Spending Freeze Challenge

// January 8th, 2012 // No Comments » // Budget, Couponing, Money Matters

At the beginning of 2010, I was determined to find a way to stay home with the Bear.  Leaving him every day, even with the Best Child Care Ever (we looooove Auntastic), was taking its toll on me.  I knew that I’d have to get our spending in check and come up with a realistic budget in order to see if quitting my full-time job with paid medical benefits was even feasible.  One of the first things I did was implement a “spending freeze.”  I couldn’t believe at how much impact one month of extreme frugality had on our budget.

Fast forward two years, and I’ve been spending carelessly,  not using coupons, and not working as diligently as in those early months of my mission to nix the 9 to 5.   If I don’t get a grip on things soon, it’s going to spiral out of control.  Enter the first Spending Freeze of 2012.

For the month of January (and possibly February, depending on how it goes), I’m not spending anything unnecessarily:  we’re eating from the pantry and only buying perishables and things we run out of; we’re using coupons whenever possible; we’re not buying anything extra no matter how great the deal is; and if we eat out, we’re using Groupons, EatAroundOKC deals, gift certificates and so forth.

I realized last night, I have to be careful with Groupon meals at restaurants, too–there’s always a tip, and it’s easy to go over the coupon amount if you aren’t careful.  Last night’s “free” dinner cost us $7.83.  We spent $4.00 on Diet Pepsi.  How ridiculous is that?  If we’d have ordered water, we’d have stayed within the certificate limit and would have been out the tip alone, meaning we would have fed a family of three a YUMMY dinner for only $3.

As for eating from the pantry, I’m lucky to have a freezer full of chicken, thanks to Zaycon Foods, and I have a few pounds of ground turkey and a ham.  I shouldn’t have to buy meat for the rest of the month.  I also am pretty well stocked on household cleaners since I made my own laundry soap and dishwashing soap.  I also have several other homemade household cleaners, like the Tub & Shower Magic, that I’ll have to tell you about in another post.  Having an abundant supply of these things will enable me to go at least a month without spending in these categories.  However, my stockpile of things like paper towels, toothpaste, and toilet paper are depleted, so I may have to buy some of those things.

At the end of the month, I’ll evaluate the success of the freeze.  Any extra will go to our savings account in order to build up a suitable cushion against lean months.

I was telling the Amazing Amanda about my spending freeze for the month, and her sisterly competition gene kicked in.  She said, “Hey–how about if we have a contest to see who can spend the least on groceries this month?”  Because I also have a very strong sisterly competition gene, I agreed right away.

We decided to start the challenge that day, rather than making it retroactive to the beginning of the month (too bad, because I think she was already $180 in, and I was $10 in . . .).  We’re sending each other our grocery totals and dining totals, and we’re including household products as well–so my CVS and Walgreens spending count as well as my actual grocery store spending.  Actually, we’re counting all spending except for bills, gas, and repairs.  Good thing, we aren’t counting repairs, because I’ve already been hit with a $201 plumbing repair bill this month–happy new year to me.

I don’t think we determined a reward for the winner, except maybe excessive bragging and gloating.

Since we started the challenge a couple of days ago, my spending has totaled $11.47:  I spent $7.83 at the Jo’s Famous Pizza (stupid soft drinks . . .), and I spent $3.64 at the grocery store on a dozen eggs, six yogurt cups, and orange juice (my total before coupons was nearly $9.  Oh, coupons–why have I neglected you?)

I haven’t heard from the Amazing Amanda about her spending yet, but I’m guessing she’s at zero, since they just had a big shopping trip before we started our “contest.”

Having an accountability partner–especially one you can safely taunt–really helps keep my focus in check.  After all, I hate to lose, and I really hate to lose to my sister.

If you’d like to get in on our bragging-rights-only contest to see how little you can spend this month, just leave a comment below.  The more the merrier!

If you’re looking for a resource to help you get started, you might check out The Money Saving Mom’s Budget: Slash Your Spending, Pay Down Your Debt, Streamline Your Life, and Save Thousands a Year.  On her website, the Money Saving Mom has lots of tips for how to manage your resources and be a better home economist.  A reader testimonial on her site tells how one family is able to save $500 a month just by switching to a cash system, which seems particularly relevant to our spending freeze challenge.

Are you ready to get started?

So much to tell you about, so little time.

// November 18th, 2011 // No Comments » // Budget, Cooking, Crafty Stuff, Life in General

I just looked and realized that it has been almost a month since I posted.  And let’s be honest, I didn’t so much post as upload pictures of the Amazing Amanda’s birthday party for Super D (which was both precious and awesome all rolled into one).  Since that time, a lot has been going on that I’ve wanted to share with you, but I haven’t (1) had the time or (2) taken the time to sit down and blog it.  Since I last posted, we have had Halloween, two birthdays, and now Thanksgiving is about to roll in.  I’ve also accomplished some cute crafts and other DIY projects that I want to share with you, but now I have so much that I can’t decide where to start.  I guess the best way is to just start where we left off.  In the upcoming posts, you’ll see:

• Bear’s Halloween
• Bear’s Godzilla Birthday Cake (He’s three!!  Not a baby and barely a toddler anymore. He’s–dare I say it?–practically a preschooler!!!)
• Nothing about my birthday.  I’m the Chief Cake Maker (read:  Only) around here, and so there is nothing to show you.  Besides, I’m significantly older than three, so it’s far less exciting).
• The Wonder That is Zaycon Foods
• Easy “Stained Glass” art project for kids
• Homemade Laundry Detergent
• Homemade Dishwasher Detergent
• DIY “Miracle Mask”
• Homemade Liquid Hand Soap
• Cute and EASY Christmas Crafts
• A Giveaway Courtesy of SeenOnTV Express

Homemade Halloween Make-up Recipes and Games

// October 23rd, 2011 // No Comments » // Budget, Life in General, Money Matters

I love Halloween.  I love everything about it–the costumes, the pumpkin patch, the weather, the jack-o-lanterns . . . If I were filthy rich, my house would probably be decorated in Griswold fashion every Halloween.  But I’m not filthy rich, and that’s why I like these ideas for a low-cost Halloween from the Halloween on a Dime e-book from Living on a Dime.

Homemade Halloween Make-up, Recipes, and Games

by Tawra Kellam
http://www.LivingOnADime.com

The average American family spends over $100 per year on Halloween goodies. As your kids drag you through aisles full of ghosts and goblins, the scariest thing about Halloween is threatening to leave bite marks in your pocketbook. No wonder so many moms flee screaming from the store… It can be much less expensive and a lot more fun to devise your own chilling creations. Here are a few tips that you can use to stave off the greenback gremlins and exercise your creative muscle. It won’t hurt a bit! These and other free frugal tips are available at www.LivingOnADime.com.

Face Paint

1 tsp. corn starch
1/2 tsp. water
1/2 tsp. cold cream
food coloring

Mix all ingredients together in an old muffin pan and you are ready to paint. This amount makes one color.

Fake Wound

1 Tbsp Vaseline
tissue
cocoa powder
2-3 drops red food coloring

Place Vaseline in a bowl. Add food coloring. Blend with a toothpick. Stir in a pinch of cocoa to make a darker blood color. Separate tissue. Using 1 layer, tear a 2×3 inch piece and place at wound site. Cover with petroleum jelly and mold into the shape of a wound. The center should be lower than the sides. Fill the center with the red petroleum jelly mixture. Sprinkle center with some cocoa. Sprinkle a little around the edges of the wound to make darker.

Fake Blood- Mix 2/3 cup white corn syrup, 1 tsp. red food coloring, 2-3 drops blue food coloring to darken and 1 squirt dish soap (helps blood to run well).

Abrasions -Dab brown, red and black eye shadow on area. Apply blood over area with cotton balls. Use comb to gently scratch area in one direction. Apply cocoa or dirt over wound with cotton balls.

Black Eye - Apply red and blue eye shadow to depressions around eyes.

Bruises - Rub red and blue shadow over bony area to simulate recent bruises. Blue and yellow eye shadow to create older bruises.

Look Old - Cover face with baby powder. Draw dark lines on your skin for wrinkles. Smooth edges to blend. Cover again with baby powder. Add baby powder to your hair to create gray hair.

Deviled Eyeballs - Make deviled eggs. Add a green olive with pimento in the center for an “eyeball”.

Radioactive Juice- Mix equal parts Mountain Dew and blue Kool-Aid

Toxic Juice- Add some green food coloring to lemonade for a spooky color!

Brains- Scramble eggs with some green, yellow and blue food coloring

Bloody Eyeballs- Boil cherry tomatoes 30 seconds. Allow to cool; then peel skin.

Goblin Hand- Freeze green Kool-Aid in a rubber or latex glove, float in punch.

Use the tape from old cassettes or black yarn to make spider webs.

Use cotton balls stretched out for small spider webs.

Glass Jack-o-Lantern- Outline a pumpkin face on a spaghetti or pickle jar with black paint. The paint around the outside of it with orange paint. Place a candle inside for a jack-o-lantern.

Halloween Guess It Game

In this game, you challenge the participants to reach into mystery boxes filled with creepy things and try to guess what each item is. The person with the most correct answers wins the game. An example is if you want them to guess “grapes”, you might try to confuse them by saying, “I think it’s eyeballs…”

Cut a hole in the top of a shoe box or laundry box for each item to be used. Cover the box with black spray paint. Decorate each box with pumpkins or spiders for a more festive flavor. Place the following items inside, one per box. Be sure to place enough of each item so the guests can adequately “feel” the guts.

Eyeballs - grapes or peeled cherry tomatoes

Intestines- Cooked Spaghetti

Skin- oil a piece of plastic bag

Brains- scrambled eggs

Hair- an old clown wig

Bones- thoroughly washed chicken bones placed in some sand

Vomit-chunky salsa

Fingers-hot dogs cut into finger sized pieces

Teeth- corn nuts, pine nuts or popcorn

Have a Pumpkin Hunt - Hide mini pumpkins like you would Easter Eggs. Let the kids find and decorate them. For small children use glue sticks with construction paper cut-outs for decorations.

Edible Slime - Pour lime gelatin into a glass bowl. After it is partially set, add gummy worms. Chill until lightly set. Then serve slopped all over the plate.

Bloody Popcorn- Add red food color to melted butter and pour over popcorn.

Freeze gummy worms in ice cubes and add them to drinks. Cut gummy worms in half if needed.

Jill Cooper and Tawra Kellam are frugal living experts and the authors of the Dining On A Dime Cookbook. Dining On A Dime will help you save money on groceries and get out of debt by cooking quick and simple homemade meals. For free tips & recipes visit http://www.LivingOnADime.com , sign up for our free Living On A Dime Newsletter and learn to save more!

Guest Post: Feeding a Family for $400 a Month?

// September 17th, 2011 // No Comments » // Budget, Money Matters, Work at Home

Feeding a Family for $400 a Month?
by Tawra Kellam
http://www.LivingOnADime.com

Tawra Kellam, editor of LivingOnADime.com , does something that most people think they can’t do today. She feeds her family of 6 for $400 a month.Most people say that’s an impossible feat but what’s even more impressive is that she does it without using coupons.

How does she do it? First, Tawra says, “I use what I have. If I don’t have milk in the house, I don’t make a special trip to the store for it. The kids won’t die from malnutrition if they miss drinking milk for a day or two. If I’m out of bread, I’ll make some cornbread or muffins. If I’m out of fresh veggies, I will use canned or frozen instead. Stop going to the store for one or two things. I shop for food 2-3 times a month and that’s it.”

Shop the clearance sections. ”I regularly find milk on clearance for $1.75 a gallon. My store marks the milk down a few days before the “sell by” date. The great part is that milk stays fresh for 1 week after it’s opened. I just throw several in the freezer and then I don’t have to make a special trip for milk. Just thaw, shake and serve.”

Purchase meat only on sale or on clearance. Again, butchers mark down their meat a day or two before the “sell by” date. Generally, meat is good for 3-4 days after the “sell by” date in the fridge or 6 months in the freezer. Tawra says “I never buy meat unless it’s on sale for $1.99 or less a pound. If it’s not on sale, we don’t eat it. You can get some great unadvertised deals just by watching the meat counter’s clearance items. I found 5 lb. rolls of hamburger for $2.95 each after New Year’s Day. Of course we stocked up and will have enough hamburger to last 6 months. I can get “soup bones” with enough meat on them to make a great vegetable stew for under $2.00 for the entire family! Add some rolls and you have a complete meal for 6 for less than $3.00. When chicken is on sale for under $2.00 per pound, I stock up. I do this with all my meats. This way we can always have a variety of meats.”

Ask. Most people are intimidated by asking, but Tawra regularly asks when things will go on sale or be marked down. By asking, she found out that bananas, milk and meat are marked down each morning. She tries to shop in the mornings to get the best deals. She says, “When we lived in another state, they marked things down in the evening so that’s when we went shopping. Adjust your shopping times to find the best deals.”

Serve your family proper portions of food. ”Most parents give their kids way too much milk, juice and soda. My kids get soda on special occasions only. They eat milk with their cereal. For snacks, they eat a piece of string cheese, fruit or one or two cookies. The kids don’t sip on milk or juice all day long. They drink water and are just fine with it. As a general rule, I try to give them one vegetable and one fruit for lunch and dinner and then a piece of fruit with cookies or cheese as a snack. This gets their “five a day” in very easily. Stop letting kids just “graze” on chips and other snack food all day. My kids get one small “bowl” of chips a day and that’s it.”

So what do the Kellams eat? Tawra shares some of their menus with us:

• Slow cooked roast, brown gravy, onions, carrots, potatoes, buttermilk muffins and a fruit plate

  (The next day, the leftovers from the roast are used as BBQ beef along with potato salad, green beans and strawberries or grapes.)

• Pizza (homemade), tossed salad and fruit
• Maple glazed chicken, scalloped potatoes, glazed carrots, applesauce and dinner rolls
• Sloppy Joes, cucumbers and tomatoes
• Tacos, refried beans, green beans, sliced apples and tortilla chips w/ honey

With savvy shopping, you too can cut your grocery bill even when prices are going up!

Jill Cooper and Tawra Kellam are frugal living experts and the authors of the Dining On A Dime Cookbook. Dining On A Dime will help you save money on groceries and get out of debt by cooking quick and simple homemade meals. For free tips & recipes visit http://www.LivingOnADime.com , sign up for our free Living On A Dime Newsletter and learn to save more!

Moolala: 6 Months at E-Mealz.com for only $12

// March 23rd, 2011 // 2 Comments » // Budget, Cooking, Deals, Life in General, Money Matters, Organization, Time Management

I’ve heard about E-Mealz before (endorsed by Dave Ramsey, for all you Financial Peace graduates), but I’ve always been hesitant to pay for a subscription.  I mean, sure it gives you cost-effective meal plans to help you save money and give you dining ideas, but . . . well, I just wanted to see if I could cut costs on my own.  I will say that saving money on groceries has been more time consuming than I expected, and when push comes to shove, sometimes the coupons just don’t get clipped.   Today’s Daily Deal from Moolala is going to give me the chance to try E-Mealz at an attractive price.

Right now through Moolala, you can get a six month subscription to E-Mealz for only $12–60% off the standard price of $30.  Here’s what Moolala has to say about E-Mealz:

Until the advent of fast food, Americans deferred to the wisdom of the Meal Planning Committee, a congressional caucus tasked with handling such conundrums as ‘fish or chicken?’ Tap into some old-school wisdom with today’s Moolala deal: for $12, receive a six-month subscription to E-Mealz.com, a meal planning resource for busy families (a $30 value).

Breadwinning may not seem like an easy task, but wait until it’s time to put those loaves into the oven. E-Mealz takes care of the groundwork: the recipe testing, menu planning, and price comparisons. This isn’t a one-size-feeds all system: E-Mealz offers a cornucopia of meal plans, including gluten-free, low-fat, and vegetarian options. Popular stores (Wal-Mart, Publix, Kroger) are covered, as well as plans for food found at smaller grocers. Additionally, E-Mealz has unveiled specialty meal plans based on both the original and new Weight Watchers point system.

Although children may insist they’d be happy eating pizza, burgers, or baba ghanoush for every meal, the pros at E-Mealz know better. The site’s extra-special recipes are seasoned within the meal plans in the perfect proportions. E-Mealz also makes wrangling with picky eaters a breeze: dropping a potentially unpopular meal is as simple as crossing off a few ingredients. The plans arrive every week – just log onto the site with your username and download the plan. Each plan is posted for an extra week, which is a pleasant aroma indeed for busy noses.

With the mealtime makeovers from E-Mealz.com, caring cooks will have access to a graduate-level Home Economics course. Whether you’re preparing meals for two or a whole tableful, E-Mealz will help you make the right choices. Buy today’s Moolala deal for yourself – or as a budget-ballasting gift for a love one – and swap stress for togetherness.

I’ll definitely be taking advantage of this deal.  Don’t forget Moolala’s excellent referral program–instead of getting credit for a referral’s first purchase, you get commission on every sale . . . and their referrals’ sales . . . and their referrals’ sales . . . and so on!  Sign up for Moolala today to take advantage of this E-Mealz deal and the Moolala PayMatrix!

The WHOLE Chicken

// February 10th, 2011 // 14 Comments » // Budget, Cooking, Money Matters, Time Management

I keep threatening to tell you about how I made a whole chicken for the first time ever during our first round of snow days.   Now,  I’m sure that several of you are actual grown-up women who have done this kind of thing before, but not me.  I’m just faking it.  Until now, I’ve only cooked boneless chicken breasts.  Maybe one time, we grilled some legs when I got them on sale, but I’m not actually sure I’m the one who grilled them, since Hot Husband is the man, and therefore, the grill is generally his domain.  So anyway, this Cooking of a Whole Chicken was quite a turning point for me.  I must say I was quite intimidated at the prospect, and had it not been for The Happy Housewife, I may never have even tried it.

You see, Toni from The Happy Housewife was posting a week’s worth of crockpot recipes, and one she included was “Whole Chicken in a Crockpot.”  That looked easy enough, but I still probably wouldn’t have tried it, had she not included recipes for what to do with this big ol’ chicken and its carcass (blech) once you were done crockpotting it (new verb for you).  With her ideas in mind, though, I headed to the grocery store to buy a whole chicken.  That in itself was kind of weird.  I didn’t even know where to find a whole chicken.  In the meat department?  In the freezer section?  Running around in a barnyard? (more…)

More Organization Help from the Blogosphere

// January 5th, 2011 // No Comments » // Balance, Budget, Family, Organization, Time Management

I was looking for some hot deals on Hip2Save and I came across an article on getting organized.  The article listed several free downloadable resources, including budget trackers, meal planners, and more.  As I looked through these, I found several I really liked on Mommy Tracked.  These “Tools for the Tired and Time-Starved” (which describes me perfectly) include to do lists, to delegate lists, week-at-a-glance sheets, menu planners, weekly family planners, baby schedules, checklists, cleaning schedules, and more.  There are three pages of organizational downloads, so there is sure to be one (or more!) that works for you.

Check it out and  let me know what you think.

On a related note, one of my goals this year to help me more effectively manage my time is to be sure I’m up and dressed before the Bear.  Unfortunately, after exactly one day of accomplishing this, Bear decided to get up earlier and earlier each of the subsequent two days.  I thought we were finally getting him closer and closer to a 7:00 wake-up time, and then–bam!–6:00 this morning.  That means that it is now 9:00 and I’m still in my pajamas as I write this post.  Comfy, but not so much organized.  Maybe we’ll have more luck tomorrow.

Any suggestions for keeping the Bear in his room until 7:00?  We have the “bunny clock,” and he knows he’s not supposed to get up until the bunny wakes up, but he understands that more in theory than in practice . . .

Happy New Year!

// January 3rd, 2011 // No Comments » // Budget, Couponing, Life in General, Money Matters, Work at Home

This time last year, I was thinking of ways to begin getting serious about a budget. I knew that, if I were ever going to be able to stay home, I’d have to crunch the numbers to find out exactly what our expenses were, where we could cut back, and how much I’d have to bring in to make ends meet. Even though I didn’t think it was possible, I was able to figure out a plan and stick with it, eventually leading to success. In May, I turned in my resignation and became a work at home mom at the beginning of June.

The end of August brought some difficulties that continued to plague me through the rest of 2010. While I was getting more and more work, which was desperately needed, I lost focus and had a great deal of difficulty staying organized and sticking to a schedule. Every time I procrastinated a project or had to deal with another situation, it only got me further and further behind. Now, as we begin 2011, I’m doing so from under a pile of backed up projects.

However, I’m also doing so with a renewed focus and dedication. I see some changes I need to make in my organization and time management and have already begun making some of those changes.

As I got further behind on work, I also let my couponing slide. That may seem silly, but if you remember from my earliest posts, stacking coupons and sales was saving me about $400/month. That’s no small change. Yesterday, I cleaned out my expired coupons, filed my loose coupons, and hit my favorite coupon blogs to find the best match-ups. After hitting four stores, I came home with over $325 worth of groceries and products for just over $100. That little trip wasn’t even particularly successful in comparison with past trips, so I was reminded of how important frugality and conscientious spending are if I plan to continue to be a work at home mom next school year.

Another thing that I let slide and that lost its focus is the Nix9to5 blog. A site that was intended to be a chronicle of working at home became instead a mishmash of random deals and apologies for getting behind in posting. With 2011, I intend to bring the focus back to the site. I’ll continue to post some of my favorite deals, just because I think they truly have allowed me to stay home, but if you are looking for a coupon blog, there are many, many sites available that do so much more than I’d ever be able to. Simple Saving Savvy (Oklahoma City), Southern Savers (Nashville), Frugal Coupon Living, Hip 2 Save, and Passion for Savings are only a few of the sites I rely on for the best coupon match-ups.

I have a plan in place for more frequently updating Nix9to5 and for maintaining a consistent focus on the blog.  Stick with me, won’t you?  And if you haven’t already, “like” me on Facebook–even when the blog is slipping, I keep up with status updates and quick deals on the Nix9to5 Facebook page.

I hope 2011 holds great things for me as a work at home mom and for you in whatever endeavors you pursue.

My, how things have changed.

// May 2nd, 2010 // 2 Comments » // Budget, Couponing, Money Matters

Because of trying to juggle my regular job and my work at home jobs, I got behind on entering my April expenses in the budget.  I was pretty worried about how it would turn out because I was not able to take full advantage of my coupons and deals.  I mean, I was just too busy to round up coupons, make a list, actually go to the store . . .  .  My shopping trips were quick, in-and-out trips for the most part, and I grabbed whatever was convenient.  I even went to buy milk, eggs, juice, and gum at Dollar General one day because it was the closest, most convenient store.  I spent nearly $12 and felt like I’d been robbed.

As I totaled my grocery expenses, I felt a little nervous.  I was hoping I wouldn’t blow the budget too much.  When I got the final total, I was shocked.  Instead of being the highest month of the four I’ve been couponing and budgeting, it was the second lowest–and only $2.97 more than my lowest.

Imagine how it would have turned out had I been able to focus more.  I think when I finally become a work at home mom in June, the grocery spending will drop even more.

23 more work days to go.

March Budget: Good news, bad news.

// March 31st, 2010 // 2 Comments » // Budget, Money Matters

First, the bad news. I’m just going to get that out of the way like ripping off a band-aid. We did a terrible job with our budget this month. We were way over in automotive (new tires) and way over in “allowance” (night at a B&B, dinners out, highlights for my hair). I can’t really fault myself for the tires, because we had to have those. As for the overnight getaway and my hair, I’m not really going to fault myself for that, either, because . . . well, because I don’t want to. However, those things alone weren’t all that did it, so I do know that we need to re-focus and pay more attention to our spending.

The good news is that I knocked nearly $100 MORE dollars off of our grocery budget. For the first time in over a year, our grocery spending for the month was under $300. That seems much more reasonable to me than the $700/month we averaged in 2009. Good grief.

I’m excited to see what April holds in store.