Friday, February 21, 2014

Weekly Spending Report 2.21.14 and How do I keep my Grocery bill down?

It's that time again in which I report my weekly expenditures.

Groceries: $78.28
Gas for me: $52.66 (darn car!)
Gas for husband: $29.91
Internet: $48.43
Electric: $159.51
Basal Body Thermometer: $8.95
(for future Natural family planning- did not want a used thermometer)
Milkshakes with son @ Pennsylvania Dutch Farm Market : $9.01
Take out: $13.77 (this was husband's but I ate some of it)
Birthday Gift (cash) : $50.00
Total:  $450.52

We had some extra money so I paid up my electric bill and internet for the next month!

I have had people ask me how I keep my grocery bill down low. Well, we usually get take out once a week-  I won't lie. I have a 3 month old baby and I still have one foot in that "newborn survival" mode. Which also brings up the point that even though we are a family of 4, one of those members exclusively breastfeeds, so I am not actually buying any food for him.

My husband is celiac (gluten free) and my son eats about 5 different things (literally). I was a vegetarian for a long time but now do have the occasional fish and fowl (the gluten free/meat free thing can get hard- I can only handle so many beans.)

I would say the most savings come from not going to the store unless I absolutely have too. I will eat out of the pantry/fridge/freezer until things are bare (I am Old Mother Hubbard here). Not going to the store automatically means you will not spend money. This sometimes means husband and son have to suck it up and eat boring stuff, and the same stuff over and over.

I usually go to the store once a week. Before I go, I check the pantry and the sale flyer for whatever store I am going to (I do not go to more than one store. I have no interest in driving to more than once place with a baby and/or kid). I then plan 4 meals with a day for leftovers. I tend to improvise with recipes and substitute things i already have on hand.

I also do not use coupons unless someone gives me one. I do not get a newspaper and right now do not have time to look for deals. I buy store brands or whatever is cheapest.

I do not buy much packaged food, and a lot of times I do not buy organic. I prioritize organic by what we can afford in this order:

1.) Meat (if we cannot afford it I skip the meat)
2.) Milk
3.) Produce

I do not buy beverages other than milk and coffee. My son takes a water bottle to school. At home he likes to have "vanilla milk", which I make by adding a teaspoon of vanilla extract and a teaspoon of sugar to his milk.

What are some things I buy? -

-dried beans/peas
-brown rice
-canned tuna/salmon
-milk
-cheese
-GF pasta
-popcorn kernels that we pop on the stove
-nuts
 -frozen fruit/vegetables
-fresh produce that is on sale

For one of our first Christmas's together my husband gave me a bunch of herbs and spices. I loved that, and since then I just buy them as they run out.

I get some weird thrill in spending as little as possible and making do a long as we can. I also do not enjoy going to the store (especially in this wintery weather).

Anyway, that's all I've got for today.

Have a great weekend!

Katie


Saturday, February 15, 2014

Weekly Spending Report 2.14.14, First Breech of The Compact, Botched Take out Goal

I didn't have the chance to get this up yesterday. I had my first breech of the compact this week- i purchased a "Character Badges" behavior chart kit for my older son (we have been having some issues with behavior, and have yet to find a discipline system that works. I do not believe in any type of corporal punishment.)

Here is the breakdown for the week:

10.00 Character Badges Program
53.60 Groceries
20.00 Church
30.15 Husband Gasoline
45.00 Sushi- my husband got a sushi dinner for us for Valentine's day. I guess I didn't tell him my goal was $25 on take out this month.  Oops.

Total: 158.75

We live in the area of the US that is getting slammed by ice and snow. Fortunately we did not lose power for very long!

Have a great weekend!

Katie




Wednesday, February 12, 2014

What I 'm Reading 2.11.14

What I'm Reading this week :

I enjoyed this article a lot about respecting other people and their beliefs/cultures:

Respect by Lorilee Lippincott @ Loving Simple Living

And this:

Why you need to stop judging and put on love by Emily Mclements @ Live Renewed

This article made me think WTF? (and I don't mean why the face) We crapped up our planet and now we are going to crap up the moon?

It's happened, we've outgrown the Earth by Lois Field @ Living Simply Free

And as always, some humor:

Homeless, Hipster, or Redneck? A Guide to Distinguishing the Younger Generation by Kristen Howertown @ Rage Against the Minivan


That's all for now.

Peace,

Katie


Tuesday, February 11, 2014

More Things We Do that Seem Normal to us but has Friends and Family Members thinking we are Not...

Hi! This is a spin off this post I wrote a while ago about the things that have become habit here at my house (like not watching tv and not using paper towels) but have our friends and family scratching there head and talking about us as "odd"and "eco freaks"..

(Just as a side note, people tend to think we are deprived. I don't really picture myself as that. Not to mention, I am actually kind of lazy.)

1.) Social Media

Other than this blog, I don't participate in any social media. (Unless email counts?) I had a facebook, but to be honest I didn't find it useful. It contributed to my dissatisfaction with my life. And I've never had a twitter. I will never forget the first time we had a friend over who was talking about twittering something, and my husband and I assumed "twittering"was some kind of sexual slang.. I guess we are getting old. (My husband has a facebook.)

2.) Wash and Re-use plastic bags

Yeah, I know plastic isn't that great. But if I buy something that comes in a plastic bag I am going to try to use it rather than sending it straight to the trash. We have a hook in the kitchen that is meant for hanging paper towels, but since we don't use paper towels it has become my plastic bag dryer. I just hang the bag on it. People really seem to think this is weird. (And you get this odd sort of pity that maybe you are so poor you can't afford a box of Ziploc.)

3.) Cloth Diapers

I get a lot of questions about this. The first I always get asked is if I use a diaper service. This puzzles me. I think that this would negate the savings/environmental impact of using cloth if I paid someone to come in a truck, haul the diapers away, wash them, and bring them back.

Really, as I said, I am kind of lazy and I do not find cloth diapers to be difficult. I use Fuzzi Bunz Pocket diapers and wipes. I keep a bag in the bathroom where I put the dirty diapers, and I wash them about every other day. Washing them is not hard. First, I run them on a cold rinse, then I add soap and wash them in warm water. Then I toss them in the dryer (when it isn't 4 degrees out maybe I'll even line dry them).

4.) I don't wash my clothes

Well, unless them smell bad. Or have stains on them. But, I wear them a lot before I wash them, and if they get a small spot I will use a rag and just scrub that spot. This is pure laziness disguised as eco-friendly.

I just want to share these things because it really isn't that hard to make changes. If I can do it, so can you. :)

Katie



Friday, February 7, 2014

Weekly Spending Report 2.7.14, What do you keep your thermostat on?

It's a new month! I decided to be a little more specific in my money breakdown categories, so you can get and idea of where all the money is going, and what areas I am trying to target to spend less.
Just how little can a family of 4 in the Northeastern United States live on comfortably? I am set out to see!

I want to add also that we found out my son qualifies for reduced lunch at school. I am unsure whether or not we will use this benefit. Most of the time I pack my son's lunch anyway.

So here is the breakdown:

$900.00 - housing
$169.56- Electric - That is a doozy. In the summer I had it down to 100.00.
$584.00- Heating Oil - we have had an unusually cold winter and I had the tank filled. Ouch!
$20.00- Church
$121.05- Groceries
$49.50- Gasoline for Car
$20.00- Kid 1 School Fundraiser
$10.00-Take out
$41.90- The Honest Company Cleaning Bundle

Total for Week One:
 $1916. 11

Wow! The total for the first week is almost my total for all of last month. The Heating oil really did us in. I am hoping that that is it for the winter, but since out temperatures have been so low, who knows? We keep our thermostat set at 67*Fahrenheit during the day, and 65 at night. We used to keep it lower, but with the baby we have had to bump it up a little.
 In the summer, I set it at 80. We do not have central air conditioning but do have window boxes. This year I am thinking of only having the boxes in the bedrooms, and toughing it out for the rest of the house.

What temperature do you keep your house?

Have a great weekend!

Katie



Tuesday, February 4, 2014

What I'm Reading 2.4.14

Yesterday we had yet another snow day and kid 1 was home from school. I don't get much done when he's home, but we sure do have fun :)


So, what I'm reading:


Books:


1.) Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen


I am a big Jane Austen fan and I have not read this in a while. It is free on kindle!




2.) Pride, Prejudice, and Cheese Grits ( Jane Austen takes the South) by Mary Jane Hathaway





Being a big Jane Austen fan, I am always happy to read books based on hers. I downloaded this for free on kindle and I really enjoyed it.




3.) Believing God Day by Day: Growing your Faith all Year Long by Beth Moore







This was yet another free download on kindle. I like to have a daily devotional reading.






Blogs:


1.) Stupid vs Cancer @ The Art of Simple


This has become my mantra.


2.) Why I took my kid's toys away and why they won't them back @ Living Well Spending Less


I would love to do this. I am interested in how her kids developed more gratitude for the things they have after. We are struggling with gratitude and a big case of the "I want that" right now. I wonder if I could get my husband on board?


Happy Monday  Tuesday!


Katie












Saturday, February 1, 2014

Weekly Spending Report 1.31.14, January Spending Wrap Up, Goals For Next Month

Here's the Stats for Week 4:

24.00- Pizza Night
(1 regular pizza for me and kid 1, 1 gluten free for Mike)
21.00 - Bota Box Wine
I decided to try this, since it is equivalent to 4 bottles of wine and said it is good for a month. It isn't bad! (I only drink wine a glass or two at a time, so I like that it lasts long)
35.00- Church Stuff
32.00 - Fruit basket gift for my aunt and uncle
92.72- Groceries
53.00- Gas (oh! that darn car!)
20.00 - Sushi take out ( I had an attack of laziness and didn't make dinner)

Total For Week:
$277.72

The month of January has come to a close. Here is my total spending for the month:
$2158.34

That is pretty low for a family of 4! Can I get it lower? This month I am going to try to focus lowering our take-out food bill- as that eats up a lot of our money (just last week alone we spent $44.00.) My challenge to myself is to spend no more than $25.00 next month. Challenge accepted!


 I want to add that my family has no debt. We have been blessed by generous family members, and smart parents who taught me how to be a good steward of our money. My husband received a small inheritance from his grandparents, which we used to pay off his student loan. My husband and I have budget meetings, we have one shared checking account and we make our financial decisions together. When we spend more than about $20 on something, we consult the other to get the "okay" on purchasing. This means there are no surprises on the bank statement at the end of the month (and unhappy spouses).

Have a great weekend!
(What will the groundhog say?? (for my US friends))

Katie