Today, I was sitting at my desk and opening up bills in preparation for finalizing my March budget. At the top of the stack was my BTU bill, which is my electricity, water, sewer, and garbage bill combined. I was blissfully looking over this bill of $146.91 and musing to myself how much I didn't want warmer weather to come.
Our air conditioner unit stopped cooling at the beginning of October last year. I know that some of you in colder parts of the world will be wondering how I even know, but down here, we tend to kick on the a/c a couple of times a month during our colder months, with the possible exception of January. I tend to fuss over this with DH, as he will kick it on when opening a window would suffice. So, this year, when the a/c quite cooling, I saw my chance to "win" all winter long! I would be a fool to say it was just about saving money. That was just a bonus to "winning" the point. And win, I did. Or so I thought.
The bill that came less than a week after the a/c did was $244. A welcome relief after the hot summer bills hovering around $300. The next month, my bill was down to $151! Woohoo. Now, the paragraph above you should tell you there was a bit of gloating. Yes, and dancing, and paper waving, and tons of smack talk. But, it was all in good fun and since it was about saving money, it was humorously accepted.
Now, March is almost upon us, and miser I may be, but there is no way I am going another month without a/c. We have already had some mid-80's temp wise and it's just a matter of time. I promised I would call the a/c people at the beginning of next week. I'll book a Spring check-up and mention the cooling. But, I have been dreading what this will do to my electric bill.
Tonight, I was talking to DH about turning in the service call next week and I mentioned the low bill. He started asking me questions about what we could do to keep our electric bill low year round. (Really? He's actually thinking about saving money now? How can I tell if he's one of the Pod People? We've come a long way, baby!) We started in on thermostat settings, but then we got off onto the subject of electricity vampires.
What's an electricity vampire? It's an appliance that quietly sucks electricity even if it is turned off. The television is the best example I can think of. If it is turned off, it still uses electricity. The remote sensor is constantly awake so that it will turn on the TV when you hit the button. Any appliance with a clock or tiny red standby light is also a vampire. I have even heard that cell phone chargers are vampires, even when not plugged into the device that it is supposed to be charging. Almost any type of appliance can be a vampire.
What's the garlic? You can fix this seepage of money by unplugging or plugging these items into a power strip and flipping the red rocker switch to the off position when you leave the house or go to bed. But, you may loose some convenience.
I am perfectly happy with some of my vampires. Tivo and a small cable package are our most constant luxury items. Tivo must stay plugged in to record and receive updates. We can count on one hand how many movies we've gone to since DS was born. We don't rent movies anymore because we are rarely home together to enjoy them, so we ended up with Tivo. (Oh, Tivo, how I love you and could devote an entire post to your glorious purpose.) I have other vampires that I adore. The coffeemaker has beautiful abilities to brew coffee before we wake. The dishwasher will start at 2 am. The cordless phone is a biggie. All of these items lend themselves to a happier home.
I am considering purchasing a few more power strips, with the rocker switch to provide a true "off" when thrown. I would love to keep Tivo plugged into the wall and move the stereo and TV onto its own power strip. I could unplug the washing machine and power down the computer at night. But, how much of a difference is this going to make?
Since I've been thinking about this topic most of the night, once I began to write, I signed on to my utility company's site and pulled up my 12 month history. I was thinking of vampires and air conditioning and saving money. Then, I saw it. (OK, what you are about to read, it's confidential, or should I say DON'T TELL DH!) Last years bill for the same time period, $6 more! That's it. I saved $6 by not having a functional a/c. Now, I know my kilowatt hour pricing has changed a bit, and my water pricing may have changed as well, but dang!
So, now I'm wondering, if I tame the vampires, will it make a significant change in my bill? I've got to decide if I want to invest in a few more power strips if I really want to make a change. Is it going to be worth it? Maybe I'll root around and see if I can't come up with some strips that may be hiding away. I'll definitely be watching my 12 month history closer.
Oh, and unless it costs a million, billion dollars to fix the a/c, it's getting fixed next week. However, unless they come when DH is home, I'll probably tell him they couldn't make it out till the end of the month, or our first 90+ degree day. Which ever comes first.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Buying Big
Once upon a time, Sam's Club and other big warehouse discounters were a strange, hot new concept. I can remember the first time I heard about one of these behemoths. It was so foreign and different. A co-worker of my father's was telling the tale of his incredible new tire deal. He saved over $100 bucks by buying his tires at a "Sam's" and was all atwitter. He told the unreasonable tale of getting his shopping cart from the parking lot and carrying the tires to the check out stand, which consisted of a podium and a register. We marveled at the talk of cases of toilet paper, bread sticks, and motor oil. You didn't bag your purchases, you picked up a box from a giant bin. It was new and slightly shocking. Why? Because you had to buy a membership in order to indulge in these great savings. And in the beginning, not every one could buy this membership. You had to own a business or be provided the opportunity through your employer.
Now, times have changed with these Mega-retailers. There are actual check out aisles with conveyor belts. Tires no longer have to be carried around to the side of the building, and anyone willing to pay the price can march in and save big. But, the membership fee and jumbo cases of toilet paper are still there.
I loved my Sam's card when my baby was a baby. He was a formula baby and, praise the Lord, Sam's carried his brand in the big bulk containers. Unless someone was having a heck of a sale, it was hands down cheaper to buy it there. Between the formula and diapers, I was saving between $50-$65 a MONTH shopping at Sam's. To make things even better, Tee (our nickname for my DSis) put me down as her spouse (God bless political correctness- no one asked, no one told) and I didn't even pay for the card.
These days, I pay for my own card. I have been waffling on my warehouse membership for a while. There are things that I buy that save me lots of money. For most of the last three years, I have been buying the brown industrial paper towels. I spend about $18 for a case that lasts me close to 8 months. I also drink bottled water which is much cheaper there. And I have scored some great deals such as a store brand shampoo closeout. I bought 6 mega pump bottles for $8. That was over two years ago, and I'm just now on the last bottle.
Since No Buy, I tend to stay out of stores. I have not been to Sam's since early December. The out of sight, out of mind game works well with me. I also feel spatially challenged when it comes to storing some bulk items. That being said, I am down to the last bottle of shampoo and four bundles of paper towels. EEK!
I am more aware of my money and local pricing than I have been in a long time. I've always been good about not believing that buying in bulk is always a cheaper way to go. But, sometimes it is. At the beginning of March, I'm going to make a Sam's run. I'll be armed with a calculator and hopefully be alone. This will allow me to really dig down into some of the prices and see if it will be worth another year in membership fees. As No Buy rolls along, I need to keep evaluating everything.
Overheard at the bookstore:
Does this come in a smaller version?
That's not the book, it's just the Sparknotes.
Do the Sparknotes come in a smaller version?
Now, times have changed with these Mega-retailers. There are actual check out aisles with conveyor belts. Tires no longer have to be carried around to the side of the building, and anyone willing to pay the price can march in and save big. But, the membership fee and jumbo cases of toilet paper are still there.
I loved my Sam's card when my baby was a baby. He was a formula baby and, praise the Lord, Sam's carried his brand in the big bulk containers. Unless someone was having a heck of a sale, it was hands down cheaper to buy it there. Between the formula and diapers, I was saving between $50-$65 a MONTH shopping at Sam's. To make things even better, Tee (our nickname for my DSis) put me down as her spouse (God bless political correctness- no one asked, no one told) and I didn't even pay for the card.
These days, I pay for my own card. I have been waffling on my warehouse membership for a while. There are things that I buy that save me lots of money. For most of the last three years, I have been buying the brown industrial paper towels. I spend about $18 for a case that lasts me close to 8 months. I also drink bottled water which is much cheaper there. And I have scored some great deals such as a store brand shampoo closeout. I bought 6 mega pump bottles for $8. That was over two years ago, and I'm just now on the last bottle.
Since No Buy, I tend to stay out of stores. I have not been to Sam's since early December. The out of sight, out of mind game works well with me. I also feel spatially challenged when it comes to storing some bulk items. That being said, I am down to the last bottle of shampoo and four bundles of paper towels. EEK!
I am more aware of my money and local pricing than I have been in a long time. I've always been good about not believing that buying in bulk is always a cheaper way to go. But, sometimes it is. At the beginning of March, I'm going to make a Sam's run. I'll be armed with a calculator and hopefully be alone. This will allow me to really dig down into some of the prices and see if it will be worth another year in membership fees. As No Buy rolls along, I need to keep evaluating everything.
Overheard at the bookstore:
Does this come in a smaller version?
That's not the book, it's just the Sparknotes.
Do the Sparknotes come in a smaller version?
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Scrubbing Bubbles, meet the Siamese bathroom.
Almost 3 years ago, we set out to buy a house. I learned a very powerful lesson in focus and being specific. Our last rent house had only one bathroom. Throughout the last part of my pregnancy and most of the first year of DS's life, I constantly thought, "Dear Lord, let my next house have two toilets." Never, ever, ever, did I think I had to be more specific.
So, when we first looked in the windows of what is now our humble abode, I was excited because clearly it had two bathrooms. Well, it did and it didn't.
When we first looked at the house, I was horrified by the foil fern wallpaper in the hall bathroom. I snapped this picture because I knew no one would believe me if I was telling them about the foil ferns. Jungle love, huh? Then I realized, my mom had entered the bathroom just ahead of me. So, she would be in the picture, right?
In short, I have "two bathrooms" but one tub connecting them. Thus, I have four, count them, four frosted sliding glass doors to scrub. And I hate scrubbing them.
Not long ago, I signed up to become a BzzAgent. I accepted my first campaign without a single hesitation. It was for the Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner. I can't wait to give this baby a try! It claims to keep a clean shower clean and get a dirty shower clean in just 14 to 21 days. Let's just say, I'm gonna have to wait- though the shower is cleaner than the picture above, taken before we bought the house.
Curious about the Scrubbing Bubbles? Visit http://www.automaticshowercleaner.com/ to get the low down. I will definitley be letting you know how it goes. I have been coveting them and it has sorely tempted my No Buy. I was even considering breaking down and buying a Black & Decker Scrub Buster, but I hope this works instead.
I mean, if I'm gonna break my No Buy, it should be for something fun, right?
So, when we first looked in the windows of what is now our humble abode, I was excited because clearly it had two bathrooms. Well, it did and it didn't.
When we first looked at the house, I was horrified by the foil fern wallpaper in the hall bathroom. I snapped this picture because I knew no one would believe me if I was telling them about the foil ferns. Jungle love, huh? Then I realized, my mom had entered the bathroom just ahead of me. So, she would be in the picture, right?
Well, not in a Siamese bathroom. She escaped through the tub into the other bathroom. I stepped forward a few feet and snapped this picture through the shower door. It's the other toilet.
In short, I have "two bathrooms" but one tub connecting them. Thus, I have four, count them, four frosted sliding glass doors to scrub. And I hate scrubbing them.
Not long ago, I signed up to become a BzzAgent. I accepted my first campaign without a single hesitation. It was for the Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner. I can't wait to give this baby a try! It claims to keep a clean shower clean and get a dirty shower clean in just 14 to 21 days. Let's just say, I'm gonna have to wait- though the shower is cleaner than the picture above, taken before we bought the house.
Curious about the Scrubbing Bubbles? Visit http://www.automaticshowercleaner.com/ to get the low down. I will definitley be letting you know how it goes. I have been coveting them and it has sorely tempted my No Buy. I was even considering breaking down and buying a Black & Decker Scrub Buster, but I hope this works instead.
I mean, if I'm gonna break my No Buy, it should be for something fun, right?
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Sick- and tired of it!
UGH! I am sick and I am tired of it! Coughing, hacking, sneezing... this is as close as you'd better get. The fever does seem to be gone though. But, here I am, with great effort trying to keep at least two posts a week minimum. Alas, it will be a short one.
Overheard in the bookstore:
Mind you, this was also in a bit of a medicinal fog, but it was witnessed or I would think I was mad.
I've been browsing in your biographical and autobiographical section. Them books sure do have a lot of words.
Overheard in the bookstore:
Mind you, this was also in a bit of a medicinal fog, but it was witnessed or I would think I was mad.
I've been browsing in your biographical and autobiographical section. Them books sure do have a lot of words.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Paying Bills with a Love Stamp
Years ago, when I mailed out my bills, I was always resentful of "love stamps." You know, the ones that come out at the beginning of the year and reign supreme during the Valentine's/Wedding invitation season. Since I would buy most of my stamps at the grocery store, there was almost no choice. (Alas, I wish I had invested and bought more of those Freedom stamps.) Last week, I bought a book, of stamps. I got frilly "love stamps" consisting of a scrollwork heart on a lavender background. *sigh*
Why do I mail anything, anyway? Who uses the mail anymore? Certainly someone, and frequently me. When I began my money revolution, I began to look at fine print. Most of my bills would rather be paid online. It eliminates the need to pay employees to open envelopes and process payments. But, one of them banks, pun intended, on me already being a habitual click payer. If I pay this credit card online, I get a $5.95 fee charged to my account for convenience. Convenience! I was pretty angry, but then I have to concede that it is a pretty crafty way for them to make an extra buck. Because really, with it being our highest interest credit card, I am sure they are strapped for cash. But, I chose to get back into the credit card game after a four year hiatus and no one else wanted me, so it's my own fault for getting their card. Now, rather than pay this fee, I mail them an old fashioned check and stick an additional $5.95 on top of the amount. As we work on our debt snowball, we aren't to this account yet, but it still feels good to add their "fee" above our minimun payment.
Years ago, I would often lament about stamps and checks. The people I sent checks to didn't deserve cute checks or stamps. I would look through the available stamps at the post office and they would always be artsy or cute. Why couldn't there be stamps with cow pies on them? These, I would love to stick on a bill. Once, I found a place I could order skull patterned checks. Totally awesome! I was so excited. I could envision sending out skull checks to some of our most hated bills. Argh and all that! As soon as I got home that day, I fired up the internet (insert sound of dial up service, it was a long time ago) and pulled up the site. They had skulls and daggers and all manners of dark images. Just what I needed to send out that minimum payment. They were $35 a box. Yep. $35 a box. Um. I get mine for free. Needless to say, I never bought the cool checks. I did get small amounts of satisfaction by misspelling names. For years, I wrote checks to Scama Gas Company and for Cox Cable I would put... well, you get the idea. Hey, they still cashed them and I enjoyed it.
Today, I stuck those "love stamps" on some bills and set them out for the mailman. It marked a big change in my attitude towards bills and money. They are my bills, I made them. It is my money, I made it. I am sending it away so that I may begin making and keeping more of it. I am happy to be paying it off. I put "love" on the envelope.
At the bookstore:
Customer-Do you have Don Quixote?
me-It'll be right this way.
Customer- You know where it is?
me-Sure, it's Cervantes
Customer- You don't need to look it up?
me-Nope, do you need a particular translation?
Customer-I need the one in English.
me-Yes, right (we are now in the section)here, there are several different versions.
Customer-But, I need one in English.
me-These are all in English.
Customer- But it's a Spanish novel.
me-These are all translations.
Customer- But, in English, right?
me-Yes, these are all English.
Customer-But it's written in Spanish.
me- These are in English. Is there anything else I can help you find?
Customer- An English version of Don Quixote.
me-Have a great night.
Then, I backed away slowly. I was very happy that we were near the end of a row. She's probably still there.
Why do I mail anything, anyway? Who uses the mail anymore? Certainly someone, and frequently me. When I began my money revolution, I began to look at fine print. Most of my bills would rather be paid online. It eliminates the need to pay employees to open envelopes and process payments. But, one of them banks, pun intended, on me already being a habitual click payer. If I pay this credit card online, I get a $5.95 fee charged to my account for convenience. Convenience! I was pretty angry, but then I have to concede that it is a pretty crafty way for them to make an extra buck. Because really, with it being our highest interest credit card, I am sure they are strapped for cash. But, I chose to get back into the credit card game after a four year hiatus and no one else wanted me, so it's my own fault for getting their card. Now, rather than pay this fee, I mail them an old fashioned check and stick an additional $5.95 on top of the amount. As we work on our debt snowball, we aren't to this account yet, but it still feels good to add their "fee" above our minimun payment.
Years ago, I would often lament about stamps and checks. The people I sent checks to didn't deserve cute checks or stamps. I would look through the available stamps at the post office and they would always be artsy or cute. Why couldn't there be stamps with cow pies on them? These, I would love to stick on a bill. Once, I found a place I could order skull patterned checks. Totally awesome! I was so excited. I could envision sending out skull checks to some of our most hated bills. Argh and all that! As soon as I got home that day, I fired up the internet (insert sound of dial up service, it was a long time ago) and pulled up the site. They had skulls and daggers and all manners of dark images. Just what I needed to send out that minimum payment. They were $35 a box. Yep. $35 a box. Um. I get mine for free. Needless to say, I never bought the cool checks. I did get small amounts of satisfaction by misspelling names. For years, I wrote checks to Scama Gas Company and for Cox Cable I would put... well, you get the idea. Hey, they still cashed them and I enjoyed it.
Today, I stuck those "love stamps" on some bills and set them out for the mailman. It marked a big change in my attitude towards bills and money. They are my bills, I made them. It is my money, I made it. I am sending it away so that I may begin making and keeping more of it. I am happy to be paying it off. I put "love" on the envelope.
At the bookstore:
Customer-Do you have Don Quixote?
me-It'll be right this way.
Customer- You know where it is?
me-Sure, it's Cervantes
Customer- You don't need to look it up?
me-Nope, do you need a particular translation?
Customer-I need the one in English.
me-Yes, right (we are now in the section)here, there are several different versions.
Customer-But, I need one in English.
me-These are all in English.
Customer- But it's a Spanish novel.
me-These are all translations.
Customer- But, in English, right?
me-Yes, these are all English.
Customer-But it's written in Spanish.
me- These are in English. Is there anything else I can help you find?
Customer- An English version of Don Quixote.
me-Have a great night.
Then, I backed away slowly. I was very happy that we were near the end of a row. She's probably still there.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
At the Money Zoo
We tag team parent, so together time can be as little as 5 or 6 hours a week. DH works 6am-2pm on days I work 3pm-midnight. On my days off, DH works 6am-6pm. Usually, once or twice a week, I work 7am-4pm. Dinner is at 5:30 or 6 each evening, and DS's bedtime routine starts at 8pm. This leaves very little together time for the family unit. Throw chores in there, and you can see the reason I blog mostly after midnight. Family outings are the very important to the glue that holds us together.
We routinely have small family outings. The park is a great outlet and in the summer, we buy a pool pass. Heck, DH & DS just got in trouble at the local library on Monday night. It seems that DS doesn't understand why there are books everywhere, but he can't yell, run amok, play with a train set, or wrap the employees around his finger. He is totally convinced that the library is just another location of mommy's store.
About once a month, we try to plan something to shake up the routine. This can mean a trip to see my parents, a big vacation to Disneyworld, a trip to the circus or in the case of this month: a trip to the zoo. Jiving all of these things with our No Buy goals is always a little tricky. The don't truly fall in to the "need" category or do they? This time is so valuable to us, and it is so important to get away from the everyday routine to focus on togetherness, that it seems to devalue it to classify it as a want. Of course, if things got too tough, the family outings would change in nature.
Our trip to the zoo last week was a blast. However, as the focus of my daily life has become more money focused, I find myself evaluating every penny spent on these mini-vacations. I also am beginning to see money for what it truly is and how others spend it or throw it away.
Let's take a look at this guy:
We routinely have small family outings. The park is a great outlet and in the summer, we buy a pool pass. Heck, DH & DS just got in trouble at the local library on Monday night. It seems that DS doesn't understand why there are books everywhere, but he can't yell, run amok, play with a train set, or wrap the employees around his finger. He is totally convinced that the library is just another location of mommy's store.
About once a month, we try to plan something to shake up the routine. This can mean a trip to see my parents, a big vacation to Disneyworld, a trip to the circus or in the case of this month: a trip to the zoo. Jiving all of these things with our No Buy goals is always a little tricky. The don't truly fall in to the "need" category or do they? This time is so valuable to us, and it is so important to get away from the everyday routine to focus on togetherness, that it seems to devalue it to classify it as a want. Of course, if things got too tough, the family outings would change in nature.
Our trip to the zoo last week was a blast. However, as the focus of my daily life has become more money focused, I find myself evaluating every penny spent on these mini-vacations. I also am beginning to see money for what it truly is and how others spend it or throw it away.
Let's take a look at this guy:
At first, we were all excited by Mr. (or Ms.-sorry, wasn't going over the fence and getting close enough to find out) American Alligator. Both boys love, love, love gators and crocs. They get over the top excited; arms waving, fingers pointing and raised voices. I was admiring the smile of ol' toothy here and reveling in the bit of sunshine. I was thinking how much that gator was enjoying the first nice and warm day we'd had in weeks. We were laughing at how still he was and then I noticed it. (Sorry I couldn't get a better close up to demonstrate my point.) That gator had money! The spots around his back feet and along his tail are coins. He even had two shiny pennies on his lower back. Under his front claws was a quarter! I counted almost $2 from what I could see. (Again, not getting close enough to get all the facts.)
Now, I may have admired this gator's smile, and I may have been spending money on our zoo trip, but I dang sure don't have money to just "throw to the gators!" Who does this? Not only is it a bit cruel, well, maybe, he didn't seem to be bothered by it at all, it's just plain stupid. This is not some fountain that will be cleaned out and the money donated to the zoo. If people wanted to do that, there are giant coin banks in the shapes of animals all over the place. It's just people throwing things at an animal to see if it would move! Maybe they just had money to burn. I don't really know. But I do wonder if they truly know the value of a dollar.
Flash forward about 45 minutes. We are standing in front of the carousel and the ticket machine is broken. There is a sign pointing me to a snack wagon about 30 yards away to get the admission. I leave the boys watching the carousel, and DS's excitement is growing. It's $2 a ride for non-members, so it will be $6 total. As I'm waiting for the girl to get our tickets, I notice in the crack between the stainless steel outer counter and the window, there is a dime. I immediately think, "if I can get that dime, the ride will only cost us $5.90!" So, the entire time she's getting us our tickets, I am doing my best to retrieve a dime.
Now, before you're like, "wow, she's crazy, it's just a dime!" let me give the short explaination: I believe that money comes to us. I believe that when it comes to us, and we ignore it, it is our own fault that it stops coming to us. I could write a ton on this, and at some point, I probably will, but I'll leave it at that for now.
Eventually, I become aware of the girl staring at me and the boys glaring at me across the way and give up. I have driven myself nuts ever since, because I am sure that if I had just dug out my keys instead of using my fingernails, I could've gotten that dime! But, give up, I did. Now, if you're thinking how can she spend $6 on a 2 minute ride when she obsessed on a dime? Well, here you go:
Now, that may have been a pure "want" on DS's behalf. But, I've got to tell you: It's like a balm on my heart when we have moments like this. That's definitely a need.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Seems like old times
Lately, I've sent out quite a few invitations for people to come check out my blog. So, if you aren't really sure by what I'm talking about, if you start down at the bottom, there is an explaination of the "No Buy" lifestyle I've adopted. It's also a little weird for me to write "publicly" as I am used to journaling on paper and keeping it very much to myself.
Seems like old times....
Every month or so, I try to budget in some sort of family activity. For this month, it was a fairly large amount ($150) to visit the Houston Zoo. I knew the trip would involve two meals away from home and my parents were coming along, so I made the budget a little larger than I would normally. DH really wanted me to budget in some money for Chinese food on the Lunar New Years Day, so I told him if we had money left over from the zoo trip, we would have take out on Thursday. Also, in the budget this month, we added $100 for Valentine's Day gifts. These amounts made me a little nervous.
Monday came and we took a great trip into Houston. We loaded the entire McGee Brothers Traveling Circus (what I call it when there is a lot of us, plus gear) into my mom's SUV and headed off down the road. We made short work of the trip and ate lunch at Pappa's Barbeque. My parent's paid for their own lunch and all was good. I spent $22 there. Then, at the zoo, we spent another $36 between admission, a carousel ride, cotton candy and a coke. Again, not too shabby. For dinner, we stopped at La Madeliene. We bought for everyone and spent $65. So, for the day, we spent $123 out of the $150 budget. This would leave us more than enough for Chinese food on Thursday. It's been a great day, and I'm happy!
Tuesday comes, and the coffeepot is dead. We go out and strike the deal in Target (read about it in the previous post) to call the whole thing Valentine's Day, therefore using that $100 budget.
When my booklight went out on Tuesday night, I discoverd the big red bucket of batteries under the counter was empty! So, Wednesday, I am looking through the CVS flyer and weighing my options. (If you do not know a serious CVSer, you would be shocked by how much they get for ridiculously low prices using the Extra Care Bucks system to it's full advantage.) I see the battery deal, the M&Ms deal, the Excedrin deal, top it all off with a Pull Ups coupon that expires on Saturday and formulate my plan. I spent $51 after my coupons, got 32 AA batteries, 4 AAA batteries, a Mega pack of Pull Ups, 2 big bags of M&Ms, and 2 boxes of Excedrin. I got back $22 in ECBs (Extra Care Bucks) that I hope to use to roll into other CVS deals. I pay the $51 out of the grocery/household budget and there is plenty of room for it, so I haven't gone over here.
Thursday, I am eyeing the grocery ads. I don't normally shop until Sunday or Monday, but they have chicken on sale for 77 cents a pound, limit 2. When I see a great deal like this, I usually split my grocery shopping into two trips so I can maximize. I'll admit that I'm also excited to use my new Seal a Meal to repackage the bulk chicken. So, it's off to HEB, where I spend about $20 out of the grocery/household budget. No big deal, it's all good. Right?
Thursday night, I come home for dinner and find this fantastic meal of Kung Pao Chicken, Sweet and Sour Chicken, dumplings and egg rolls. It was a fantastic dinner! It was budgeted! And yet, I didn't really enjoy it.
It had been days and days since I had a $0 day. I had now had 3 meals from a restuarant, gone shopping every single day, bought two appliances, and spent more to get free money at CVS? What in the world have I been thinking? Whoa! This was way too much like our previous lifestyle to make me comfortable.
I did get in a $0 day, today. So that helps a little, but dang it, I think I am going to feel this one for a while. I seem to be off track, and yet, it was all budgeted! I'll just have to keep sorting it all out in my head and learn my lesson. For now, I'll just take two Excedrin and go to bed.
Seems like old times....
Every month or so, I try to budget in some sort of family activity. For this month, it was a fairly large amount ($150) to visit the Houston Zoo. I knew the trip would involve two meals away from home and my parents were coming along, so I made the budget a little larger than I would normally. DH really wanted me to budget in some money for Chinese food on the Lunar New Years Day, so I told him if we had money left over from the zoo trip, we would have take out on Thursday. Also, in the budget this month, we added $100 for Valentine's Day gifts. These amounts made me a little nervous.
Monday came and we took a great trip into Houston. We loaded the entire McGee Brothers Traveling Circus (what I call it when there is a lot of us, plus gear) into my mom's SUV and headed off down the road. We made short work of the trip and ate lunch at Pappa's Barbeque. My parent's paid for their own lunch and all was good. I spent $22 there. Then, at the zoo, we spent another $36 between admission, a carousel ride, cotton candy and a coke. Again, not too shabby. For dinner, we stopped at La Madeliene. We bought for everyone and spent $65. So, for the day, we spent $123 out of the $150 budget. This would leave us more than enough for Chinese food on Thursday. It's been a great day, and I'm happy!
Tuesday comes, and the coffeepot is dead. We go out and strike the deal in Target (read about it in the previous post) to call the whole thing Valentine's Day, therefore using that $100 budget.
When my booklight went out on Tuesday night, I discoverd the big red bucket of batteries under the counter was empty! So, Wednesday, I am looking through the CVS flyer and weighing my options. (If you do not know a serious CVSer, you would be shocked by how much they get for ridiculously low prices using the Extra Care Bucks system to it's full advantage.) I see the battery deal, the M&Ms deal, the Excedrin deal, top it all off with a Pull Ups coupon that expires on Saturday and formulate my plan. I spent $51 after my coupons, got 32 AA batteries, 4 AAA batteries, a Mega pack of Pull Ups, 2 big bags of M&Ms, and 2 boxes of Excedrin. I got back $22 in ECBs (Extra Care Bucks) that I hope to use to roll into other CVS deals. I pay the $51 out of the grocery/household budget and there is plenty of room for it, so I haven't gone over here.
Thursday, I am eyeing the grocery ads. I don't normally shop until Sunday or Monday, but they have chicken on sale for 77 cents a pound, limit 2. When I see a great deal like this, I usually split my grocery shopping into two trips so I can maximize. I'll admit that I'm also excited to use my new Seal a Meal to repackage the bulk chicken. So, it's off to HEB, where I spend about $20 out of the grocery/household budget. No big deal, it's all good. Right?
Thursday night, I come home for dinner and find this fantastic meal of Kung Pao Chicken, Sweet and Sour Chicken, dumplings and egg rolls. It was a fantastic dinner! It was budgeted! And yet, I didn't really enjoy it.
It had been days and days since I had a $0 day. I had now had 3 meals from a restuarant, gone shopping every single day, bought two appliances, and spent more to get free money at CVS? What in the world have I been thinking? Whoa! This was way too much like our previous lifestyle to make me comfortable.
I did get in a $0 day, today. So that helps a little, but dang it, I think I am going to feel this one for a while. I seem to be off track, and yet, it was all budgeted! I'll just have to keep sorting it all out in my head and learn my lesson. For now, I'll just take two Excedrin and go to bed.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Love, Romance, Dead Appliances, & No Buy
Alas, February is here and love is in the air. For me, it will always evoke certain images of a French skunk and his slightly misguided quest for amore. These days, it brought forth Monsieur LaPew as well as another dreaded holiday that costs money. When creating my February No Buy budget, I began to examine the ghosts of Valentine's Days past.
There is the year at the beginning of my marriage. It was a year when things were bad and Valentine's Day was looking to be impossible. But, alas, it brought me more love than I could imagine. My beautiful Miss Lissie dog appeared from out of thin air. She was broken, starved, and homeless. She gave me more love than I could have ever imagined and it would be hard to top that golden furry Valentine.
Just before DS's first Valentine's Day, I took several photos of him and my Miss Lissie dog. He sat upright in a stroller, dressed in a romper covered in hearts and she leaned in for a kiss. The picture was snapped just before the kiss and in the photo, she only has eyes for him. I made copies of the photo and sent them out to family in a Valentine's greeting. On the day that the postman took the greetings from the mailbox, my Miss Lissie died. It was eleven years to the week that she had come into my life. (Ah, I wish that I could put my hands on the photo disk to post the picture here. If I find it, I will certainly come back and edit it in.) I spent around $35 for photo prints, card supplies, and postage.
I sent out Valentine's the next couple of years. Last year, or maybe it was the year before, I made custom wrappers for large chocolate bars from photos and scrapbook paper. By the time I printed photos, bought chocolate bars and shipped them out, I had spent almost $50. And these are for family gifts, it doesn't include DH and DS.
So, this year, I couldn't quite decide what, if anything to budget. I picked $100 out of thin air, and grimaced. A Benjamin is quite a chunk of change, especially given the new lifestyle. I have a theory that sometimes goes awry with money: Set a budget to spend, and try not to hit it. Well, it never seems to work that way. It seems like if the money is alloted, it will get spent. I had hoped to get some sort of small Valentine's out to family from DS, get DH a little something, give him a little cash (and a list! Did you read my post about gifts?) to buy something for me, pick up a small coveted toy for DS, and spend a little more at the grocery store to make a fabulous dinner.
Then, the most beloved appliance in my house died yesterday. Certainly not the most work-centric appliance, but definitely the most loved... the coffeemaker. Oh, sure, I'd be up the creek without the washing machine, dryer, or dishwasher, I do not underestimate the amount of work these take from daily life. I have handwashed before and hung clothes on the line. I have spent plenty of hours in my life with my hands in soapy water at the sink. I cringe at the thought of any of the big appliances dying. But, the coffeemaker! *gasp*
I would like to say that we evaluated the situation before springing into action. I'd like to say that we sat down and thought about whether or not we needed a coffeemaker. But, we are serious coffee drinkers and we couldn't drag ourselves out of bed if we didn't know that there was a hot, fresh pot of java awaiting us. And, both of us take a thermos to work full of hot coffee to help stick to our No Buy. So, we jumped into the car and tore out for Target.
On the coffeemaker aisle, we trolled back and forth. We evaluated prices, and features. Our main consideration was the clock/timer feature that allows us to have fresh coffee when we wake up. We took a good look at the cheapest one. It was the same model that had just died, and it was new last December. So,yeah, cheaper isn't always better. Only after we had picked out the newest love in our life did we really discuss how we were paying for it. (I did bring my cookie jar stash of unspent allowance.) Then, we realized that we were one aisle over from the Seal-a-Meal that was at the top of my Valentine's wish list. So, we picked it up as well, added DS a new package of Cars and called it Valentine's Day.
The total: $98. Is it romantic? Does it show love? Well, this morning, I totally loved my fresh coffee that DH made by setting up the coffeemaker before he left for work. So, yeah, in my house it is!
There is the year at the beginning of my marriage. It was a year when things were bad and Valentine's Day was looking to be impossible. But, alas, it brought me more love than I could imagine. My beautiful Miss Lissie dog appeared from out of thin air. She was broken, starved, and homeless. She gave me more love than I could have ever imagined and it would be hard to top that golden furry Valentine.
Just before DS's first Valentine's Day, I took several photos of him and my Miss Lissie dog. He sat upright in a stroller, dressed in a romper covered in hearts and she leaned in for a kiss. The picture was snapped just before the kiss and in the photo, she only has eyes for him. I made copies of the photo and sent them out to family in a Valentine's greeting. On the day that the postman took the greetings from the mailbox, my Miss Lissie died. It was eleven years to the week that she had come into my life. (Ah, I wish that I could put my hands on the photo disk to post the picture here. If I find it, I will certainly come back and edit it in.) I spent around $35 for photo prints, card supplies, and postage.
I sent out Valentine's the next couple of years. Last year, or maybe it was the year before, I made custom wrappers for large chocolate bars from photos and scrapbook paper. By the time I printed photos, bought chocolate bars and shipped them out, I had spent almost $50. And these are for family gifts, it doesn't include DH and DS.
So, this year, I couldn't quite decide what, if anything to budget. I picked $100 out of thin air, and grimaced. A Benjamin is quite a chunk of change, especially given the new lifestyle. I have a theory that sometimes goes awry with money: Set a budget to spend, and try not to hit it. Well, it never seems to work that way. It seems like if the money is alloted, it will get spent. I had hoped to get some sort of small Valentine's out to family from DS, get DH a little something, give him a little cash (and a list! Did you read my post about gifts?) to buy something for me, pick up a small coveted toy for DS, and spend a little more at the grocery store to make a fabulous dinner.
Then, the most beloved appliance in my house died yesterday. Certainly not the most work-centric appliance, but definitely the most loved... the coffeemaker. Oh, sure, I'd be up the creek without the washing machine, dryer, or dishwasher, I do not underestimate the amount of work these take from daily life. I have handwashed before and hung clothes on the line. I have spent plenty of hours in my life with my hands in soapy water at the sink. I cringe at the thought of any of the big appliances dying. But, the coffeemaker! *gasp*
I would like to say that we evaluated the situation before springing into action. I'd like to say that we sat down and thought about whether or not we needed a coffeemaker. But, we are serious coffee drinkers and we couldn't drag ourselves out of bed if we didn't know that there was a hot, fresh pot of java awaiting us. And, both of us take a thermos to work full of hot coffee to help stick to our No Buy. So, we jumped into the car and tore out for Target.
On the coffeemaker aisle, we trolled back and forth. We evaluated prices, and features. Our main consideration was the clock/timer feature that allows us to have fresh coffee when we wake up. We took a good look at the cheapest one. It was the same model that had just died, and it was new last December. So,yeah, cheaper isn't always better. Only after we had picked out the newest love in our life did we really discuss how we were paying for it. (I did bring my cookie jar stash of unspent allowance.) Then, we realized that we were one aisle over from the Seal-a-Meal that was at the top of my Valentine's wish list. So, we picked it up as well, added DS a new package of Cars and called it Valentine's Day.
The total: $98. Is it romantic? Does it show love? Well, this morning, I totally loved my fresh coffee that DH made by setting up the coffeemaker before he left for work. So, yeah, in my house it is!
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Gifts: Cheap or Frugal?
I've been pondering this question for the last day or so. Where is the line between being cheap and being frugal? I asked the opossum, as it was on the front porch when I came in tonight. It only shuffled away into the bushes. No help there.
DH has a co-worker that is great. He gives DH gifts on his birthday, at Christmas, and even brought DH a present when he went to Vietnam last fall. His birthday is coming up on Monday and DH wanted to give him something tomorrow. So, I baked him a cake and bought him a Sudoku book. DH believes he would enjoy Sudoku and he has lots of free time in the evenings. But, am I just being cheap?
I would like to think that the time and effort of a homemade cake would make up for the amount of money spent and DH was pretty thoughtful on the Sudoku. But, does that count? It is a two layered chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting, does that help the case? I would like to think that it does.
Gifts make me crazy anyway. I love to buy things for other people and am usually very considerate of what a person would really like. I search through conversations and try to remember something they have mentioned wanting. I love wrapping gifts and am very careful to select a pretty ribbon or bow. I like the box to be just as special as the present. It's my inner Martha Stewart, I know.
Getting gifts is another thing altogether for me. Yes, I do like them. Who doesn't like a present? But, I'm not very big on surprises. Oddly enough, this only occured to me a few years back. I mentioned it to Michael on the phone and he was like, DUH! (Hey, babe, what else haven't you told me about me?) I don't want anything I have to dust, and practical is fine, if not preferred, as long as it is something that I'll really use. It may be childish of me, but I get very sad if I get a present that I'll never use.
So, I have no real answer. However, if someone wanted to bake me a really good two layered chocolate cake and give me a new Sudoku book, I'd be pretty happy.
Homelife:
We're planning a trip to the Houston Zoo on Monday. I'm very excited as DS has been going on and on about his zoo trip last November. We'll go down with my parent's and get dropped off there while my Dad goes to see his specialist. I know we'll spend a bit of money and have two meals out, but it'll be worth it. We had no fling days in January and I've budgeted it all. I hope to have Tee's (my sister) old camera out and set up so we can have some new pics. It would be great to have a recent one to post.
At the bookstore:
If you are standing in front of the correct bookcase and are looking straight at them and can't find them, do you really need an LSAT study book?
Current reading:
Same vampire trash, and Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki
DH has a co-worker that is great. He gives DH gifts on his birthday, at Christmas, and even brought DH a present when he went to Vietnam last fall. His birthday is coming up on Monday and DH wanted to give him something tomorrow. So, I baked him a cake and bought him a Sudoku book. DH believes he would enjoy Sudoku and he has lots of free time in the evenings. But, am I just being cheap?
I would like to think that the time and effort of a homemade cake would make up for the amount of money spent and DH was pretty thoughtful on the Sudoku. But, does that count? It is a two layered chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting, does that help the case? I would like to think that it does.
Gifts make me crazy anyway. I love to buy things for other people and am usually very considerate of what a person would really like. I search through conversations and try to remember something they have mentioned wanting. I love wrapping gifts and am very careful to select a pretty ribbon or bow. I like the box to be just as special as the present. It's my inner Martha Stewart, I know.
Getting gifts is another thing altogether for me. Yes, I do like them. Who doesn't like a present? But, I'm not very big on surprises. Oddly enough, this only occured to me a few years back. I mentioned it to Michael on the phone and he was like, DUH! (Hey, babe, what else haven't you told me about me?) I don't want anything I have to dust, and practical is fine, if not preferred, as long as it is something that I'll really use. It may be childish of me, but I get very sad if I get a present that I'll never use.
So, I have no real answer. However, if someone wanted to bake me a really good two layered chocolate cake and give me a new Sudoku book, I'd be pretty happy.
Homelife:
We're planning a trip to the Houston Zoo on Monday. I'm very excited as DS has been going on and on about his zoo trip last November. We'll go down with my parent's and get dropped off there while my Dad goes to see his specialist. I know we'll spend a bit of money and have two meals out, but it'll be worth it. We had no fling days in January and I've budgeted it all. I hope to have Tee's (my sister) old camera out and set up so we can have some new pics. It would be great to have a recent one to post.
At the bookstore:
If you are standing in front of the correct bookcase and are looking straight at them and can't find them, do you really need an LSAT study book?
Current reading:
Same vampire trash, and Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki
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