~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~July 2022 Frugalistas~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[JustEm]

Just now, mommyoffive said:

OH that really sucks.  There should be some leeway for people like you.

I mean, I agree since it would benefit me. But really we don't NEED anything. I just wish him paying income tax to that state would mean I didn't have to pay for use of the library system and the educator's card because my county doesn't have an educator's card

[mommyoffive]

Panda Express is celebrating the Original Orange Chicken’s 35th birthday! Today only, July 15th, they are giving away millions of gifts to Panda Rewards Members!

If you are an existing rewards member, just head here and login into your Panda account to claim your prize/coupon! Prizes include Panda Express coupons for 35¢ orange chicken (for a year, month, or single-use) as well as FREE orange chicken for an entire year

From hip2save

 

Through July 31st, the McDonald’s App is also your ticket to Camp McDonald’s, a month-long virtual experience featuring food deals, menu hacks, fun new merch, and performances by some of the hottest musical artists around!

Today, July 15th only, you can score a Free Double Cheeseburger with any $1 purchase through the app – valid for pickup or in-store purchase only!

To score this hot deal, just be sure to check the ‘Deals’ section of your McDonald’s App for a one-time use coupon.

 

[Shoeless]

20 hours ago, Brittany1116 said:

Lol someone once gave me trash bags of clothes they got from someone else. I kept 2 items and months later, wearing the sweater for the first time, I found a $20 in the pocket. 

I checked all the pockets of everything I bought, and found someone's weight loss drug, too. Bleh. 

[mommyoffive]

The lowest I saw gas today was 4.09

[historically accurate]

37 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

The lowest I saw gas today was 4.09

We have $4.89 here, which while sucky, is better than it was...

[Shoeless]

Saw gas for $3.74 today. Good that it's coming down now, but I am now a little uneasy about how quickly prices are falling around here. 

 

[prairiewindmomma]

Costco is $4.80 today—first time I have seen gas under $5/gallon here in forever.

[mommyoffive]

9 hours ago, MissLemon said:

Saw gas for $3.74 today. Good that it's coming down now, but I am now a little uneasy about how quickly prices are falling around here. 

 

Nice.  I forgot what area you are in.

All the prices I see post are not Costco/Sams prices.

[Shoeless]

7 hours ago, mommyoffive said:

Nice.  I forgot what area you are in.

All the prices I see post are not Costco/Sams prices.

Nearest big city is San Antonio. 

The price range is big. I still find stations at $4.49 but then the truck stops are at 3.74. Diesel hasn't budged much lower than 4.98. 

[mommyoffive]

Grocery pickup, gas, and house supplies to do some home improvement.

[historically accurate]

I did grocery pickup today, and I stayed under $150 for the first time in like, forever. Unfortunately, I don't know if there is enough food for the whole week. And today's order had no dairy because dairy is free with coupons for us right now. That doesn't bode well for my budget going forward...

Gas was $4.79 at Walmart - now all the stations in town are $4.89. 

[mommyoffive]

10 minutes ago, historically accurate said:

I did grocery pickup today, and I stayed under $150 for the first time in like, forever. Unfortunately, I don't know if there is enough food for the whole week. And today's order had no dairy because dairy is free with coupons for us right now. That doesn't bode well for my budget going forward...

Gas was $4.79 at Walmart - now all the stations in town are $4.89. 

I hope the gas keeps going down for you. 

I forgot about your milk coupons.  Awesome.

I read your post and all I am hearing in my head the song line "For the first time in Forever"    🙂

Here is my dumb order for grocery pick up.  I looked in the fridge and though oh we have enough milk so I didn't order any.  I hardly ever drink milk.   I forgot to look at the dates on the milk.  Opps.  So I now I will need milk in a week when I thought I was good for 2 weeks.

[Shoeless]

I'm a liar, gas is 3.79 not 3.74. 

I had a small grocery pick up this week of deli meat, frozen veggies, trail mix, milk. Since it was our anniversary, I bought steaks too, which brought the week's total to $75. 

We were previously spending about $1200 a month. I think with getting most things at Sam's once a month, we'll be able to save about $400 off our food bill. 

[mommyoffive]

Just now, MissLemon said:

I'm a liar, gas is 3.79 not 3.74. 

I had a small grocery pick up this week of deli meat, frozen veggies, trail mix, milk. Since it was our anniversary, I bought steaks too, which brought the week's total to $75. 

We were previously spending about $1200 a month. I think with getting most things at Sam's once a month, we'll be able to save about $400 off our food bill. 

That is huge!!  Awesome.

[prairiewindmomma]

I am back from the store, and irritated by continued inflation. Prices seemed to jump again fairly substantially—smaller jumps on things like pasta or pretzels or produce but huge jumps again with meat, cream, and other fats and proteins. I spent less overall this week—mostly because I skipped a good chunk of my list. I am going to use some of my freezer stash and hope for better sales sometime soon.

[mommyoffive]

this is a good deal if anyone needs it

Through September 3rd, college students can score 20% off a Target purchase when they join Target Circle and verify that they’re a college student!

*Be sure to head here to verify that you are a student after logging in to your account.

By joining Target Circle, you’ll gain access to a Target student discount, special offers and discounts throughout the year including exclusive offers on the items and brands you love to buy!

Plus, for a limited time, you can save 25% off must-haves for your dorm room! Now would be a great time to take advantage of these stackable offers if you’ll be heading off to college in the fall!

 

From hip2save.

[heartlikealion]

I buy bottled water and can't always find the jugs. This weekend I went a town over just to get jugs and then I was like ok enough is enough I need to invest in a water pitcher thing. I know last time I was skeptical about how well it filtered things because I'd still see flakes sometimes in the dispenser, but I think the flakes stayed above the filter line and could have been charcoal from the filter?? I'm kicking myself a little for not thinking to look at them on Prime Day, but I ordered one from Target online and it will be here in a few days. I'm drinking a lot more now that I'm exercising regularly and trying to drink more water in general. Used my Target card to save 5% and get free shipping. 

ds didn't feel well this weekend so we skipped our outing to the movies. That was disappointing, but on the plus side saved me gas and money on the concession stand. I have a few free movie passes I've been saving for the latest minions movie. Maybe it will still be playing next time they come over. I went to the nearest church for Mass and brought a few items to move into the new house. The landlord gave me the key so I can come and go as I please now. I'm going over this week to touch up some baseboards and built in bookcases (the painter may have done one coat but they look really rough either from not enough paint or because they got damaged when the flooring was spruced up). The landlords weren't going to get around to addressing all those things so I offered (they have the supplies there). When I go back over I will take out dd's booster and fold the seats down to pack up more items. My moving will be a series of trips to the house since I don't think I'm getting a UHaul. 

The kids went crazy with my internet this week. I ran out of data for my phone (probably from dd playing on it) and I'm almost out of data for my house wifi (ds couldn't use his own cell phone data because their service doesn't work at my house. He was using my home service while being on his phone all day long). I asked the kids to cut back on the internet and even bought dd a bird house to paint ($3) but we never got around to painting it. Ds offered to pay extra and basically refused to cut back his internet time. I gave up. I also didn't want to take his money. I have 3 days left of this month and I'm at 89.6% used data. I will probably find some DVDs to watch so I'm less tempted to stream. And I won't be using as much data the day I take off to go paint. If I can make it through these next couple days without going over, I won't have to pay a $10 fee for extra 100GB which will be useless by then. 

I read that sausage has skyrocketed in price, but the only thing I really buy is the little boxes of breakfast sausage links that are $1.25 at Dollar Tree. 

For milk, I buy the $1.25 boxes at DT and keep in my cupboard til I need them. I barely use milk, it's for the kids or cooking mostly so I hate to buy a huge jug. I don't know if you have DT near you @mommyoffive

[mommyoffive]

24 minutes ago, heartlikealion said:

I buy bottled water and can't always find the jugs. This weekend I went a town over just to get jugs and then I was like ok enough is enough I need to invest in a water pitcher thing. I know last time I was skeptical about how well it filtered things because I'd still see flakes sometimes in the dispenser, but I think the flakes stayed above the filter line and could have been charcoal from the filter?? I'm kicking myself a little for not thinking to look at them on Prime Day, but I ordered one from Target online and it will be here in a few days. I'm drinking a lot more now that I'm exercising regularly and trying to drink more water in general. Used my Target card to save 5% and get free shipping. 

ds didn't feel well this weekend so we skipped our outing to the movies. That was disappointing, but on the plus side saved me gas and money on the concession stand. I have a few free movie passes I've been saving for the latest minions movie. Maybe it will still be playing next time they come over. I went to the nearest church for Mass and brought a few items to move into the new house. The landlord gave me the key so I can come and go as I please now. I'm going over this week to touch up some baseboards and built in bookcases (the painter may have done one coat but they look really rough either from not enough paint or because they got damaged when the flooring was spruced up). The landlords weren't going to get around to addressing all those things so I offered (they have the supplies there). When I go back over I will take out dd's booster and fold the seats down to pack up more items. My moving will be a series of trips to the house since I don't think I'm getting a UHaul. 

The kids went crazy with my internet this week. I ran out of data for my phone (probably from dd playing on it) and I'm almost out of data for my house wifi (ds couldn't use his own cell phone data because their service doesn't work at my house. He was using my home service while being on his phone all day long). I asked the kids to cut back on the internet and even bought dd a bird house to paint ($3) but we never got around to painting it. Ds offered to pay extra and basically refused to cut back his internet time. I gave up. I also didn't want to take his money. I have 3 days left of this month and I'm at 89.6% used data. I will probably find some DVDs to watch so I'm less tempted to stream. And I won't be using as much data the day I take off to go paint. If I can make it through these next couple days without going over, I won't have to pay a $10 fee for extra 100GB which will be useless by then. 

I read that sausage has skyrocketed in price, but the only thing I really buy is the little boxes of breakfast sausage links that are $1.25 at Dollar Tree. 

For milk, I buy the $1.25 boxes at DT and keep in my cupboard til I need them. I barely use milk, it's for the kids or cooking mostly so I hate to buy a huge jug. I don't know if you have DT near you @mommyoffive

We go through large amount of milk a week.  Probably 10 gallons if I am letting people just drink.  A lot.  But that and water is usually all my kids drink.  They work out a lot so they drink milk as a recovery drink.  And most breakfasts are cereal and oatmeal. Oh and Dh loves milk.  Honestly if I am not keeping an eye on it they would go through more than 10 gallons a week.

[heartlikealion]

The app isn't really useful to me but maybe it will help someone else more? There's an app called Upside and it offers discounts on certain gas stations. I typically just fill up at Sam's Club. 

[prairiewindmomma]

The back to school supply sales have started.  I'm going through our shelves and stocking our public school kids back up and then ordering what remains on the list. Right now the list is looking like earbuds, an upgraded calculator, and the like---not so much stuff that is .50 at Target, iykwim.

[heartlikealion]

23 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

The back to school supply sales have started.  I'm going through our shelves and stocking our public school kids back up and then ordering what remains on the list. Right now the list is looking like earbuds, an upgraded calculator, and the like---not so much stuff that is .50 at Target, iykwim.

I had read about discounted pencils on the Penny Pincher Facebook post recently. I don't know if these are still considered sale prices: https://www.amazon.com/Ticonderoga-Wood-Cased-Graphite-Pencils-13872/dp/B00125Q75Y/ref=sr_1_6?crid=VVWEVBRTSA59&keywords=tric+pencils&qid=1658174048&sprefix=tric+pencils%2Caps%2C111&sr=8-6

[prairiewindmomma]

Yeah, those are sale prices. They will sometimes dip as low as $9.

Ticonderogas on sale in the store here are $2.50/12 pk.  Target currently has them at $2.99, arguing the list price is $6.99. The 24 count is the price price at Target right now--on sale for $4. 

[Brittany1116]

Target has spiral notebooks listed for 75c... I paid 35c a week ago. Walmart beat them on Ticonderoga and Pink Pearl by 4-7c an item when I was shopping then. Target had the better price on Frixion pens because of a Circle deal. But the Target ad right now is sneaky because of the stuff like the notebooks. 

[JustEm]

Desperately needed someone to give me a massage for my back and shoulder and the only massage therapist I'll go to had a cancellation today so I jumped at the opportunity. She is amazing and has fixed any issues I've ever had, like pinched nerves, misplaced ribs, issue with hips etc.

So, that was an impromptu $120. If I could afford it I'd have her work on me weekly. But since I can't I only see her every few years. I'm thinking maybe once a year is doable.

[mommyoffive]

On 7/18/2022 at 3:29 PM, prairiewindmomma said:

The back to school supply sales have started.  I'm going through our shelves and stocking our public school kids back up and then ordering what remains on the list. Right now the list is looking like earbuds, an upgraded calculator, and the like---not so much stuff that is .50 at Target, iykwim.

I don't know what kind of calculator you are looking for, but I saw this deal and thought of you.

Texas Instruments Graphing Calculator Only $99.99 Shipped (Regularly $150) | Great for College Students (hip2save.com)

 

I did a big supply shop at the end of last school year with all the school funds we had left which was a few thousand, so we are pretty well stocked to start the year off. 

[prairiewindmomma]

Ds (engineering student) has that above mentioned calculator. That is a fantastic price, and it's a great calculator. He's actually needing one that is similar but has a couple of different features.

[HomeAgain]

It's been a long month and I've been avoiding this thread for the past week or so.  Having guests is EXPENSIVE. 😂

Minor win: I made a blackout curtain for one of our skylights.  I used an old white pillow case and remnant from heavy curtains, so the only cost was $14 for two tension rods to hold it in place.  The more professional version is $300, but hopefully mine will help us save money on cooling bills.

Also minor win - I went to the grocery store for basics (eggs, bread, milk, bananas) and found surface sanitizers down from $6 to 2/$1.  I snagged 2 and saw one of them had a dollar taped to it, so really they were 2/$0. 🙂  We use sanitizers a LOT with ds's gear since it's rare to have time to dry properly.

Now the losses. 
$250: popular city tour for us and our guests.  One had a disability but wanted to see all the things, so we opted for this, since it would do all the major sites and we could stop at any we liked.  In reality, we stopped at 3, saw a total of 4, and they did not want to continue the ride.  It may have been better to Uber to the one that was off the metro path.

$100 in alcohol - we also did not realize that one of our guests had a diet that included steady hydration.  A week+ supply for 5 adults quickly dwindled on the first day to nothing. So did replacements meant for the group.  We stopped replacing.

$700 to skates, shin guards and skills.  DS shredded the pair he got at the beginning of the month within the first 2 practices. New gear: $400. And his favorite coach finally had an opening for him so we signed him up.  This coach is amazing, ds loves him, and the best part is he has never made ds feel like he's not good enough.  $300 for 6 weeks is steep, but he's the one person that kept ds feeling joy last year. 

I'm hoping for a reprieve in August and laying low until school starts again.

 

[mommyoffive]

3 hours ago, HomeAgain said:

It's been a long month and I've been avoiding this thread for the past week or so.  Having guests is EXPENSIVE. 😂

Minor win: I made a blackout curtain for one of our skylights.  I used an old white pillow case and remnant from heavy curtains, so the only cost was $14 for two tension rods to hold it in place.  The more professional version is $300, but hopefully mine will help us save money on cooling bills.

Also minor win - I went to the grocery store for basics (eggs, bread, milk, bananas) and found surface sanitizers down from $6 to 2/$1.  I snagged 2 and saw one of them had a dollar taped to it, so really they were 2/$0. 🙂  We use sanitizers a LOT with ds's gear since it's rare to have time to dry properly.

Now the losses. 
$250: popular city tour for us and our guests.  One had a disability but wanted to see all the things, so we opted for this, since it would do all the major sites and we could stop at any we liked.  In reality, we stopped at 3, saw a total of 4, and they did not want to continue the ride.  It may have been better to Uber to the one that was off the metro path.

$100 in alcohol - we also did not realize that one of our guests had a diet that included steady hydration.  A week+ supply for 5 adults quickly dwindled on the first day to nothing. So did replacements meant for the group.  We stopped replacing.

$700 to skates, shin guards and skills.  DS shredded the pair he got at the beginning of the month within the first 2 practices. New gear: $400. And his favorite coach finally had an opening for him so we signed him up.  This coach is amazing, ds loves him, and the best part is he has never made ds feel like he's not good enough.  $300 for 6 weeks is steep, but he's the one person that kept ds feeling joy last year. 

I'm hoping for a reprieve in August and laying low until school starts again.

 

Cool on the sky light solution.  I don't have one, but always wondered when you see them in bedrooms how you cover that.  I still am not seeing how it is done, but good for you for figuring it out.  

By  guests!   I hope you guys had a great time with them.

Holy expensive skates!  Is it normal for skates to only last 2 practices???  Nuts.  I thought pointe shoes were insane. 

Yay for getting in with the coach.  Sounds like a great investment in your son in many ways!  Totally worth it.

Edited July 20, 2022 by mommyoffive

[mommyoffive]

Right now, Amazon is offering $10 off when you purchase $30 in select Sharpie, Papermate, EXPO and more products!

*HOT* $10 off any $30 Purchase of Sharpie, Expo, PaperMate, and more! | Money Saving Mom®

[HomeAgain]

52 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

Cool on the sky light solution.  I don't have one, but always wondered when you see them in bedrooms how you cover that.  I still am not seeing how it is done, but good for you for figuring it out.  

 

Holy expensive skates!  Is it normal for skates to only last 2 practices???  Nuts.  I thought pointe shoes were insane. 

 

I ended up making a curtain with a rod pocket on both the top and the bottom.  The tension rods hold it at the right angle against the light.

And no, skates should not last 2 practices! There is a HUGE difference in recreational and competition quality.  The ones I picked up to go to Lake Placid with were recreational - cloth covered toe cap, thin vinyl boot.  DS usually uses more of a low/mid-range competition quality: heavy toe cap, thicker boot, Achilles guard up the back, moldable to fit his foot, stable yet flexible.  We actually got off easy on the price.  The more he grows, the more expensive they are.  The local skate shop found a pair in his size of last year's model which saved us some.  At least it saved us on the hours of driving to get to the one other place that had a pair in his size.   High schoolers pay between $500 and $700 per low/mid range pair.  A common present to a kid who stops growing is a pair of high end skates ($1000+).  Unlike toe shoes, they have a 30-40 year life span before falling apart. 😄 The blades come off for replacements, so many of the adults on the ice are skating with ones they got at age 18-19 and won't ever buy a new pair.  They just throw in a new insert sole and new blade every so often.

[saraha]

At the store now and almost everything I put in my cart at Save a lot has gone up 20 cents since last week. No joke. The only thing hasn’t has been canned beans, canned fruit and box mix Mac and cheese 🙄🙄🙄

Edited July 20, 2022 by saraha

[mommyoffive]

3 minutes ago, saraha said:

At the store now and almost everything I put in my cart at Save a lot has gone up 20 cents since last week. No joke. The only thing hasn’t has been canned beans, canned fruit and box mix Mac and cheese 🙄🙄🙄

That sounds like the meal plan then!   Inflation sucks.

[historically accurate]

Well, I sat down and calculated our medical expenses for the year. AAAHHH! On the plus side, we are within $250 of hitting the max out of pocket for the family. On the minus side, we are within $250 of hitting the max out of pocket for the family and we still have a lot of outstanding fees hanging out there. I am trying to get everyone in and done with all appointments by the end of the year. And after having done this and trying not to cry about it, oldest comes in and tells me her glasses are broken... Those are not covered under this insurance. *Sigh*

Gathered all the documents to see if we can get a discount on 2 of middle's hospital stays. I'll get it in the mail sometime this week. By their chart, we should get a substantial discount (about 75% off), but I've gotten anywhere from 0%-100% written off with previous applications. I think it depends on who is reviewing and possibly the moon phase or something...

I missed work yesterday, but I may be able to make it up on Friday - we'll have to see how it's going.

Got my raise and my little bonus with last week's paycheck. Yay!

Youngest is back with us; she stayed at Grandma's house for a couple of weeks. That means I can't skimp too much on our grocery budget since we're back to 6 people on the grocery bill (including my unemployed brother).

Gas is down another 2 cents. Wish it would drop like a rock, but it is creeping downward.

[mommyoffive]

1 minute ago, historically accurate said:

Well, I sat down and calculated our medical expenses for the year. AAAHHH! On the plus side, we are within $250 of hitting the max out of pocket for the family. On the minus side, we are within $250 of hitting the max out of pocket for the family and we still have a lot of outstanding fees hanging out there. I am trying to get everyone in and done with all appointments by the end of the year. And after having done this and trying not to cry about it, oldest comes in and tells me her glasses are broken... Those are not covered under this insurance. *Sigh*

Gathered all the documents to see if we can get a discount on 2 of middle's hospital stays. I'll get it in the mail sometime this week. By their chart, we should get a substantial discount (about 75% off), but I've gotten anywhere from 0%-100% written off with previous applications. I think it depends on who is reviewing and possibly the moon phase or something...

I missed work yesterday, but I may be able to make it up on Friday - we'll have to see how it's going.

Got my raise and my little bonus with last week's paycheck. Yay!

Youngest is back with us; she stayed at Grandma's house for a couple of weeks. That means I can't skimp too much on our grocery budget since we're back to 6 people on the grocery bill (including my unemployed brother).

Gas is down another 2 cents. Wish it would drop like a rock, but it is creeping downward.

Yay for the bonus and the raise!!

I hope you get a great discount on the hospital bills.  Boo to the medical bills and the broken glasses.  

Did you already have your surgery? 

[HomeAgain]

😄 Well, I raised a frugal kid.

We sold him my old car a few years ago.  This week he brought it to the shop and found out he needs to replace the brakes/rotors, replace the window mechanism, and get the steering column fixed.  Even though the car company is covering the steering column (known issue), the other repairs are going to run him about $2k.  DH suggested he trade it in for a newer one. And my kid?

"Dad.  I bought it for $3,000.  I replaced the tires last year.  Now there's this.  That puts me all in for a little over $5000 at this point.  I already made a deal with myself that I'll make that decision at around $7000 or 10 years, whichever comes first.  I'm good right now. My yearly costs can't be beat."

In reality, this kid is hoping to sell it back to us for youngest ds in a few years.  It's a really good starter car, and honestly, with the care he's taking I won't mind getting it back for the 12yo to learn to drive in.

However, it also means this entire week I am sharing mine with ds and making sure he has it to go to work in the afternoons.  Not a bad consolation if it helps him along.

 

[HomeAgain]

Also, that cobbled together skylight shade is amazing.  My whole family is astonished at the difference in the hallway/bedrooms right now.  It's 92* and sunny outside.  The AC isn't even kicking on in that part of the house and it's sitting at 75*.  It just feels so much better up there right now, like a nice cool cave!  I need to find the materials for a shade now for the second skylight. It doesn't get the same amount of direct sunlight, but any little bit helps!

[saraha]

44 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

That sounds like the meal plan then!   Inflation sucks.

Thanks I needed a chuckle

[mommyoffive]

8 minutes ago, saraha said:

Thanks I needed a chuckle

Sending some hugs your way.  I sending lots of good thoughts to your dh.

[mommyoffive]

26 minutes ago, HomeAgain said:

😄 Well, I raised a frugal kid.

We sold him my old car a few years ago.  This week he brought it to the shop and found out he needs to replace the brakes/rotors, replace the window mechanism, and get the steering column fixed.  Even though the car company is covering the steering column (known issue), the other repairs are going to run him about $2k.  DH suggested he trade it in for a newer one. And my kid?

"Dad.  I bought it for $3,000.  I replaced the tires last year.  Now there's this.  That puts me all in for a little over $5000 at this point.  I already made a deal with myself that I'll make that decision at around $7000 or 10 years, whichever comes first.  I'm good right now. My yearly costs can't be beat."

In reality, this kid is hoping to sell it back to us for youngest ds in a few years.  It's a really good starter car, and honestly, with the care he's taking I won't mind getting it back for the 12yo to learn to drive in.

However, it also means this entire week I am sharing mine with ds and making sure he has it to go to work in the afternoons.  Not a bad consolation if it helps him along.

 

How smart.  I think everyone kind of struggles with the thought at what point should you sell or keep spending the $ to fix the car.     You did good Mama!  

[prairiewindmomma]

A few years ago, I bought black out curtains and then cut them apart to fit into different windows in our house. I kept the top curtain rod tube hole and simply folded over the bottom edge on each and sewed to form a second tube hole. I wedged them in place with tension rods from Amazon. 
 

I agree, having curtains helps with temperature control immensely.

[prairiewindmomma]

I am seed starting today for our fall garden. 🤞

[historically accurate]

1 hour ago, HomeAgain said:

😄 Well, I raised a frugal kid.

We sold him my old car a few years ago.  This week he brought it to the shop and found out he needs to replace the brakes/rotors, replace the window mechanism, and get the steering column fixed.  Even though the car company is covering the steering column (known issue), the other repairs are going to run him about $2k.  DH suggested he trade it in for a newer one. And my kid?

"Dad.  I bought it for $3,000.  I replaced the tires last year.  Now there's this.  That puts me all in for a little over $5000 at this point.  I already made a deal with myself that I'll make that decision at around $7000 or 10 years, whichever comes first.  I'm good right now. My yearly costs can't be beat."

In reality, this kid is hoping to sell it back to us for youngest ds in a few years.  It's a really good starter car, and honestly, with the care he's taking I won't mind getting it back for the 12yo to learn to drive in.

However, it also means this entire week I am sharing mine with ds and making sure he has it to go to work in the afternoons.  Not a bad consolation if it helps him along.

 

Smart kid!

22 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

A few years ago, I bought black out curtains and then cut them apart to fit into different windows in our house. I kept the top curtain rod tube hole and simply folded over the bottom edge on each and sewed to form a second tube hole. I wedged them in place with tension rods from Amazon. 
 

I agree, having curtains helps with temperature control immensely.

I need to do this - we have 4 skylights - one in each bathroom, kitchen and laundry room. They're really common in mobile homes. 

Edited July 20, 2022 by historically accurate

[HomeAgain]

46 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

I am seed starting today for our fall garden. 🤞

What do you plant for the fall?

[prairiewindmomma]

18 minutes ago, HomeAgain said:

What do you plant for the fall?

I am zone 8b, so I can actually grow through the winter if I am careful. For overwinter, I am going to do fava beans in half of the garden plot to fix some nitrogen and act as ground cover.  In the other section I'm doing cabbage, turnips, kale, broccoli, and a few other things. I'm hoping to get a poly tunnel so I can do lettuce (the poly will help with preventing over saturation from rains). 

In the "a few other things" category, I'm doing my fall only crops---sugar snap peas, spinach, cilantro, brussel sprouts, and scallions.

[mommyoffive]

Gas dropped again.    4.05 for non Costco price.

[Shoeless]

Gas is down to $3.69 at the truck stop. Diesel is $4.79. 

[Condessa]

Well, we have spent a lot of money this month.  We made an offer on that house and it was accepted, but with the contingency that we had to list our house for sale in a very short length of time.  We had not been planning and preparing for a move, so there was a ton to do.  There was costs for paint and brushes, mulch, a couple tools, wood filler epoxy, power washer rental, storage unit to move stuff out for staging, etc., etc., etc.  I just about killed myself trying to get everything done in time.  Then the inspection on the new house($460) came back.  It had standing water in the crawlspace.  The sellers were willing to put in a sump pump, but not to address the grading issue causing the problem.  So that's not happening.  We are pretty disappointed.  Still waiting to get our earnest money back.

And this week, our air conditioner stopped working.  In 105* heat.  It is two years old, and was serviced last year.  Three days I have sat home with six grouchy, overtired kids (trouble sleeping in the heat, and my former foster daughter is staying with us for the week) in the hot house, waiting for different repairmen to show up.  The guy they sent today actually seems to have fixed it, for a lot more than I expected, but the house is starting to cool down now.

[mommyoffive]

5 minutes ago, Condessa said:

Well, we have spent a lot of money this month.  We made an offer on that house and it was accepted, but with the contingency that we had to list our house for sale in a very short length of time.  We had not been planning and preparing for a move, so there was a ton to do.  There was costs for paint and brushes, mulch, a couple tools, wood filler epoxy, power washer rental, storage unit to move stuff out for staging, etc., etc., etc.  I just about killed myself trying to get everything done in time.  Then the inspection on the new house($460) came back.  It had standing water in the crawlspace.  The sellers were willing to put in a sump pump, but not to address the grading issue causing the problem.  So that's not happening.  We are pretty disappointed.  Still waiting to get our earnest money back.

And this week, our air conditioner stopped working.  In 105* heat.  It is two years old, and was serviced last year.  Three days I have sat home with six grouchy, overtired kids (trouble sleeping in the heat, and my former foster daughter is staying with us for the week) in the hot house, waiting for different repairmen to show up.  The guy they sent today actually seems to have fixed it, for a lot more than I expected, but the house is starting to cool down now.

I am sorry about the house.   That has to be so disappointing.  I hope the right thing comes along for you. 

Oh that is horrible about your A/C.  I am sorry.  

[Brittany1116]

On 7/20/2022 at 5:15 PM, prairiewindmomma said:

I am zone 8b, so I can actually grow through the winter if I am careful. For overwinter, I am going to do fava beans in half of the garden plot to fix some nitrogen and act as ground cover.  In the other section I'm doing cabbage, turnips, kale, broccoli, and a few other things. I'm hoping to get a poly tunnel so I can do lettuce (the poly will help with preventing over saturation from rains). 

In the "a few other things" category, I'm doing my fall only crops---sugar snap peas, spinach, cilantro, brussel sprouts, and scallions.

What state, if you don't mind sharing? I am 8.

[Brittany1116]

I found our English text and TM for $25ppd used a vs $60+ s/h new. It's not even for the upcoming school year, but the one after. LOL But then I have levels 2-8 complete and can reuse for child 2. Thank you homeschoolclassifieds. 

I have GOT to finish cleaning cleats and take them in for trade/sell. 

The $$$ free range organic etc etc meats were on mark down today so I got 4 packs chicken and 3 packs steak less than the price of conventional and threw them in the freezer.