mommyoffive Posted April 1 Share Posted April 1 No fooling it is a new month to try and be frugal or not. Anything going on this month? Spring breaks? Traveling for the eclipse? Eating Easter leftovers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustEm Posted April 1 Share Posted April 1 We are driving about 10 hours to spend the weekend with a bunch of family members and watch the eclipse. April is month 1 of relearning to live on a budget. We've just been spending too mindlessly and while not putting us in debt or messing up retirement savings we aren't making solid progress on other types of savings 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted April 1 Author Share Posted April 1 The kids got spoiled for Easter. Eggs were filled with 4 times as much cash. Got all their normal Easter basket stuff. But what I was so excited about was that they were all gifted TONS of clothes for summer. Yay. I was just about to start looking for things. Did some ballet ordering stuff. Need to do more for an upcoming show and for intensives. At least we have lists started for that now. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted April 1 Share Posted April 1 We had a low key Easter. I found some confetti eggs (cascarones) we had forgotten to use last year and an egg dyeing kit. We had a confetti egg “fight” instead of an easter egg hunt. I didnt buy any Easter gifts. We had a nice brunch and dinner, and made some video calls to family, and really just enjoyed being together. We cut our grocery bill in half last month and we’re going to try to do that again this month. We’ve used up a bunch of stuff from the freezer so it will be more of a stretch, but I think we can do it. We’ve been spring cleaning and making repairs as we go along. We had such a long and cold humid winter that our bathroom lights rusted (!) even with using exhaust fans and a dehumidifier. We replaced those this weekend (on sale—not what I love style wise, but functional) and I touched up paint. We bought the tools for the stairs job and are just waiting for the lumber to come in. Dh saved about $75 with finding various sales on saws he needed. I’ve been really glad I stockpiled so many things. It’s been nice to not need to buy cleaning supplies or toiletries. It feels weird to use stuff up and not backstock it though. Ds needs work boots this month to meet the safety standards of the program he is starting ($300 for Red Wings) and some new jeans. My goal is to pinch enough from around the edges to make it happen. Plz keep your fingers crossed for sunny days. My hope is to generate enough of our own power needs through solar that at least $50 (and hopefully $100) can come from what we would normally spend on our electric bill. On sunny days now, we are generating enough to be self sustaining. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted April 2 Share Posted April 2 Youngest outgrew her shoes this morning. Thankfully I had already bought ahead for her next size when I saw her shoes on clearance last fall. She has to wear a certain shoe to accommodate her orthotics and it is $$$. I am glad we arent scrambling for that now, but I am going to start scouting sales to see if I can luck into the next bigger size for her. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Condessa Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 (edited) I’m struggling with things right now, financial and otherwise. My mom was diagnosed with cancer the week before she was going to come out to help us with the new baby. She is still in the process of getting medical tests done and trying to find the right specialist to get treatment started, but it is pretty far advanced. I want to go be with her, but neither the baby nor I are in a fit state to travel yet. I have a uterine infection and baby is down a pound below her birth weight and dealing with jaundice. The new parental leave system is complicated and does not pay as much as we were mistakenly told at first. Dh was saying he just wouldn’t take most of the allowed weeks because it doesn’t pay enough. I think he still should take them, but we do have to space it out more than we had planned. Hence he is back working this week, semi from home. We were hoping that I could go down around the end of the month to be with my mom. I could drive down with the littles and the middles, who are homeschooled, and stay at my sister’s house, and dh would stay here with the oldest two who are in public school until the school year ends. But ds9’s next MRIs and follow up with his oncologist are in mid May, so I’m trying to figure out if it’s possible to get his scans done down there without it costing us a ridiculous amount for being out of network. If not, I will fly down to visit with the baby, but probably only for a week. Edited April 3 by Condessa 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 I am sorry things are so challenging right now, Condessa. That is a lot to deal with. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 huge hugs Condessa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustEm Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 Hugs Condessa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted April 3 Author Share Posted April 3 @Condessa I am so sorry to hear about everything. That is so much to deal with at once. I am thinking so may good thoughts for your mom. I hope you and baby recovery quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 @Condessa I am so sorry. This month I am not sure. I think this is the last payment for the year for my two sons in college. Although we have to pay rent over the summer even if they won't be there......grrrrr...... We are saving for the trip, so that is what I will be focusing on. My goal is a set amount per month to put towards the trip. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Condessa Posted April 3 Share Posted April 3 I was able to move ds’s scans up to the end of April, so I think I will be able to go down to be with my mom next month. We are looking at four plane tickets, if dh makes the drive down with me and the four youngest kids, then flies back, and flies down with the two oldest when they finish school. We might pull dd13 early to go down with me, too, though. I may need to cancel the chick order that I have coming the first week of June. The hatchery is sold out of cream legbars, so I can’t move the order to a different date. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saraha Posted April 4 Share Posted April 4 Glad things are starting to line up! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Condessa Posted April 5 Share Posted April 5 And the transmission went out on dh’s car. Repairs would definitely be more than the value of the car. He is supposed to get the first profit share check of the year next week. I was hoping to put that towards refilling the emergency fund and some catching up on savings, but it will get eaten by this. I don’t want a car loan again, but I doubt we will find something dh is willing to buy for what we could cover without a loan. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted April 5 Share Posted April 5 We’ve been working on getting dh life insurance since his policy had been employer sponsored. Here’s my PSA of the day—even if your dh’s policy is employer sponsored, look at how much is being pulled out of each paycheck and consider getting a private policy instead. The rates we are being quoted are not much higher than we had been paying—but dh is healthy. As you get older, it’s harder to get a policy. If I could do over, I would have gone the private route so that if there was a layoff or earlier retirement we would have continued coverage. If we had gotten a policy when he was 40 or 45, we would have been way better off than the prices we are looking at now. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted April 5 Share Posted April 5 We got March’s electric bill and our solar saved us about $70 despite all of the cloudy days so that is good news. That $ is going towards ds’s boots. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted April 9 Author Share Posted April 9 Dropped off taxes last week and heard back, getting way more back than I thought. That is nice. I think I am going to buy some new sneakers for myself. Edited to add, I missed the sale price I saw when I was ready to buy so back to waiting. Had a tree cut down, we got a really good deal on the service. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Condessa Posted April 11 Share Posted April 11 (edited) Took care of tax paperwork, paid the irrigation bill, and bought a car for dh with a loan we should be able to pay off in a matter of months. We also found out some dental work for dd is going to be rather more than expected, and ds got braces (though their cost won’t be as bad as I’d expected). Chances aren’t looking good of our being able to meet our goals for college savings and filling the IRAs this year, but I’m trying to be grateful that we are in a position to use up our savings funds on these things vs. going into debt or being unable to afford them at all. I also spent a few days going back and forth to doctors with what they said was kidney stones, then they said it wasn’t, but it seems to be resolving on it’s own. Baby is now back up to her birth weight at nearly three weeks old, and she and I are headed down to see my mom for a few days before her surgery. Edited April 11 by Condessa 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustEm Posted April 12 Share Posted April 12 The eclipse trip was so much fun. And budget wise, we were a little over what I had in mind but we're still on track for not blowing the budget for the month since I just anticipated needing a bit more in our miscellaneous category. Just gotta keep our goals at the front of my brain. No more side hustle income coming in this month, which is fine. But I would like to start picking up some more pet sitting gigs soon. I think ideally 4 a month would work for my schedule. I'd really love for more in home ones because I miss regularly having a dog in the house. So, maybe in the summer I'll start advertising that service. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted May 6 Share Posted May 6 Thanks to everyone who kept their fingers crossed for sunny days for us! We were able to generate all of the power we needed for April, and get a carryover credit into May with our net billing. We still had a small transmission fee bill, but we are grateful we could save $$$ for other needs. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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