Got No Dough - Saving Money in Slim Times

Ok, so let me just start off by saying that there’s nothing exciting here.  But I got up at 5:30 yesterday morning and on the spur of the moment decided to go out and shop.  There was only a couple of things I wanted, so I ran to Walmart first.

I parked a good quarter mile away and when I got inside, I almost immediately regretted my decision.  But, I decided to be a trooper and I went and got what I had come for.  Spiderman & Spiderman 2 for my son at $2 a pop.  I actually bought two of each just in case something happens to one of them :)  I waited in line for 25 minutes, which isn’t bad considering the length of the lines and the way everyone’s shopping carts were overflowing!

So I then proceeded to Joanns to buy a little something for myself.  I got 4 Butterick patterns at .99¢ each and 3 rolls of wrapping papper at .99¢ each and a 3 pack of cellophane bags for $2.99.  I had a 20% off coupon so I spent less than $8 for my entire purchase.

Lastly, I waited until the evening and then I went back to Walmart and bought myself some fabric.  I’m making a pair of maternity pants and two maternity shirts for myself - which I so desperately need!

So, no huge purchases, but I’m happy to have spent less than $30 for the entire day with some great purchases

Happy Thanksgiving.

It’s that time of year where we start to reflect on all we are thankful for and I am just overflowing with thankfulness.  The year started out very tough for us, both financially and with just a lot of bad experiences.  The end of the year holds another story.

The economy has caused a lot of people to be laid off and to be under a lot of financial stress.  We have discovered that our jobs (my hubby & I) seem to be recession proof.  I, fortunately, work for a hospital who is doing very well financially while other hospitals in the area are struggling.  I also work in a department that cannot be downsized - medical records.  We’re really baffled how people will quit spending money on other items, yet they will continue to pay for their children to receive music lessons.  My husband’s business has just grown exponentially and continues to do so!

Although we’ve run into some legal trouble with our creditors, we are now on track to pay everyone off.  It’s going to take a few years, but one creditor is actually completely paid and another will be completely paid right after the first of the year.  It’s been over a year since we’ve used a credit card and I’ve learned how to live without one.  Sometimes I feel so envious of women when I see them shopping and buying whatever they want, but when I see them whip out that credit card, the envy disappears.  I definitely don’t envy their bill every month!

I’m thankful for the opportunity my husband got this year to get LASIK.  He has worn glasses since he was young and for anyone who wears them, they know how annoying they can be!  We tried contacts a few times, but they are expensive and would irritate his eyes.  His last pair of glasses were getting bent daily by the kids and a miraculous opportunity arose for him to get the surgery.  He now sees perfectly (although my vision is still better than his haha) and has had no complications.

I’m also thankful for the gift I received for my anniversary.  When you hear that there are no loans available unless you have perfect credit, know that it’s not true.  We obviously have far from perfect credit, but we were able to get a car loan to get a minivan.  We’ve faithfully paid our current car loan for 3 years and the same company was willing to finance us again.  I now have my own transportation (I was without a car for 6 months after my husband’s truck was stolen) and we have room to bring our new baby home from the hospital in a few months.

Which brings me to my next point - I’m so incredibly grateful for this new life that is growing inside of me.  We dreamed of having 3 children, but when I found out I was pregnant, I was so disappointed.  It just wasn’t in MY timing, but that’s when I realized that life is not about MY timing.  The biggest blessings in my life have been these surprises that were not part of the original plan.  “Many are the plans in a man’s heart but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” Proverbs 19:21.

And just a few last quick obvious ones - I’m thankful for my family, I love my husband and boys so much.  I’m thankful for the room over our head, the food in our cupboards and the fact that gas is $1.89 a gallon!!

I want to thank everyone who has helped me over this past year both with kind words and donations.  You have helped us to get through a very rough spot in our lives and as we’re moving on to a better place, we have already started to pay it forward like many of you requested.

And wish me luck as I move forward in the niche blogging endeavor that I spoke of before.  So far, it has been slow, but the money is definitely trickling in.  If you’ve ever thought of doing it, I’d definitely recommend it - but starting sooner rather than later is the key since it takes a couple of months to start seeing the results of your work.  So please, if you get a moment, take a look at the niche blogger and what it entails.  And if you’re not into creating niche blogs, but have an idea for a niche, send it my way ;o)

Thanks again everyone and Happy Thanksgiving!!!

As I revisit my simple Thanksgiving menu from last year, I decided I would repost it again this year and include a few more recipes.

Here is the menu again:

• Turkey - There are great prices on turkeys right now and I usually get one slightly larger than what we can eat.  That ensures leftovers for a couple of days.  Make sure to thaw your turkey in plenty of time for Thursday.
• Mashed potatoes & gravy
• Stuffing - Straight from the box will work.  Use stock from the turkey, or boil the turkey innards and use the stock from that to give your stuffing a delicious flavor.
• Green Beans - Fresh or canned will work.  Add some bacon to spruce it up if you’d like.  Really any vegetable will work.
• Rolls - Although I love to bake, Thanksgiving is too busy for me to bake bread, so I buy these from the store
• Yams and Marshmallows - mmm mmm goodness!
• Cranberry Sauce - You can use this straight from the can.
• Pumpkin Pie or Pumpkin Cheesecake - I noticed this year that the pre-made pumpkin pies are 2 for $5.  I think it’s a great price and I may cheat and just buy one instead of cooking one.

Remember that even when finances are tight, you really can pull off a nice holiday meal.  Also, while all the ingredients are on sale this week, you can stock up on some pantry items like broth and stuffing.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Last month I decided I was going to start clearing some food out of my pantry and freezer.  I hate when things get freezer burned or wind up with bugs in them and have to be thrown out, so that’s why I decided to start using some of my older items.  As an added bonus, I was looking forward to saving some money on my grocery bill.

So I set out to find recipes for the ingredients I had on hand.  I ran across www.supercook.com and was instantly hooked.  I created an account and started entering the items I had and instantly it started listing recipes for me.  It will tell you which recipes you have all the ingredients for and which recipes need one or two items.

I got about half of my pantry and freezer items entered and then started looking at the common kitchen items list.  I was able to easily click on each item to enter it and it included things like onions, egg, butter, etc.  Once I entered all of those, I was given an even larger database of recipes to make.

For an entire week, I came back to the site in search of a new recipe.  A couple of times I had to erase items from my list as I used them up, but it was such a great feeling.  Not only was I using up my items on hand, but I was saving a great deal on my groceries!  I only had to buy a couple of things like milk and bread which is substantially less than I would normally spend.

On the other hand, if you or your spouse don’t have a sense of adventure, this is probably not the thing for you.  We ate some very interesting meals - things we would not normally make.  For the most part, they were delicious, give or take a meal that was not terrible, just different.  Definitely got us back to the basics with things like rice and pasta.

So, if you’re looking to clear out some older items or if you’re looking to save some money in these weeks before Thanksgiving, definitely give this web site a try.  It’s easy to use and full of tons of great recipes!