Got No Dough - Saving Money in Slim Times

If you know my husband and me, you would see that we are a little on the…how would you say…goofy side.  We just celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary on October 20th and although I had huge dreams for our fifth anniversary, our finances really put a damper on it.  So, I knew we had to get creative.

Traditionally, the fifth anniversary gift is wood.  Add that to my previously mentioned goofy personality and I came up with the idea that we would take a trip to the woods!  I had about a week to plan it and started researching it on the internet.  I came up with a nice day hike for the two of us and let me tell you, I couldn’t have had a better time.  And how much did it cost?

• Gas:  $10
• Day Adventure Pass: $5
• Snacks: $5
• Two HUGE bottles of water: $3
• Dinner at McDonalds afterward: $9
• Desert at Krispy Kreme: $3

Grand total:  $35

Do Your Own Hike

First of all, before you balk at the idea of a hike, it really is a lot of fun.  You get to spend time in the great outdoors, get some exercise, enjoy the solitude and you get a little lesson in determination.

Research hiking areas around where you live and it’s likely you can find trails in the cities, mountains and beaches.  Make sure the difficulty and distance match your fitness level.  If it’s easier, you may be able to go further - but take it from me - this isn’t the time to think that you’re superman (or woman).  My husband and I are in poor physical condition and we did a 6 mile moderate hike.  I would say that was pushing it since we were sore for a week!

Once you pick a location, make sure you get all the necessary permits.  Some may require wilderness permits and some may require parking permits.

And lastly, pack a day pack (a soft backpack will be fine).  Alter this list according to the length of your hike and your needs, but here is a good starting point:

• Trail/area maps
• Water
• Snacks
• First aid kit and moleskin
• Flashlight
• Knife
• Matches
• Poncho
• Extra socks
• Sunblock
• Bug repellent
• Sunglasses
• Lip balm
• Camera
• Toilet paper & hand shovel
• Hiking stick

So really look into it.  The price was right and it at the end of the day, my husband and I were closer than ever.  Besides, it was better than the modern gift of silverware!

If you’re like most women, you probably love to be pampered. One of my favorite treats is to go out and get a pedicure, although now I rarely get the opportunity. The cheapest place I’ve found offers a spa pedicure for $15, but even that is more than I can reasonably dish out. So, I’ve learned to overcome this obstacle and do my own pedicures.

To get started, there are a few key items you will need to have on hand. There will be a small initial investment but it will quickly pay for itself. Here are the tools that I recommend:

• Foot basin or foot massager
• Cuticle softener (at any nail/beauty supply store)
• Cuticle stick (preferably metal)
• Pumice stone
• Toe nail clippers
• Nippers (this is the most expensive of them all)
• Emery board
• Nail polish
• Acetone polish remover

Now, the first few times you do this, it may seem difficult. As with anything though, practice makes perfect. In no time you’ll be able to give yourself a pedicure in about 30 minutes and the results will look professional.

Cleaning Up the Cuticles

1. First of all, take off any old polish you have on your toenails. The acetone polish remover works best, but make sure to wear gloves if you’re wearing polish on your fingers.
2. Put your feet into soak for about 5-10 minutes. You can use something that smells nice in the water if you’d like, but it’s not necessary.
3. Take your feet out and put them onto a towel. Save the water for later.
4. Use the cuticle softener sparingly across the base of each toenail and rub it in.
5. Take the flat end of the cuticle stick and gently scrape all the way around the edge of the nail. You will probably see a lot of “gunk” at this point, so make sure to wipe your stick often. Repeat on each toenail.
6. Use the pointed end of the cuticle stick to clean underneath each nail paying special attention to the corners where dirt likes to hide.
7. The nippers can now be used to trim any dead pieces of skin around the toenails. Nip very gently as you don’t want to take out large chunks of skin which will actually look worse in the end.

Shaping the Nails

1. Take the toenail clippers and clip each toenail straight across. The length of your toenail is a personal preference.
2. Use the emery board to straighten and curve each nail as you would like it shaped.
3. At this point you can also use a little buffer (looks like a block with sandpaper on it) to buff the tops of the nails if they look pitted or discolored.

Soften the Calluses

1. Rinse your feet in the water you originally used to soak them.
2. Wet your pumice stone and using an up and down or side to side motion, rub it on your heels. If at any point it hurts, move the pumice to a part of your foot where there is a thicker callus. Common spots are the back part of the heels and the side of the big toe.
3. Again rinse your feet in the water making sure each toenail is clean. Pat dry your feet and nails. You can dump the water at this point.

Time For Painting

1. Start with a clear polish as a base and put a thin coat on. You can do this quickly since the clear polish won’t show up if you make any mistakes.
2. Wait about 1 minute to allow the clear polish to dry and then start with your colored polish. Make sure it is a new bottle that is thin and smooth. If it seems a little clumpy, add a tiny bit of acetone and shake well. Start in the middle and then put a stroke on either side. If you make any mistakes, you can use your thumbnail to wipe it off.
3. Finish each toe and then wait about 10 minutes for them to dry. You can speed up the process by using a speed dry nail polish or a fan pointed at your toes.
4. At this point you can either put a second coat and repeat step 2 or you can skip to the topcoat. It’s a good idea to get a topcoat with UV in it because it helps your toenails keep from turning yellow. They’re easy to spot because they have a purple tint to them and if you’re really lucky, you can find a UV top/base coat (all in one!).
5. Cleanup any messes with a nail corrector pen (I know of a good one if you need one) or a little bit of cotton dipped in acetone on a toothpick. Make sure to clean up your thumbs if you used them earlier!

At this point you should be done. As soon as your nails are safely dry you can put a little lotion on your feet and you’re set. You can even look the next time you’re out shopping and you may be able to find little flower stickers for your nails that really give it that professional look. Nobody will ever know that you did it yourself!

Previously I wrote about 9 Items That I Won’t Buy Generic and I wanted to look at the flip side of the coin and talk about some of my favorite generic items. No name brands here.

1. Acetaminophen/Ibuprofen - Nope, I don’t buy Tylenol or Motrin, it’s always the generic.  Same ingredients, same pretty little colorful pills, same pain relief.  The savings is wonderful.
2. Liquid hand soap - Although the name brands have such exciting scents, I’ve found some very lovely generic scents too.  Two of my favorites are the vanilla and watermelon soaps from Walmart.  No difference in how they work, but they are about 40 cents cheaper.
3. Dishwasher Detergent - I swear to you that there is absolutely no difference between the generic and name brand dishwasher soap, except a huge difference in price.  You can even make your own soap pretty easily, if you’re up for it.
4. Lobster - Yeah, go ahead and laugh.  I prefer imitation lobster to the real thing!  And the savings is astronomical!!!
5. Cereal - The only time I buy name brand is if it is somehow cheaper than the store brand.  I have to yet to find a store brand that didn’t taste just as good as the name brand.
6. Medicines - Whether it is for a cold, allergies or a stomach ache, generic is the way I go.
7. Milk - Unless you’ve been under a rock, you know that the price of milk has gone sky high.  I definitely buy the generic because not only is it cheaper, but you can get a two-for price on it.
8. Ear Swabs - I almost put Q-tips, but that would be the name brand version now wouldn’t it?  No, seriously, I can’t tell the difference between the walmart version and the real thing.  I don’t buy any of them with plastic in them though, because that’s just…well….generic.
9. Foil - Have you seen the price of foil?  It’s ridiculous considering it’s just aluminum.  Anyhow, again, love the generic, especially the price.
10. Sugar -Sugar is sugar is sugar, right?  There’s not some secret generic sugar cane plant that I don’t know about, is there?  Oh well, regardless, it tastes the same, costs less and works for me.

While making this list, I came up with some more ideas for items I don’t like generic, so I guess that will be another post.

One of the largest chunks of my grocery bill tends to be produce. Although most of us strive to provide our families with nutritious meals, the high price of produce can really make it difficult. One of the easiest ways to cut back on this cost is to know which fruits and vegetables are in season and come up with a variety of side dishes containing them.

Here in the Northern Hemisphere we are coming up on the end of Autumn. Here are the fruits and vegetables currently in season, how to piece a good piece and how long they can be stored.

• Acorn Squash - Look for a squash with a deep color and make sure it has no blemishes, cracks or soft spots. Store up to two months in a cool dry place.
• Apples - Look for apples that are smooth, clean and shiny and watch out for bruises or punctures. Store in the refrigerator for up to four weeks. Watch for rotten apples!
• Butternut Squash - Make sure the color is uniform and hard. Avoid soft spots or cracks. Store up to three months in a cool, dry place.
• Cauliflower - Look for firm white heads with healthy looking leaves. Store up to one week.
• Figs - Look for figs that are plump, soft and sweet smelling. Inspect the stem to make sure it is intact. Refrigerate for up to two days.
• Grapes - Look for grapes that are plump and have a nice color. Avoid shriveled or discolored skin. Refrigerate in a vented bag for up to a week.
• Mushrooms - Make sure the mushrooms are firm and don’t have black spots or look shriveled. Store in a paper bag for up to three days.
• Parsnips - Look for firm, smooth parsnips without the little roots growing out of them. Wrap in a paper towel and store up to a month.
• Pears - Look for pears that are firm, unblemished and have a nice color to them. Watch for soft or shriveled pieces. Store in the refrigerator for a week.
• Pomegranate - Choose one that is heavy, smooth and without blemish. Store at room temperature up to three days, in the refrigerator up to a month or freeze up to three months.
• Pumpkin - Look for a nice smooth skin and uniform color. Store in the refrigerator for a week.
• Sweet Potatoes - Pick potatoes that are heavy, smooth and firm. Avoid shriveled pieces, cracks and black spots. Store in a cool, dark place for up to two weeks.

So now, go out, pick out some nice fruits and vegetables that are in season and cook up a nutritious frugal meal.

Previously, I mentioned that I would rather use a more expensive laundry detergent and cut back on the amount of laundry I do instead of using cheaper detergents or making my own detergent.  Sounds great in theory, but just exactly how does a family reduce their dirty laundry?

1.  Wear jeans more than once.  Jeans are one of the heartiest pieces of clothing and can typically withstand more than one wearing.  You can also save a little on your gas (or electric) bill because jeans usually take longer to dry than regular laundry.
2. Don’t wash your towels after each use.  I already wash too many towels each week, I can’t imagine washing our personal towels every day too.  Remember, you use your towel to dry off your CLEAN body.  Instead, wash once a week or as often as they start to smell like mildew.
3. Reuse your pajamas.  Again, another item of clothing that doesn’t need to be washed everyday.  Put your pajamas on after you take a shower and keep them even cleaner.  Save even more by not wearing pajamas at all
4. Don’t wash clothes that have only been worn a couple of hours.  How often do we wear something for half a day and then throw it in the laundry?  Instead, take an extra minute to fold or hang up the item of clothing to be worn again another day.
5. Promptly remove items from the washer or dryer.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to rewash my clothes because I had mistakenly left them in the washer all day or overnight.  Just a rinse doesn’t get the terrible smell out, so I usually have to run the load with a little more detergent.  What a waste of detergent AND water.
6. Fold and hang up clothes when they are done drying.  If you’ve ever thrown a clean load of laundry on the bed I’m sure you know how easy it is for that load to magically wind up back into the hamper.  Nothing more wasteful than washing a clean load of clothes!

The key is really to figure out whether your clothes are truly dirty or just need to be freshened up a little.  For freshening, try spraying some Febreeze on the article and sticking it into the dryer for about 5 minutes rather than putting it through a whole wash cycle.  Not only do you cut back on the amount of laundry, but you also save wear and tear on your items.

What other tips do you know to cut back on your loads of laundry?  I’m curious as to how many loads of laundry other people do in comparison to the size of their family.

When saving money is one of your biggest goals, you have to beware of pitfalls that can cost you more money in the end. It’s not always best to buy something if it’s cheaper, because some cheaper items are much lower quality or just won’t suit your needs.

Here are nine items that I don’t buy the generic version of and why:

1. Laundry Detergent - I find that the generic detergents don’t clean as well and don’t smell as well. In order to get comparable results, I have to use more of the generic detergent which absolutely kills the savings.
2. Liquid Dish Soap - I’m actually very picky when it comes to my dish soap. It has to smell nice, have antibacterial properties and have really good lather. There is only one soap that measures up for me and that is the orange Palmolive. I’ve tried using cheaper orange dish soaps and I find that they are very thin and I have to constantly add more soap to get lather. Once again, I have to increase the quantity which eliminates the savings.
3. Paper Towels - Well, I suppose the paper towels I use are semi-generic, but I absolutely cannot stand the store brands. They are small, tear easily and are not very absorbent. By the time I use enough towels to soak up a spill, half the roll is gone.
4. Cheese Slices - Have you ever tried to make grilled cheese sandwiches with generic cheese slices? The cheese just sits there and doesn’t melt no matter how long you cook it. It eventually turns hard and disgusting and inedible. Instead, I wait for the name brand to go on sale and use a coupon. It costs the same and tastes a thousand times better.
5. Oreos - Ever been craving a nice cream filled Oreo? You go to the store and find a generic brand for a dollar less and rush home with your package. Then you take the first bite and it’s nothing like you dreamed. It’s downright horrible and you realize why the good stuff is a dollar more. You’re better off buying the real thing and just eating less of them.
6. Soda - Again, here is an area where you can have big savings by drinking the store brand. You can save even more if you don’t drink soda at all, but this is one of those things that I choose to buy so that I’m not absolutely miserable in my quest to save money. For those who love soda like I do will notice a very distinct difference in taste between name brands and generic. It completely defeats the purpose because you will likely throw away a complete bottle because you can’t stomach it. Instead, I stick to my Diet Pepsi and spend the extra 30 cents for a 2 liter.
7. Makeup - I have a confession - I’m a huge fan of a very expensive makeup. I rarely buy it though because obviously the price doesn’t fit in my budget. When I get money for Christmas or my birthday, I love to splurge on myself though. So, one time I ran out and I went and bought some cheaper makeup at Walmart. I used it the first day and the results were disastrous. It had very little coverage and didn’t blend well. I was so disheartened because not only did I not have my favorite makeup but now I had just spent $8 on this new makeup that was completely useless to me. I ended up spending the extra to go buy my favorite makeup. And you know what’s funny? It tends to last much longer, so it really doesn’t cost much more. I count it as a lesson learned and won’t do it again.
8. Diapers - Again, don’t get me wrong because the diapers I do buy are semi-generic, but I will never buy the actual store brands again. They make a terrible crinkle sound every time your child moves, they don’t absorb well and the inside completely falls apart, leaving cotton and the little absorbency balls everywhere. If it doesn’t work as intended, no amount of savings is worth it. I prefer the Kirkland Signature brand (Costco) or Luvs.
9. Feminine Products -This is similar to the diapers issue. Nobody wants to walk around feeling like they’ve got a piece of plastic between their legs. Even worse is the top layer that falls apart when you buy cheap. Spend a little more and get something that makes you comfortable. You’re worth it!

In a coming article, I’ll talk about the flip side and tell you some of my favorite generic items - the things will great quality and low prices!

I stole this idea from fivecentnickel.com.

As many of you know, I’m new in town. I have a desire to succeed because I’m tired of being in financial trouble. We’ve been in “big trouble” for almost a year now thanks to several factors. Well, now, I need a miracle and I’m hoping my blog can be my miracle.

I just wanted to take this time to thank the following sites for promoting me and helping me to jump start my blog:

• beingfrugal.net
• A Penny Closer
  
• Rather-Be-Shopping
• I’ve Paid For This Twice Already

You all have been an incredible blessing to me!

If you were in a financial crunch and you had the option of working full-time or working part-time, which would you choose? The obvious answer would seem to be working full-time, but that may not always be the best answer.

This is a situation that I’ve had to mull over for the past couple of weeks. I’m currently working full-time and really want to work part-time for many reasons. Given our financial situation, it didn’t seem feasible until I considered these three things.

1. Distance to drive. This one factor weighs the heaviest because it has the biggest repercussions. A longer commute not only uses more gas, but it also puts more wear & tear on my car. I have more of a chance of getting stuck in traffic, which lengthens my drive time even more and causes me to lose valuable time that I could be spending with my family. In my situation, I’m currently driving 55 miles (2 hours with no traffic) round trip. The new job would only be 37 miles (1 hour 15 mins) round trip. My car gets approximately 30 mpg and the price of gas is around $3.15 a gallon. Savings per week: $9.45 (not including wear & tear which would make this figure much higher)
2. Childcare. I already get a very good deal on my childcare, but if I can cut my childcare expenses in half by going from an 8 hour day to a 4 hour day - I’m going to save a lot of money. Savings per week: $50.00
3. Benefits. At my current job, I have to pay 50% of my health insurance cost and still have a $50 copay. I have no vision and no dental insurance. The cost of this is $220 a month to cover just my husband and I. My children qualify for a state program, thank goodness! The part time job offers medical, dental, vision and life insurance. On top of that, it offers paid holidays, sick leave, and vacation. The health benefits should be around $100 a month saving me $120 a month. How nice to get more and pay less. Add in the paid holidays, sick leave and vacation and that’s worth about $75 a week. Savings: $105 a week

Next, I have to look at how much my income will change. I currently earn $400 a week and that will change to $185.20 a week, so I will lose $214.80 off the bat. However, if we add back in the money I’m going to save, I’m actually only going to lose $50.35 a week. In addition, each day I will gain back 45 minutes in commute time and 4 hours I would normally be working - which gives me 23 hours and 45 minutes a week to spend how I’d like. That’s almost an entire day!

Ok, so you don’t see how I’ve saved money yet, do you? The saved money is going to come with the extra 23 hours and 45 minutes I’m saving. That’s almost 24 hours I get to spend with my boys (goodbye mommy guilt). Almost 24 hours I can spend planning meals instead of eating out. Almost 24 hours to use my talents to earn money online (blogging, eBay, etc.). When all is said and done, I will probably be able to make MORE money this way than by working full time. Beyond that, I will have a new found sense of freedom and peace.

So - I took a leap of faith and accepted the new job. I’m starting in about two weeks and hopefully my theory is correct.