The Great Pumpkins

Both grown in my garden. One for you to eat, and one to eat you......

Budget check up - October/November

Food (includes eating out and groceries) budget goal for October was $375, and we came in at $369. WooHoo!
November we will try for $350. It shouldn't be too hard.

Fuel (car) for October was $69.87 but we didn't have a budget. I'm going to start budgeting it in November and see if we can get under $75 for the month. We fill up every Tuesday and that would work out to $15 per week (October averaged out to 17 per week). That might be a little tricky, especially if gas prices go up at all. And we have to go out of town a couple times this month. I guess we'll just have to see how it goes.

Link of the day - Soapnuts

Lavano.com
What did people use to wash before there was soap? I've heard of plants that produced soap suds before, but I never really thought about the fact that people still used them. Then someone on a message board I read posted the above link. This is fascinating to me, and I must try them.
From their website:

Imagine you could dispense with chemicals for washing your laundry and use a 100% natural, renewable primary product instead. This natural product would wash as effective as a normal detergent and would furthermore save you 50% of the costs.

Impossible...? No!

The natural product offering these clever and clear-cut advantages is the soapnut.

Soapnuts are not new: For hundreds of years, people in India and Nepal have been washing their laundry with soapnuts (botanic name "Sapindus Mukorosse"). The soapnuts' secret is simple but highly effective: Their shell contains a substance called "saponins" which works like soap when making contact with water

I'll get back to you on this once I get some and try them out. I'm easily amused, I know.

My First Hipster

Okay, so I wanted a Hipster PDA so bad, that I dragged Brent with me to Office Max that afternoon to buy the supplies. I love it. It's wonderful. It's so easy and convenient. It fits in my purse and it's not bulky and annoying. I'm hooked.

Persistence pays off

Persistence, or just blatent cheapass-ness. We haven't had a printer for more almost a year because we couldn't find the power cable. I called the printer manufacturer to price a new one and she said it would cost $40. Yeah, I'm not about to pay that. So we suffered. But I found it yesterday. Yay hurray! Now I just hope the ink is not dried up.

Happy Birthday, Tina!

My baby sister turned 24 today. Happy Birthday to her!!!!

Frugal Recipe - Taco Pizza

In Wisconsin, we have this thing called a Taco Pizza. I don't know of any other area that has these, but believe me, they're awesome. So delicious, that Brent wanted them at least once a week. At the pizza place, it costs $15 for a large. That's quite an expense, but some would argue that it is worth the price to enjoy its scrumptiousness. Maybe I could make them at home, I thought, and save a little cash. I called the pizza place to find out exactly what was on them, and set out on my experiment. The result was almost as good as the store version, and only cost about $6. Not my most frugal meal, but less than half the price of the take out version. So, give this recipe a try, and enjoy.

Makes one pizza.

All ingredients are to personal taste.

One pre baked crust (from the grocery store or homemade)
taco sauce
cooked ground beef
shredded cheese (chedder or 'taco')
sour cream
shredded lettuce
diced tomatoes
Dorito style chips (generic are best)

Spread the taco sauce on the crust - just enough to cover - not as much as the sauce on a regular pizza. Top with ground beef and cheese. Bake for 12 minutes at 350. After taking out of the oven, spread sour cream, sprinkle the shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes on top, then crush nacho chips over the whole pizza.

Pour more taco sauce on top for extra flavor.

Yummy!
Also tastes good without ground beef for all you vegetarians.

Winterizing Day Five

Well, I didn't really do much, but a lot of my ideas were shut down, so I'll post about that.

1. Started to (finally) install the meat package outlet insulators, only to find that they didn't fit. They were too thick, and the outlet cover wouldn't lay flush against the wall. Sad. I worked hard on those. Maybe I can fix them to make them work.

2. Wanted to shove bubble wrap between the storm windows and the inside windows, but we don't actually have any bubble wrap. I thought we had a ton, but I guess not.

3. Wanted to put up foam board on top of the basement windows, but we didn't have any of that either. Grrr.

4. I did actually cut up a pair of old jeans to put them on the window sills to block drafts. I only did two windows though.

5. Brent and I are still discussing what to do about one of our kitchen windows. It's only a single pane so we have to do something. We could just put that plastic window stuff up, but the cats like to sit on the table and look out the window, and I have no doubt that they would eat/scratch/lick/shred that plastic in less than a day. We could put an insulated curtain or shade on it, but I have yet to find one that is less than $40. I could probably sew an insulated cover of some sort, but I don't know if I'll ever get around to it. Maybe I could borrow my mom's sewing machine and just get it done in a day. I'll have to look for material today.

The most Frugal PDA you will ever find

Want to be cool and have a PDA like everyone else, but you can't afford the expense? Check out the Hipster PDA. I think I'm putting this on my Christmas list. Seriously.

Frugal Wednesday

Wednesday is my downtown errands day. I usually take the city bus, even though I'm not sure it's cheaper. I really enjoy the relaxing walk and seeing all the people and store fronts. Maybe I'll change when the weather gets colder, but for now it's good fresh air and exercise.

First place I went was the library to drop off a crapload of books. Then I went to the post office to mail two packages of some stuff I sold. I'm kind of pissed because one of them I undercharged and ended up losing $.50 on the deal. Not a huge amount, thankfully, but still annoying. Next I went to the bank where I paid some extra money towards our business loan (woohoo!). I walked past the farmer's market, but didn't stop. This week was the end of the season and I was kind of sad that I didn't need anything. I took the car last week so I could load up on all the heavy potatos and onions.
Next stop was the hardware store where I had to return a lightbulb that blew up immediatley when I plugged it in. They happily replaced it. I stopped at a thrift store and considered buying some old books to sell on eBay but I'm glad I didn't because I looked later and they were only going for about $5. I took a rest stop at a café where I had a coupon for a free dish of ice cream. Yummy.
Then back to the library, my favorite place. I rented two classic horror movies because Brent and my next 'date night' falls on Holloween. The last place I had to stop was the health food store. I didn't really want to go there because it was soooo far away, but it only ended up being a 12 minute walk from the bus station, so not bad. I'll have to check if the vitamins we like are at the closer health food store.
Then I went home. The whole excursion took about 2.5 hours. It was a little chilly, but sunny. Since the farmers market is over, I probably will not have to go every week and I will be able to pick the nicer days instead of being limited to Wednesday.

Last night was our church's Harvest Fesival. There were about 500 people (and a zillion four year olds dressed as princesses and supermans) and everyone appeared to be having a good time. I got in for free because I was a volunteer. And I got the best volunteer job of everyone there. I was one of the contest judges. There was a lego contest, a drawing contest, a writing contest, and a pie contest. Oh, yes, pie. [Homer Simpson] Mmmmmm Piiiiiiiiiiie *drool* [/Homer Simpson] Let me tell you, this was a difficult contest to judge. There were thirteen entries - which one had the sweetest taste, the creamiest texture, the flakiest crust? Such decisions. In the end, a nearly perfect Apple Crumb pie took the award. And I went home with a massive gut ache from eating so much dessert. But it was worth the sacrifice. :)

The Debt Wall Chart

Another debt reduction tip is to make a wall chart showing your progress. I admit, when I first heard this tip, I thought it was kind of kindergartenish, but I did it anyway. I really love it. All I did was take a piece of graph paper and write the numbers up the left side, and weekly dates across the bottom. Then, every week when I go to the bank to make a deposit, I make a new dot where the balance is and connect them. I was thinking about doing it in Excell, but I find I really like this old-school way of doing it. I took a picture of it with Brent's phone so you can see it. Note the crappy homemade Apple magnet holding it up. On the right side I was recording our grocery budget totals but I quit doing that and just kept it in Quicken.

I just wish the line was going down faster.....

Ah, bliss

Nothing's better than a Sunday afternoon to relax.

This week I've worked double my normal hours and had numerous other things keeping me busy. But now it's Sunday - the day of rest. Ah, bliss.

Today Brent and I went out to eat with a 10% off coupon and then went to Goodwill where I actually found some clothes (a rare occurance) - three shirts for $4 each. Now I just woke up from a nap and I'm cuddled on the couch with a blanket and a cat, eating homemade cookies and watching a free rented movie from the library. Wonderful.

Once you go Mac....

If you have ever had Mac lust, now is the time to buy. The company just came out with a bunch of new stuff and their refurbished section is full of lots of low-priced goodies.

Breakneck Debt Reduction

Brent and I used this method about a year ago when we had some credit card debt that we just couldn't catch up on....

First, sit down when you get paid with your checkbook and list of bills . Brent gets paid every week, so when I'd enter his paycheck into Quicken, that's when I'd plan the week out.
Look ahead at any bills you have due that week and get them out of the way. Then estimate how much you will need that week for groceries, gas, household things, etc. Mentally subtract this from your checkbook balance. After this, you may have $100 or so left in your account. If you're anything like me, you'll say to yourself, "Look, we have money - we can go out to eat, and to a movie, and buy a new pair of shoes!" Then when your debt bill comes in the mail, you'll be pissed because you have no money to pay it with, and you struggle just to make the minimum payment. So, instead of just letting that money sit in your account and tempt you, write out a check toward your debt. Then put it in an envelope and wait for the bill to come. If you do this once a week, by the time your bill comes, you will have three or four checks to give them - maybe even a couple of hundred dollars more than you usually pay.
It seems simple and easy, but it really works well. There are other ways of earmarking your excess money for debt repayment, but I find that actually writing out the check to be most effective. If you want the money back, you have to void the check and change your records around; just generally a pain to do.

Link of the Day

PeakOil.com
Not sure if I agree with the concept of peak oil. I'm on the fence still I guess. But, I have spent numerous hours lurking in their forums, which are full of creative ideas on energy conservation and money savings. Interesting reads, even if you don't agree.

No Boys Allowed!!!

Ladies, I present to you - the The Diva Cup! It's not a tampon, it's not a pad. Finally, there's a better way! From their website:

Back in the 1930's the innovative menstrual cup was invented as a form of internal feminine protection. The DivaCup™ is a modern version of this proven concept that has been redesigned with the latest technology in moulding and materials.
The DivaCup™ is an approved by the FDA (USA) and Health Canada. It is made of soft medical grade silicone, which is latex-free, 100% hypoallergenic and odorless. For over 50 years, silicone has been safely and extensively used in products for the health care industry.
Since The DivaCup™ is reusable, it is very economical. As well, you can feel confident that you are doing your part in environmental conservation. Landfill and pollution problems are on the rise and continue to be a worldwide concern. In 1998, 7 billion tampons and 13 billion sanitary pads and their packaging made their way into landfills and sewage systems in the USA alone!

I have had my Diva Cup for two months now, and I love it. It's easy, clean, and Brent will never have to run to the store for tampons again. I would recommend it to anyone.

How to Survive Without a Salary

We stopped at the library last night and I picked up a book - How to Survive Without a Salary. The premise of the book is how to live on low stress temp jobs instead of a stressful full time career. Not a lifestyle for everyone, but it gave some good ideas on how to live more conservatively. One idea that I found very helpful was that when you are faced with the problem, often the most widely used solution is the most expensive. When you look at the root of the problem, you are often able to find more creative (and less costly) ways to solve it. For example, the author's wife came to him and said she wanted to buy a clothes dryer. She had dried her clothes on the line for years and often commented on how much she liked it better than a dryer, so the author was surprised at this request. When he asked about the root problem, she said it was that in the winter, the clothes would sometimes take days to dry and then everyone would run out of clothes. He proposed the solution of buying more clothes. She said that would work, and they spent $100 in clothes instead of buying a $500 dryer.

Cheap Dates

Brent and I went out of town today on a cheap date. It was really a great time and nice to get away from home. Brent did a search online of Wisconsin Fun Facts, and found the Hamilton Wood Type Printing Museum which was free and very interesting. Then just a block away was the birthplace of the ice cream sundae and a small historical museum. On the way home we saw an antique car museum ($5 per couple) and a bakery with free tours, but we decided that it would be a good date for another day.

Homemade air filter

Brent has been having some trouble with his allergies lately, so I rigged up a homemade air filter thingy to clean up the air a little.

Basically I took a box fan and duct taped a heater vent filter (the anti allergy kind) to the back of it. When the air gets sucked into the fan, it has to go through the filter first. I got the idea from some allergy website - hopefully it helps.

The box fan I borrowed from my parents, so it was free, and the filter was $15 at the hardware store.

Not new, but not exactly used either

This tip comes from Brent:
When buying a larger ticket item (a computer for instance) that you don't want to buy used or from a possibly less than trustworthy website, you should try to buy it refurbished. Sometimes the company's webiste will advertise refurbished product, but sometimes you have to call the company directly and ask. Brent saved $500 buying a laptop this way.

Winterizing Day Four

- Bought and installed (well, asked my dad to install) a programmable thermostat. Out of all the things you can do to save energy in the winter, this is one of the biggest money savers. Ours cost $40 from Wal-Mart.
- Put child proof outlet covers on all the electrical outlets. On a windy day I put my hand in front of one of the outlets and was surprised to feel a very strong breeze coming right through the wall! Hopefully this will put an end to that.
- Cut out more outlet insulation from styrofoam meat trays. Maybe I will get around to putting these in tomorrow

Utility budgeting

Brent and I have decided against using the budget plan for our utilities. While using a budget plan is good because you are never surprised by a huge bill, you are also never surprised (and proud of your conservation efforts) when you get a super small bill. I would rather know exactly how much energy we are using so we can see if our energy saving attempts are making any effect. Also, if you get a big refund at the end of the year, that’s all well and good, but it means that the energy company has been keeping your money interest free. I can see how using a budget may be good if finances are very tight, or if you are on a fixed income, but we don't think that it's the best plan for us.

Back to normal

I'm feeling much better again today. Made it to work, anyway. I have to catch up on all the things I didn't do the past two days though, and I’m feeling a little overwhelmed. I just have to remember to take it easy because I'm still recovering. Brent and I went for a walk last night and I really think the fresh air helped.

I'm having a hard time deciding how far to go on our winterizing project, mostly because we don't own the house that we are living in right now. If we owned it, I'd be much quicker to drop large amounts of money on things that would take years before we were paid back in savings. As it is, the landlord has given us pretty much free reign to make any permanent changes that we want, as long as they are improvments. And I'd love to make changes to this house - we don't know how long we'll be living here, and of course the next residents will benefit. Plus, we're renting from our church, so anything we do to improve this house is improving the church. But we have to draw the line somewhere. I guess we'll just focus on the little things first, and someday maybe we'll look into the bigger investments.

*groan*

Or not feeling better....
My cold went away, but now I have the flu. Argh! I had to take off work today - no sick pay. :(

But Brent bought me flowers, which was so thoughtful. I should be better by tomorrow.

Feeling better

Well, I took some of this stuff yesterday and I am feeling so much better.

Brent and I did some online shopping yesterday, but not much. We called all of our family members to ask them what the wanted and they hadn't thought about it yet. We made our lists out though and that was fun. It was a nice day to laze around.

Prevention is the best medicine

Link of the day:
Seven Healing Foods to Fight Colds and Flu
I'm starting to feel a little sniffly lately so I'll be making some of these things this week.

Finally Monday!

What a crazy busy weekend. Brent's and my weekends are busier than the weekdays. Monday is Brent's day off, so I take that for my resting day too. I think we are going to go "Christmas shopping" online today and figure out what to buy for everyone so we can spread out the expense and not buy everything the last week before Christmas and break our budget.

We went to a friend's house for dinner on Saturday. Previously we would go out for dinner with a big group of friends on Saturday night after church, and then go out with the same group on Sunday after church. So now we're making an effort to go to each other's houses instead to save us all some cash. It was a lot of fun. Next week Brent and I are hosting, and I think I will make lasagna.

Another friend told us that the canvas on his camping chair had ripped and he was going to throw it away, so I offered to sew it for him, but he said we could just keep it. Free stuff is cool.

The days are getting colder here. It has been in the mid-50s during the day and dropping to low 40s at night. There was frost on the ground the other morning. We only first turned on our heater last night and set it at 60F so it wouldn’t get too frigid. Then I turned it off in the morning. The days have been sunny, so we open the curtains on our big picture window and it lets a lot of heat in. Yesterday by the time the sun went down it was 70F in the living room - very comfortable. But when the sun finally disappeared, we could really feel the temperature drop.

Winterization Day Three
- Brought up winter clothes from the basement
- Changed our heater filter. Evidentally we should be doing this every 1-3 months - we haven't changed it the entire two years we have lived here! I had no idea that we were supposed to! The old filter was about an inch thick with dust and crap (not to mention the hole from when the cat fell down the heater vent and tried to chew his way out through the filter). It's no wonder that Brent's allergies acted up so violently when we turned the heater on.

Baby, it's cold outside!

First real day of fall here - the temps were in the high fortys all day. Nice and toasty here though with our living room curtains open and the sun shining in!


Winterization Day Two
- Turned all the fans to clockwise
- Put the storm door up (had to bribe a neighbor with a peanut butter sandwich to help me with this one)
- Washed the front picture window to let in the maximum of solary goodness
- Covered the air conditioner

Morning report

Inside temp before bed - 68F
Inside temp in the morning - 63F
Outside temp in the morning - 43F

Link o' the day:
http://www.hammerzone.com/index.html - Better Living through Handymanlyness
Nice site with instructions on home repair and renovations - some tips for increasing energy efficiency

Wecome to my web journal

My husband (Brent) and I are in a stage of our lives where we have to cut back quite a bit on our finances. I know there are many others in the same boat as us, and maybe through documenting our journey, we can help you on yours.


Winterization Day One
- Shut all the storm windows - seems small and silly, but last year we forgot until mid-winter
- Discussed with Brent about what kind of window covering to use to increase insulation. We have tentatively decided on custom cut styrofoam slabs.

Also, today I measured how much our shower faucet used per minute. I figured 1.5 gallons per minute, which is really good, actually. I really want to get a better one to save even more water, but it's not at the top of my list.