~~~~~~~~~~~ March 2022 Frugalistas ~~~~~~~~~~~~

[mommyoffive]

3 hours ago, MagistraKennedy said:

New to the board, and following along for tips. 

Currently, waiting on payment from a local children's consignment sale. Decluttering items we don't need and getting extra $ is a winner. As we do the seasonal clothes switchout, I'm going to start culling items and sorting them for quicker prepping/tagging in the fall sale. 

looking forward to learning from you all 🤩

Welcome!  Glad to have you here.  That is great you are selling the old clothes!  I wish I would have done that with all their old clothes.  

[mommyoffive]

Kid birthday party and hit the zoo today.  Grocery pick up tonight. 

We went and looked at some land and found a piece we think we like.  

[mommyoffive]

Combine Walmart’s low prices with these Grocery Pickup promo codes to save BIG –

WOWFRESH – $10 off first $50 order (new customers)

PAYPAL10 – $10 off $50 order when you checkout using PayPal (new customers)

 

Through March 23rd, DoorDash DashPass members can score $15 off a $15+ Beyond Meat order – discount automatically applies during checkout – no promo code needed! The offer should show on restaurants that sell Beyond Meat products like Denny’s, Carl’s Jr, The Burger Den and more!

 

 

Love scoring freebies at 7-Eleven? The free 7-Eleven rewards app makes it easy to score free or discounted food and drinks (like their popular Slurpees)! Just check your rewards app for the latest and current offers, and be sure to scan your app each time you make a purchase to earn points.

For a limited time, head on over to 7NOW where you can score $20 Off Delivery Orders of $25 or more when you use the promo code SAVE20 at checkout!

 

Hurry over to BestBuy.com where you can score this Lenovo Chromebook for just $89 shipped (regularly $219)!

 

 

We’ve got the scoop on Dairy Queen’s Free Cone Day for 2022! It has been confirmed on the Dairy Queen Facebook page that Free Cone Day is back, and tomorrow, March 21st, you’ll be able to snag a cone – no purchase necessary!

Note that this offer might vary by location, so consider checking with your local restaurant before heading out.

 

Through March 21st, Walgreens is offering a FREE 8×10 Photo Print when you use promo code SPRBREAK at checkout! Plus, opt for free store pickup to get your order in as little as an hour and save on shipping costs!

 

 

All of these are from Hip2save

[historically accurate]

I'm freaking out about $$ over here this week. I will try to breathe through it, but ugh.

Rent increase - almost 11%. They only jumped "rent" 1.5%, but then they added utilities that used to be included. Of course, it's supposed to be based on our usage, but the bill goes directly to the company that owns the park, so I have no way of confirming it. I also have no choice of using their water/trash. 

Groceries - youngest is still having sometime severe stomach issues. We've seen the GI, tested for all sorts of things, ruled out the kidneys (although they have problems), ruled out ovaries/uterus (found a cyst, but Gyno claims too small to be painful). So, we're going to do a Whole30 as a family (no gluten, no dairy, paleo-inspired). Um, my groceries are going to be crazy for April. Hoping it will help her, maybe help middle DD with her POTS, DH with arthritis like joint pain, and I can stand to lose (a lot of) weight. So, we're giving it a go. No one is truly excited; my budget probably least of all.

Dentist - middle DD needs her wisdom teeth out or it will start to ruin the orthodontic work we paid a fortune for. Already $400 for the panoramic x-ray they took. 

Doctor bills - still rampaging (see groceries summary above). I found a new plastic surgeon as I need to get my implants changed. I had a mastectomy 12 years ago, and the implants are starting to hurt. Had an appointment with my preferred one in a couple of months, and they called a couple of weeks ago and said that he no longer accepted insurance and did I wish to change to self pay? Haha, no. But I really liked the nurse I spoke to at the new place, so hopeful I will like that doctor.

Income front - DH did not get the new position. He is contemplating jumping employers. We have a 401k loan that still has a couple of years on it though, so that would complicate it. I am going to pick up more hours in April with my "old" library; their fiscal year ends Apr30, and they really need the help getting ready for it.

Oldest has an interview with Petco down at school today. That would be an awesome fit for her; she doesn't do very well with social interactions, but she's excellent with animals. A co-worker's sister tried to get Middle an interview at Culver's; it's been a comedy of errors. Finally culminating in a phone call this weekend where she was told that manager didn't even recognize DD's name. Very, very weird, since the other manager was like, yeah, we'll call you immediately. So not very excited to have her walk into a place run by buffoons, but McD's (closer to home - she could walk) just put a big "We're Hiring" banner up, so she's going to try there this week. 

School - kids have picked their outside classes for next school year. Now, I just have to pay for them. It will wipe our "education" fund to a bare minimum, but the $ is there. I'm willing to pay a lot to not teach Chemistry lol.

No savings to be found anywhere lately. I have to stop and get some dress socks today. But that's the extent of my spending today.

[JustEm]

@historically accurate so sorry to hear about all the financial woes.  It really sucks when it all seems to be piling up at once.  Hope this rough patch is short lived.

[JustEm]

E-bay sales are sucking over here!  But I'm still chugging away at listing things.  Ds13 is helping me list again because he wants to earn money for a new computer.

Our spending hasn't been great so far this year and because of that our savings goals aren't being met 😞 I've gotta figure out how to get those savings goals back on track but it is so hard with the prices of everything going up so drastically.

Hoping that dd gets a scholarship for summer intensives.  Won't know for a few weeks I think, but I'm hoping there is a good chance since I have a pretty good idea of the criteria for it.

Geothermal install is finishing up this week!  That should decrease our electric bill nicely and give a bit more wiggle room in the budget.

[mommyoffive]

4 hours ago, historically accurate said:

I'm freaking out about $$ over here this week. I will try to breathe through it, but ugh.

Rent increase - almost 11%. They only jumped "rent" 1.5%, but then they added utilities that used to be included. Of course, it's supposed to be based on our usage, but the bill goes directly to the company that owns the park, so I have no way of confirming it. I also have no choice of using their water/trash. 

Groceries - youngest is still having sometime severe stomach issues. We've seen the GI, tested for all sorts of things, ruled out the kidneys (although they have problems), ruled out ovaries/uterus (found a cyst, but Gyno claims too small to be painful). So, we're going to do a Whole30 as a family (no gluten, no dairy, paleo-inspired). Um, my groceries are going to be crazy for April. Hoping it will help her, maybe help middle DD with her POTS, DH with arthritis like joint pain, and I can stand to lose (a lot of) weight. So, we're giving it a go. No one is truly excited; my budget probably least of all.

Dentist - middle DD needs her wisdom teeth out or it will start to ruin the orthodontic work we paid a fortune for. Already $400 for the panoramic x-ray they took. 

Doctor bills - still rampaging (see groceries summary above). I found a new plastic surgeon as I need to get my implants changed. I had a mastectomy 12 years ago, and the implants are starting to hurt. Had an appointment with my preferred one in a couple of months, and they called a couple of weeks ago and said that he no longer accepted insurance and did I wish to change to self pay? Haha, no. But I really liked the nurse I spoke to at the new place, so hopeful I will like that doctor.

Income front - DH did not get the new position. He is contemplating jumping employers. We have a 401k loan that still has a couple of years on it though, so that would complicate it. I am going to pick up more hours in April with my "old" library; their fiscal year ends Apr30, and they really need the help getting ready for it.

Oldest has an interview with Petco down at school today. That would be an awesome fit for her; she doesn't do very well with social interactions, but she's excellent with animals. A co-worker's sister tried to get Middle an interview at Culver's; it's been a comedy of errors. Finally culminating in a phone call this weekend where she was told that manager didn't even recognize DD's name. Very, very weird, since the other manager was like, yeah, we'll call you immediately. So not very excited to have her walk into a place run by buffoons, but McD's (closer to home - she could walk) just put a big "We're Hiring" banner up, so she's going to try there this week. 

School - kids have picked their outside classes for next school year. Now, I just have to pay for them. It will wipe our "education" fund to a bare minimum, but the $ is there. I'm willing to pay a lot to not teach Chemistry lol.

No savings to be found anywhere lately. I have to stop and get some dress socks today. But that's the extent of my spending today.

Oh man I am sorry everything is piling on at once.  Is your oldest staying down there for summer? I can't remember what year she is in college. 

I hope your youngest finds out what is bothering her so she isn't in pain anymore.  Poor kid. 

I hope your surgery is covered and goes well. 

Does your dh have to pay off the 401k loan before he leaves?  I am sorry he didn't get the postion.

Hoping your mdd's removal goes smooth.

[mommyoffive]

2 hours ago, hjffkj said:

E-bay sales are sucking over here!  But I'm still chugging away at listing things.  Ds13 is helping me list again because he wants to earn money for a new computer.

Our spending hasn't been great so far this year and because of that our savings goals aren't being met 😞 I've gotta figure out how to get those savings goals back on track but it is so hard with the prices of everything going up so drastically.

Hoping that dd gets a scholarship for summer intensives.  Won't know for a few weeks I think, but I'm hoping there is a good chance since I have a pretty good idea of the criteria for it.

Geothermal install is finishing up this week!  That should decrease our electric bill nicely and give a bit more wiggle room in the budget.

Let us know how the geothermal works for you!

I hope dd gets a scholarship.  Is it for her home studio?  Or old dance studio didn't do scholarships for intensives.  I regret staying there for summer because ods got way better offers for other places.  

[JustEm]

6 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

Let us know how the geothermal works for you!

I hope dd gets a scholarship.  Is it for her home studio?  Or old dance studio didn't do scholarships for intensives.  I regret staying there for summer because ods got way better offers for other places.  

Yes, it is her home studio.  For whatever reason I jut didn't even think to look into scholarships for intensives or yearly tuition.  But I was talking to my sister-in-law and she mentioned that some of her kids have gotten them for both. So, I figured I'd get it started with intensives and then look into next years tuition for both girls.  

[mommyoffive]

Just now, hjffkj said:

Yes, it is her home studio.  For whatever reason I jut didn't even think to look into scholarships for intensives or yearly tuition.  But I was talking to my sister-in-law and she mentioned that some of her kids have gotten them for both. So, I figured I'd get it started with intensives and then look into next years tuition for both girls.  

What are the based on? 

[JustEm]

9 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

What are the based on? 

financial and dedication to the art

[mommyoffive]

On 3/22/2022 at 12:57 PM, hjffkj said:

financial and dedication to the art

Good luck.  The old Ballet school did need based aid, but nothing based on anything else.  The new school doesn't to my knowledge do anything. 

 

Dh got his raise notification.  It is what we expected.

Finishing up planning for odd's birthday outing.  

[cjzimmer1]

I'm pretty sure someone mentioned Ruby's pantry on one of these threads before but I just wanted to bring it up and say it's worth looking to see if one is in your area.  Saw a Facebook post for one about 35 minutes away today.  Since my grocery store is only 10 minutes I had to think about if it was worth the gas but thought I'd take a chance.  I bought 2 shares so for $44 I got:

4 pounds of italian sauage links

8 pounds of sliced bratwurst

8 pounds french fries

3 pounds hashbrown

2 gallons of chocolate ice cream

4 pepperoni pizzas

2 dozen frozen raspberry pastries

48 peeled hardboiled eggs (packaged 2 to a package)

24  8 ounce bottles of mouthwash

24 2 ounce tubes of toothpaste

6 4 ounce packages of cheese

2 cases of the small water bottles (15 count in each case)

24 heat and serve flamingo hot cheetos mac and cheese

2 boxes of banana walnut instant oatmeal packages

4 boxes granola bars

4 bags of popcorners

2 bags of caramel rice cakes

8 cans of green beans

1 loaf of bread

1 bag of bagels

large heart box of valentine chocolates, plus 2 other bags of valentine candies

1 box of chocolate covered cherries

24 cookie marshmallows treats

2 gallons of dill pickles

 

Not everything is something we will eat (like canned green beans) but definitely enough that even with the travel cost we will still come out ahead.

 

Edited March 24, 2022 by cjzimmer1

[Shoeless]

35 minutes ago, cjzimmer1 said:

I'm pretty sure someone mentioned Ruby's pantry on one of these threads before but I just wanted to bring it up and say it's worth looking to see if one is in your area.  Saw a Facebook post for one about 35 minutes away today.  Since my grocery store is only 10 minutes I had to think about if it was worth the gas but thought I'd take a chance.  I bought 2 shares so for $44 I got:

4 pounds of italian sauage links

8 pounds of sliced bratwurst

8 pounds french fries

3 pounds hashbrown

2 gallons of chocolate ice cream

4 pepperoni pizzas

2 dozen frozen raspberry pastries

48 peeled hardboiled eggs (packaged 2 to a package)

24  8 ounce bottles of mouthwash

24 2 ounce tubes of toothpaste

6 4 ounce packages of cheese

2 cases of the small water bottles (15 count in each case)

24 heat and serve flamingo hot cheetos mac and cheese

2 boxes of banana walnut instant oatmeal packages

4 boxes granola bars

4 bags of popcorners

2 bags of caramel rice cakes

8 cans of green beans

1 loaf of bread

1 bag of bagels

large heart box of valentine chocolates, plus 2 other bags of valentine candies

1 box of chocolate covered cherries

24 cookie marshmallows treats

2 gallons of dill pickles

 

Not everything is something we will eat (like canned green beans) but definitely enough that even with the travel cost we will still come out ahead.

 

Wow, that's a lot for $44!  You definitely got your money's worth!

Since I only spent about $92 last week, I went back and stocked up on a few things I had coupons for/were on sale. My second trip was $70, so that still puts me about $40 under budget.

I spent $89 at the grocery yesterday. mostly on fresh produce and restocking a few pantry items.  I bought a giant bag of walnuts, which was almost $10. I think I clicked the wrong item online, because it's way more than what I need. Guess we'll be set for walnuts for a long while!

HEB has a digital coupon for $10 off total purchase, another for $5 off $30 of grassfed beef, and another for $5 off $15 of bacon. I need to do a freezer inventory to see whether I can justify buying more.

 

 

[JustEm]

Geothermal system is installed! Tomorrow they finish up by installing the unit that goes to the water heater. I'm really curious to see what it does to the electric bill. Time will tell

 

[cjzimmer1]

1 hour ago, hjffkj said:

Geothermal system is installed! Tomorrow they finish up by installing the unit that goes to the water heater. I'm really curious to see what it does to the electric bill. Time will tell

 

So am I!  I've looked into solar panels so many times in the past but just couldn't justify the cost. Will love hearing first hand information if this is a reasonable source of alternative energy.

 

[JustEm]

9 hours ago, cjzimmer1 said:

So am I!  I've looked into solar panels so many times in the past but just couldn't justify the cost. Will love hearing first hand information if this is a reasonable source of alternative energy.

 

I've looked into solar panels as well and once we have a full year on geothermal, which is when we'll have the 0% loan we took out paid off, I'll start considering if it is worth the investment.  We chose geothermal because my brother just got a house with it and he is really pleased with it.  I don't know anyone with solar panels so I'm going to have to start meeting the neighbors who have it to get more first hand accounts of it.

[mommyoffive]

12 hours ago, hjffkj said:

Geothermal system is installed! Tomorrow they finish up by installing the unit that goes to the water heater. I'm really curious to see what it does to the electric bill. Time will tell

 

I can't wait to hear too.  I forgot how much did you pay for it?  I am interested it in geo or solar.  It will be neat to hear how much your regular bills are compared to when this unit gets up and running.

[mommyoffive]

13 hours ago, cjzimmer1 said:

I'm pretty sure someone mentioned Ruby's pantry on one of these threads before but I just wanted to bring it up and say it's worth looking to see if one is in your area.  Saw a Facebook post for one about 35 minutes away today.  Since my grocery store is only 10 minutes I had to think about if it was worth the gas but thought I'd take a chance.  I bought 2 shares so for $44 I got:

4 pounds of italian sauage links

8 pounds of sliced bratwurst

8 pounds french fries

3 pounds hashbrown

2 gallons of chocolate ice cream

4 pepperoni pizzas

2 dozen frozen raspberry pastries

48 peeled hardboiled eggs (packaged 2 to a package)

24  8 ounce bottles of mouthwash

24 2 ounce tubes of toothpaste

6 4 ounce packages of cheese

2 cases of the small water bottles (15 count in each case)

24 heat and serve flamingo hot cheetos mac and cheese

2 boxes of banana walnut instant oatmeal packages

4 boxes granola bars

4 bags of popcorners

2 bags of caramel rice cakes

8 cans of green beans

1 loaf of bread

1 bag of bagels

large heart box of valentine chocolates, plus 2 other bags of valentine candies

1 box of chocolate covered cherries

24 cookie marshmallows treats

2 gallons of dill pickles

 

Not everything is something we will eat (like canned green beans) but definitely enough that even with the travel cost we will still come out ahead.

 

I must have missed the post on this.  That is a lot.  Looking to see where one is. 

Would you buy the same amount if you went again?

Edited March 24, 2022 by mommyoffive

[cjzimmer1]

30 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

I must have missed the post on this.  That is a lot.  Looking to see where one is. 

Would you buy the same amount if you went again?

I'll PM you the locations I found.

 

Yes I think 2 shares was about right for us for no other reason than I am unlikely to have enough freezer space to accommodate more.  It is bit more processed/junky type of food than I would normally buy but then again that is part of the appeal.  I can get those treats for the kids that I would normally forego due to cost at a very reasonable price.  My kids are most excited by the french fries of all things (apparently last months shares people got 30 pounds of french fries.  I can't even imagine where to put them all).

[JustEm]

geothermal installers had to turn our water off to install the water heater attachment. when they turned the water back on the main shut off valve started leaking and won't stop!  So, now they have to replace it. No, fault of theirs it is just old and broke while using it. But to get the main line to the house shut off and then back on is $25 each, plus the cost to replace our valve.  I don't really care about the money I just hate water issues!!! We are cursed with water issues

[JustEm]

DD got a scholarship for intensives!  It will cover 50% of the cost for the 4 weeks so $750 total! This is amazing.

[mommyoffive]

4 hours ago, hjffkj said:

DD got a scholarship for intensives!  It will cover 50% of the cost for the 4 weeks so $750 total! This is amazing.

Yay!  Congrats!   

[mommyoffive]

Got all the kids into the dentist today.  100% covered and no cavities.  

[JustEm]

8 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

Got all the kids into the dentist today.  100% covered and no cavities.  

Woohoo!

[JustEm]

No more water leak!

[mommyoffive]

Why is my state never on these lists?

These states are planning tax rebate checks to counter inflation (msn.com)

[historically accurate]

13 hours ago, mommyoffive said:

Why is my state never on these lists?

These states are planning tax rebate checks to counter inflation (msn.com)

Yeah, mine isn't either. Pritzger (gov) tossed out the idea of suspending gas taxes (which are among the highest in the country) for a while, and people accused him of buying votes since he's up for re-election soon. Um, I'll take the break and decide on his record when I vote.

[mommyoffive]

1 hour ago, historically accurate said:

Yeah, mine isn't either. Pritzger (gov) tossed out the idea of suspending gas taxes (which are among the highest in the country) for a while, and people accused him of buying votes since he's up for re-election soon. Um, I'll take the break and decide on his record when I vote.

Yep.  Here in WI the governor said something about suspending the gas tax too a few weeks ago.  I haven't heard anything else about it.  Super frustrating.  

Edited March 25, 2022 by mommyoffive

[historically accurate]

1 minute ago, mommyoffive said:

Yep.  Here in WI the governor said something about suspending the gas tax too a few weeks ago.  I haven't heard anything else about it.  Super frustrating.  

I know, I'm like, come on, people! My budget is getting tighter and tighter, and they're playing politics. We're still at $4.39-4.57 as of yesterday for a gallon. Ugh. 

[JustEm]

3 minutes ago, historically accurate said:

I know, I'm like, come on, people! My budget is getting tighter and tighter, and they're playing politics. We're still at $4.39-4.57 as of yesterday for a gallon. Ugh. 

we're back down to $3.99 but even that is expensive compared to what it was and with everything else costing more it seems that every penny counts right now more than ever.

[mommyoffive]

2 minutes ago, hjffkj said:

we're back down to $3.99 but even that is expensive compared to what it was and with everything else costing more it seems that every penny counts right now more than ever.

That is where we are at most places.  Getting lucky you might find something in the 3.80 range.  But yes, with every other thing more expensive it just sucks all around.    Everything hurts to buy or pay for right now.  And yeah it is a big increase from where it was. 

[JustEm]

My grocery budget is completely through the roof.  It has made growing our own veggies this year a no brainer.  Thankfully, it is nice enough today to dig out one good size garden bed today.  And we'll be starting some seeds inside today too. Going to the garden this year is a variety of leafy greens, carrots, squash, a variety of peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, cantaloupe, watermelon, herbs, onions, potatoes, green beans, snap peas. I think that's it.

[prairiewindmomma]

We are back in town after several days of spring break vacation. Everyone’s schedules aligned late last week—we ended up renting a couple of houses on AirBnB and ventured out to a couple of National Parks within a day’s drive of our house and did a lot of hiking at some state parks as well. We packed a cooler and restocked at grocery stores as needed. 

I ended up needing a new daypack for our hiking adventures. I lucked into an Outlet return at our nearby REI and I was able to stack a 20% off coupon on top of it—it worked out to about 1/3 of new retail price for a very nice Gregory pack that has already seen a lot of hikes this week and will see dozens more this year. 
 

Anyway, it was the first time in three years we had all been able to get away together—glad we were able to do so.

[prairiewindmomma]

Oh, and I meant to mention….I was jaw dropped shocked by how cheap groceries were in my same dang state in the same dang store chain. It was seriously discouraging. Dh was with me and we joked about how I needed to drive down monthly and stock up….joking/not joking. It’s too long of a drive to be cost effective, but it was eye opening. They had bulk bags of beans and rice also—our store has been out the entire pandemic. (If they had had wheat, I would have purchased it. I did end up buying boxes of dandelion tea because it was $3/box instead of $6.)

Anyway, I came away understanding why some people haven’t been as affected by outages of product and stuff as I have been. Things really are different elsewhere.

[mommyoffive]

Target’s Car Seat Trade-In Event | Latest Info & Dates on Hip2Save

The highly anticipated Target Car Seat Trade-In Event will be starting on April 18th and running through April 30th!

This is the perfect time to trade in your old car seat and save on the next seat that your baby or kiddo needs!

[mommyoffive]

FREE Kids Books Delivered to Your Door for Florida Residents (hip2save.com)

[JustEm]

25 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

Target’s Car Seat Trade-In Event | Latest Info & Dates on Hip2Save

The highly anticipated Target Car Seat Trade-In Event will be starting on April 18th and running through April 30th!

This is the perfect time to trade in your old car seat and save on the next seat that your baby or kiddo needs!

Man I just bought a new car seat!

[mommyoffive]

1 minute ago, hjffkj said:

Man I just bought a new car seat!

Ugh that stinks.   That sort of thing always happens to me!  Every time I buy something there is a sale.  So annoying and it has led me to hesitate on buying stuff. 

[prairiewindmomma]

It's the last day of March! We made it, people!!

[mommyoffive]

Dh got paid out his bonus. 

We got back from the birthday trip.  The kids had the best time!  On to April!