Got No Dough - Saving Money in Slim Times

I want to thank everyone for your words of encouragement.  They have meant more to me than you will know.

Next, I want to say I was quite shocked to have received donations from two people.  I completely forgot that I had even put a donation button on my site, but it couldn’t have come at a better time.

I want to sent a HUGE thank you to John Chow and Flora.  I wanted to post these pictures to show you the effects of your kindness.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

This has taken such a stress off of my shoulders and I will forever remember this special thing you’ve done for me.

My blog has not been my priority over the last couple of weeks and when I have posted it has only been half-heartedly.  Ideally, I’d love to take a few hours each day to plan topics and write these long meaningful posts, but life brings me back to reality and tells me that it is impossible.  On top of that, we’ve really been hit with several struggles recently and it’s been difficult to say the least.

I read a post by John Chow about the number one reason for his success and  it made me realize the first reason why things are not going so well.  The relationship between my husband and I has been shaky to say the least and we have spent the past couple of months talking about divorce.  It’s a very hard thing to say publicly, because there are only one or two people in real life who knows what’s going on.  Right now though, we’re both of the agreement that we are going to fight with everything we have to try to work it out.

Secondly, (and probably one of the primary reasons for our marriage problems) is that our finances are in absolute disarray.  On Blogging Away Debt, I read a post about a guy who owes $54,000 and spends $2,000 more than he earns each month and I feel like it really struck a chord.  That could definitely be us in a couple of years if something doesn’t change.  We’re constantly falling behind in our monthly bills and haven’t paid our creditors in a few months.  Whenever we come into money (Christmas, birthdays, etc.) I have to use that money to catch up on our utilities and avoid having them shut off.

And, I know the finances are really having an impact on me mentally because I’m just constantly exhausted anymore.  I think I’ve definitely hit frugality burnout but when there’s no other option, what choice do you have?

Lastly, this morning I feel like I’ve hit an all time low.  We do not have health insurance and that’s worried me a bit considering my Mother-in-Law just had to have surgery with no health insurance.  But you know, when it rains, it pours.  I was laying on the bed this morning and my son threw his head against my face.  I instantly heard a snapping sound and felt immense pain.  I’m 90% sure my nose is broken because it has this tell-tale curve to it now.  No insurance means I’m going to have to live with it though.  I’m hoping once the slight swelling goes down that it won’t be too noticeable, but for a woman - the face is the most terrible place to have something wrong.

On that note, I’m debating taking this blog any further.  I won’t give up blogging completely, but the frugal topic is overused, which makes it difficult to come up with things that someone else hasn’t already talked about.  Then comes the point where people needlessly call you cheap and it just really makes you start doubting yourself.

So, that’s it in a nutshell.  I wanted to at least post an update to break the silence.

I read a lot of money related posts each day and most of them are aimed at people who have money and just need to use it a little more wisely. My goal was to reach a different level of people - those who are facing difficult financial times due to any number of factors. That is a spot I’ve found myself in several times in my life and I’m hoping that I can help someone else out with my experiences.

One of the most difficult things to deal with when you are in a financial crisis is how to provide food for your family. I’ve found myself searching Google on a couple of occasions trying to find frugal meals and some of the stuff you come up with is ridiculous. For anyone who’s ever seen VeggieTales - Duke and the Great Pie War it’s like water soup with water sauce.

Anyhow, my point being that I’m hoping to post an entire collection of super frugal meals that I’ve come up with over the years (ok, so I’ve only been a housewife for five years, but it feels much longer).  Some are my own concoctions, some have been handed down to me and some are treasures I’ve run across on the internet.

So, I’ll kick this off with one of my favorites - steak and a veggie.  Sounds like a joke doesn’t it?  At our local grocery store, you can get the super thin steaks (sometimes called flank steaks) for about $1.50.  It’s enough to feed two people.  Add a canned vegetable like corn, which I can buy for .50¢ a can.  If you have some bread laying around, put some butter on it and voila, an entire meal for about $2.50.  The nice thing is that it’s a well rounded meal too.

Stay tuned for….beans and rice AGAIN?

I first read about this yesterday when Naomi posted it on IttyBiz.  There is a fellow blogger named RT Cunningham and his wife is here in the US and facing surgery.  He is going to have to raise the money for a plane ticket, slightly abandon his blog and rush here to be with his wife as she goes through this scary ordeal.  Please read about his situation and donate if you can!

I for one tend to be a skeptic when I hear stories like this - but this one just really tugged on my heartstrings.  It takes a lot of humility to ask for help when you need it - but it’s a double blessing when you allow someone to do something for you.

I know a lot of people spend time being miserable when they are too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer - all in the name of saving money. Saving money on your heating and cooling costs doesn’t have to mean going to the extreme if you follow some simple tips.

• In the summer, set your thermostat to 78°. To keep things from getting too warm, turn on a ceiling, box or oscillating floor fan.
• Pay special attention to the windows that face the sun. In the summer, keep the blinds or curtains closed and in the winter, open them as soon as the sun shines through them.
• Make sure to check the filters in your central air unit and change them as often as the manufacturer recommends. Not only does it let air flow more efficiently, but it’s also better for your health. This is an easy task to forget, so mark it on your calendar.
• Look into a programmable thermostat. Many times you can even get a rebate on them through your local utility provider.
• Weatherization is key to preventing drafts. Check around windows, doors, electrical outlets, places where plumbing enters the house, and fireplaces. If you feel air, there are several ways to prevent it. Learn to caulk, insulate and use weather stripping.

You’ll be surprised to see what a difference just a few simple tips can make. Not only will you be more comfortable with the temperature, but you’ll be more comfortable paying your utility bills.

So now that we have learned to control our portion sizes and have quit eating out, we can move on to the next step in our quest to lose weight and save money which is to watch what we drink.  Here are some of the things we may be drinking and their downfalls:

1. Coffee - Whether brewed at home or bought outside the home, the price of coffee can put a dent in your wallet.  Add in the unnecessary calories and caffeine and it’s just all around a bad choice.
2. Soda - Here is where I’m going to be a hypocrite and tell you that you should drink soda while I continue to gulp it down.  Seriously though, it’s full of sugar, caffeine, empty calories and the stuff is expensive.  At .50¢ to $1 a pop (pardon the pun), one a day adds up to $182.50 - $365 a year.  I know some better things to spend that kind of money on!
3. Juice - Chant this mantra with me - everything in moderation, everything in moderation.  Yes, juice probably seems like a healthy choice, but it is PACKED with calories!  And again, the price is high so this becomes a bad choice.
4. Milk - Around my area, a gallon of milk costs more than a gallon of gas - need I say more?  Plus we won’t even discuss the amount of fat in milk which makes this choice doubly bad.  But don’t cut out milk altogether unless you have another source of calcium in your diet.

So what are some alternatives?  Here are two that will cost less and won’t affect your waistline.

1. Water - yep, good old H2O.  Buying bottles of it can get expensive, so if you don’t have good tap water, you may want to look into getting a reusable filter for your faucet.   Add a slice of lemon for even more flavor.
2. Tea - There are many different flavors and types of tea to choose from.  You can make a gallon of iced tea for less than a dollar and if you get a decaf variety, it’s even more beneficial.

I just wanted to make a quick update regarding my CFL Bulb post.  Almost two months ago we started changing our regular bulbs out for CFL bulbs to try to save electricity and therefore saving money on our electricity bill.  While there may be other factors affecting the decrease in our electric bill, I’m quite pleased with the results.

In November our electric bill was $59.31.  This probably seems low to some of you, but for us, this is rather high for the winter months.  Our last bill decreased to $42.75 and our current bill was the biggest shock of all - $32.62!  There aren’t any other significant changes we’ve made to our electricity habits, so I will contribute the majority of the $27 decrease to our use of the CFL bulbs.

Not bad for a $6 investment!

In Part 1, we talked about how watching your portion sizes can not only save you money, but it can also help you to lose weight.

In Part 2, we’ll talk about another way to save money and lose weight at the same time.  Although it is simple, it is rather difficult - quit eating out!

Fast food is tempting when you’re tired, unprepared for dinner and want something now.  However, a little preparation can allow you to create homemade meals without a lot of hassle.  Yesterday my kids fell asleep in the car on the way home, so instead of waking them up, I sat out in the car for about 20 minutes.  During that time I created a weeks worth of dinner menus and made my grocery list.  I also made sure to write how long each one took to cook.  Now I can base what we’re having for dinner on how much time I have at night.  For instance, last night I did my grocery shopping and I came home dead tired.  I had very little time to cook and although I was tempted to buy fast food, I was able to glance at my dinner list and see that I had a meal that only took 20 minutes to prepare.  Voila, a delicious homemade meal.

Not only is saving money an important factor, but this is also a tip to help save your health.  When is the last time you took a look at what is in your fast food meal?  My husband and I were eating at McDonald’s the other day and they had a tray liner with the nutritional data on it.   We were quite shocked to say the least that our meals had over 1000 calories EACH!  That’s over half of my daily calories in one sitting!  I won’t even talk about how much fat was in that meal.

So the next time you’re tempted to eat fast food, look in your cupboard instead.  Often times you can find something to throw together to save yourself some money.  If not, make a quick trip to the grocery store instead and grab some basic ingredients for a quick meal.

We live in a country where people overeat, don’t exercise and are slowly becoming more and more overweight. A new year brings new resolutions of losing weight, but people set unattainable goals and set themselves up for failure. Instead of resolving to join a gym, exercise 4 times a week and start a low carb diet, how about tweaking some of the things you already do and making them work for you?

Today, let’s look at portion size. Does anyone even know what a “normal” portion is and what it looks like?? Most people cannot accurately estimate a serving size and it leads to overeating. In conjunction with super sized fast food meals and it’s no wonder people are failing - we’re consuming way too many calories!

Here are some common foods, their serving size and how to easily decipher how much of them you should eat:

• Cereal - 1 Cup - the size of your fist
• Pancake - 1 - the size of a CD
• Pasta, Rice, Potatoes - 1/2 Cup - 1/2 of a baseball
• Bread - 1 slice - the size of a cassette
• Cornbread - 1 Piece - the size of a bar of soap
• Cheese - 1 1/2 oz. - 4 stacked dice or 2 slices
• Ice Cream - 1/2 Cup - 1/2 of a baseball
• Margarine - 1 Teaspoon - 1 dice
• Meat, Fish, Poultry - 3 oz. - the size of a deck of cards
• Raisins - 1/4 cup - the size of a large egg
• Peanut Butter - 2 Tablespoons - the size of a ping pong ball

When you first start doing portion control, you’ll probably feel like you’re going to starve to death. It is a short term feeling and as your body adjusts you’ll start to wonder how you ever ate such large quantities. And your pocketbook will thank you.

One of the largest parts of our budget is still gasoline despite our best efforts to save in this category. Because of this, I’ve had to continue finding ways to save beyond my 9 Ways to Save Gas.

There are many people who will drive an extra distance to save a few cents a gallon. No offense, but doesn’t anybody realize they probably aren’t saving anything in the long run? The savings is spent on extra gas to go out of their way.

I want to recommend keeping your eyes open as you drive your normal route each day. If you can find a gas station that is a few cents cheaper and not out of your way, then you really will save some money. I was quite surprised the other day as I was driving to work and I came across a different location of my usual gas station and the price was over .20¢ a gallon less than what I had just paid the day before. Pumping 10 gallons of gas at this new station would save me $2.00 and over time that will really add up!