/22/2020 at 1:42 PM, mommyoffive said:

Ugh ordered ds some new snow pants from Costco.   Then today I realized some of the girls could use new winter coats.  They have a deal buy 5 items of clothes and get 20 bucks off.  Ugh.

$20 off helps at least, kids just keep growing!  I've got to inventory here, I might still need a few things for winter. The girls lost my ear muffs and dd might need a new hoodie (no one wears coats).

__________________________________

Groceries bought. I noticed that I was charged twice for some cereal at Aldi's and I went back today for a refund, $1.36 but that money will buy groceries for next week.

I had to shift some from groceries into gas, with dh being home half the month I'd hope he'd get by with less gas, it is less than last month but not as low as I'd like as I'd hoped and he has to commute twice next week(along with driving to work). I shouldn't need anymore gas the rest of the month. Next month will but full of commuting and a high gas bill but then he'll have 2 month break (from Nov 24 to Jan 25 school will either be all online or on break), that will be a big help.

I used some broken gf tortillas for our enchilada last night, instead of buying corn tortillas. I'd bought extra and froze them but they broke all apart when they thawed and were no good for wraps. 

I've briefly thought about looking for a holiday job for an extra boost to the budget and all the incoming bills we have but I don't think it would work with my schedule. Starting Nov 1st I'll be up at 4:30am- 6-7 days  week I need to be in bed by 8:30 to get enough sleep.

[mommyoffive]

1 hour ago, Soror said:

UGH, I absolutely hate that, things happen but it still stinks. Nice you had the money but sad it didn't go for what you planned. Score on the candy!

$20 off helps at least, kids just keep growing!  I've got to inventory here, I might still need a few things for winter. The girls lost my ear muffs and dd might need a new hoodie (no one wears coats).

__________________________________

Groceries bought. I noticed that I was charged twice for some cereal at Aldi's and I went back today for a refund, $1.36 but that money will buy groceries for next week.

I had to shift some from groceries into gas, with dh being home half the month I'd hope he'd get by with less gas, it is less than last month but not as low as I'd like as I'd hoped and he has to commute twice next week(along with driving to work). I shouldn't need anymore gas the rest of the month. Next month will but full of commuting and a high gas bill but then he'll have 2 month break (from Nov 24 to Jan 25 school will either be all online or on break), that will be a big help.

I used some broken gf tortillas for our enchilada last night, instead of buying corn tortillas. I'd bought extra and froze them but they broke all apart when they thawed and were no good for wraps. 

I've briefly thought about looking for a holiday job for an extra boost to the budget and all the incoming bills we have but I don't think it would work with my schedule. Starting Nov 1st I'll be up at 4:30am- 6-7 days  week I need to be in bed by 8:30 to get enough sleep.

Ugh high gas bills suck. We are saving so much money on gas.  Dh used to have a 2.5 hour commute 5 days a week.   The kids and I had a 2.5 hour commute to ballet 6 or 7 days a week.   I so don't want to go back to that.  Glad you have the 2 month break.  

I ended up ordering some more clothes on Costco last night.    Treated myself to 2 sets.  I hope the fit well.

I need to sell or donate some of the kids old clothes.   Some of the things you think can get passed down, don't end up making it through one or 2 kids.  It takes so much time keeping 5 kids, 2 adults,  and 2 dogs in the right clothes and accessories.   It is even harder when you are not going into stores . Trying to guess sizes in everything.   Ugh 

Glad you got the refund from aldi.  I hate when that stuff happens.   I normally never go back because we didn't usually shop in our town, so it was never worth the 40 plus minutes of driving.   But it totally bothers me for a long time 

Some of the deals started at Walmart last night.   Great prices and we wanted to buy them. But as I was thinking might happen they were impossible to buy online. 

 

Something we ordered in early August that just came this week after us calling and calling.   Repeated emails.   And the order they shipped us is wrong.    This company sucks. 

[hjffkj]

we have had a spendy last two days.  dh and I went to goodwill and kohls to finish up halloween costume pieces.  Then we went out to lunch just the two of us.  IT was wonderful and worth the unplanned for expense.  Groceries have gotten more expensive and I don't like it. Can't remember what else at the moment but it wasn't really too bad.  

I'm trying really hard to get all the Christmas gifts for people figured out so I can start planning on how to save on them.

Overall, October have been a pretty good month budget and savings wise.  But not having a mortgage payment this month made that extra easy

[historically accurate]

Someone gave us 5 butternut squashes. So, I'm learning how to cook butternut squash (posted a question here on the chat board on how to cook). They gave us 5 containers of sour cream as well. I turned 2 of those into 6 dozen muffins (in the freezer now), and 1 into 2 coffee cakes (one to eat tomorrow, one to share with neighbor who gave us the food). 

I used less than a quarter of a tank of gas this past week, even though DD had an orthodontist appointment 35 minutes away. Yay!

My mom has offered to buy the kids new winter coats (2 of the 3 need them). She said she'd get me one too if I wanted as my coat was a Goodwill find like 7 years ago and it's a bit large now. So, we'll be shopping for those soon.

[Soror]

On 10/23/2020 at 5:27 PM, mommyoffive said:

Ugh high gas bills suck. We are saving so much money on gas.  Dh used to have a 2.5 hour commute 5 days a week.   The kids and I had a 2.5 hour commute to ballet 6 or 7 days a week.   I so don't want to go back to that.  Glad you have the 2 month break.  

I ended up ordering some more clothes on Costco last night.    Treated myself to 2 sets.  I hope the fit well.

I need to sell or donate some of the kids old clothes.   Some of the things you think can get passed down, don't end up making it through one or 2 kids.  It takes so much time keeping 5 kids, 2 adults,  and 2 dogs in the right clothes and accessories.   It is even harder when you are not going into stores . Trying to guess sizes in everything.   Ugh 

Glad you got the refund from aldi.  I hate when that stuff happens.   I normally never go back because we didn't usually shop in our town, so it was never worth the 40 plus minutes of driving.   But it totally bothers me for a long time 

Some of the deals started at Walmart last night.   Great prices and we wanted to buy them. But as I was thinking might happen they were impossible to buy online. 

 

Something we ordered in early August that just came this week after us calling and calling.   Repeated emails.   And the order they shipped us is wrong.    This company sucks. 

I know dealing with clothing for everyone is my bane. I hate it. I think we are good on coats except for oldest dd. The other two girls still fit (bought big) or hand me downs. DD1 still has a coat for home but might need a new hoodie for school, I doubt she'll wear or want a coat. I bought ds a coat last year maybe, he never wore it, only hoodies, so I won't buy him another. Sorry for the trouble with orders, that is a PITA.

11 hours ago, hjffkj said:

we have had a spendy last two days.  dh and I went to goodwill and kohls to finish up halloween costume pieces.  Then we went out to lunch just the two of us.  IT was wonderful and worth the unplanned for expense.  Groceries have gotten more expensive and I don't like it. Can't remember what else at the moment but it wasn't really too bad.  

I'm trying really hard to get all the Christmas gifts for people figured out so I can start planning on how to save on them.

Overall, October have been a pretty good month budget and savings wise.  But not having a mortgage payment this month made that extra easy

Even in great months you have some days you need to spend money, I'm sure the time together was nice.

10 hours ago, historically accurate said:

Someone gave us 5 butternut squashes. So, I'm learning how to cook butternut squash (posted a question here on the chat board on how to cook). They gave us 5 containers of sour cream as well. I turned 2 of those into 6 dozen muffins (in the freezer now), and 1 into 2 coffee cakes (one to eat tomorrow, one to share with neighbor who gave us the food). 

I used less than a quarter of a tank of gas this past week, even though DD had an orthodontist appointment 35 minutes away. Yay!

My mom has offered to buy the kids new winter coats (2 of the 3 need them). She said she'd get me one too if I wanted as my coat was a Goodwill find like 7 years ago and it's a bit large now. So, we'll be shopping for those soon.

Nice, very resourceful looking at ways at using all the free food.

[Soror]

No money spent yesterday for me. I worked morning and evening as I have been, fingers crossed I don't have a bunch of cancellations next week and meet my monthly teaching goal. I got a bunch of certifications last weekend and am still considering if I want to apply to another company to fill in cancellations and empty spots. Things have picked back up since the holiday passed but cancellations are still higher than they were.

7 days to go, really hoping nothing else comes up and we finish the month on budget. If anything else comes up it will have to come from savings I planned for this month, there is no where else to cut.

I'm being very diligent about food waste to try and squeeze everything I can out of the food budget.

We are supposed to be getting a $10 gift card for a review on a purchase dh had made. Dh is also getting a $5 gift card for donating blood this week and I am planning to donate as well. Dh was already scheduled and I planned too as well, so that is a nice bonus for Christmas.

[Soror]

tentative menu:

Monday--TBD- dd1 cooks and has to decide

Tuesday: bean and cheese burritos (trying to think of something new and frugal?? and my mind is blanking

Wednesday- beef stew

Thursday - Tempeh stir fry w/ broccoli and rice

Friday- chill + hotdogs

Saturday- homemade Italian Sausage Stromboli (making italian sausage homemade w/ ground turkey)

Sunday- Fried GF Chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans

[historically accurate]

57 minutes ago, Soror said:

tentative menu:

Monday--TBD- dd1 cooks and has to decide

Tuesday: bean and cheese burritos (trying to think of something new and frugal?? and my mind is blanking

Wednesday- beef stew

Thursday - Tempeh stir fry w/ broccoli and rice

Friday- chill + hotdogs

Saturday- homemade Italian Sausage Stromboli (making italian sausage homemade w/ ground turkey)

Sunday- Fried GF Chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans

Thanks for the reminder to do this. I hate meal planning, but I need a plan for this week. 

[mommyoffive]

On 10/25/2020 at 7:57 AM, Soror said:

No money spent yesterday for me. I worked morning and evening as I have been, fingers crossed I don't have a bunch of cancellations next week and meet my monthly teaching goal. I got a bunch of certifications last weekend and am still considering if I want to apply to another company to fill in cancellations and empty spots. Things have picked back up since the holiday passed but cancellations are still higher than they were.

7 days to go, really hoping nothing else comes up and we finish the month on budget. If anything else comes up it will have to come from savings I planned for this month, there is no where else to cut.

I'm being very diligent about food waste to try and squeeze everything I can out of the food budget.

We are supposed to be getting a $10 gift card for a review on a purchase dh had made. Dh is also getting a $5 gift card for donating blood this week and I am planning to donate as well. Dh was already scheduled and I planned too as well, so that is a nice bonus for Christmas.

Would you be open to doing surveys?   a company that does online surveys that pay well.  Totally legit.   I got 7 emails on different surveys last week.   The lowest was for $100.

Edited October 26, 2020 by mommyoffive