Mmm nothing interesting here.

Not much going on around here lately, and I must say thats a good thing. I've been non-stop for the past two months and some down time is much needed. I only wish my exausted husband could get some as well! I've been staying out of the stores, but will be heading off to do my drugstore shopping tomorrow. We did switch our cell phone plan to another carrier saving us $80 a month. We would have saved another $20 a month if we hadn't added 1000 text messages per line. But dh and I text all day long, and its well worth it to us. He works such long hours (occasionally from 5am till 8pm) that we need it to keep in touch. And its fun! My phone will be $50 after rebate, his will be $100. He has a $20 phone right now but we will switch it for a tough phone with better service. Staying home is wonderful.

Tax rebate

Hubby and I can expect to get about $1,200 from the rebate check. What to do with it? Normally I would pay off a debt or save it. But my husband will be re-enlisting in a few months and at that time we will pay off all our debt except the house. Since we have very little non-mortgage debt there will be plenty of money left over for a motorcycle (for DH) and money to save for an adoption. Not to mention we will get our tax rebate back around then too. We need some work done on the house, but nothing extensive.

So, what to do with that chunk of cash? A vacation would be really lovely, we haven't been on a long vacation for a year and a half. We're going to a family reunion in April, but we wont be paying for a lot of that and its not very relaxing. Besides a vacation I would truly *love* to go on a thousand dollar shopping spree. I know its not frugal, or wise. I know that it would be smart to save the money. I do love saving. But. . . Being frugal sometimes means denying yourself the things you want. Being an adult means choosing whats best over whats fun. I do it all the time. Wouldn't it be fun to pick the irresponsible option? The do what you want instead of what you should do option? To buy every little item that catches your eye no matter what the price tag?

A girl can dream. However if you'll excuse me I have a room to clean out and a house to spruce up. That romance novel and warm blanket will have to wait.

Rite aid update

I just checked my rebate status (I do my rite aid rebates online)and I did get the $2 light bulb rebate. Awesome! Today I have a ton of cleaning/prep to do because my two best friends are comming up tomorrow to stay the night. I want to make a walgreens run at some point to see how much make-up I can score. I adore money saving mom!

Rite Aid deals

1 pack 100watt light bulbs $2 (free after rebate)normally $4.59
2 cans glade air freshner $2.58 ($1.29 after bogo free coupon) normally $3.38
1 citre shine $3.49 (free after rebate) normally $4.99
1 luminous glaze $7.99 (free after rebate) normally $9.99
diapermate disposable bags $2.49 (free after rebate) normally $2.99
1 lansinoh cloths free after in store coupon normally $3.99
1 healthy flu relief $6.99 (free after rebate) normally $9.99
1 juicy fruit gum pack free after $1 coupon normally .99 cents
Bounty paper towels .99 (.75 after .25 coupon) normally $1.69
2 sunsilk bonus packs $6 (4.50 after $1.50 coupon) normally $8.98
1 organic conditioner $5.99 (free after rebate) normally $7.99

Total before deals $60.56
Total after sales $43.51
Total after coupons $35.51
Total after rebates $8.56

Woah! Thats a lot of stuff for $8.56. I love collecting baby items as they are on sale/very cheap. That way when we get a foster baby I'll already have some things on hand. I messed up the light bulb rebate, you need to purchase 2 to get the rebate and I only bought one. We use energy saving bulbs almost everywhere but they dont work in our bathroom and a few of the lamps.

Cheap? Frugal? Crazy?

Frugal is: Using less laundry detergent then the makers suggest.

Cheap is: Cleaning up the spilled laundry detergent with a wet already dirty rag that you promptly throw into the washer to use as detergent for the washer load.

No personal experience with this what so ever! Noooo not me!

Lazy saturday? Ha!

Yesterday I planned on being a big bum. Dh and I were going to stay home all day, lounge in pjs and just relax. My plan was to read in bed all day. When I woke up Saturday morning I jumped onto my bloglines to see what had been posted. Money saving mom had posted a link to another blog's safeway deals. What a haul! It was too good to ignore, I had to go! I had neglected my coupons for TWO WEEKS. Which meant I spent a large chunk of the day clipping, organizing and planning my attack. I worked at the best deals combined with the coupons I had, making a list for each transaction. We ended up doing two, since I had dh doing his own I put each transaction's shopping list and coupons in its own baggy.

My transaction
Before sales and coupons: $41.21
After sales: $21.50
After $10 off 10 deal: $11.50
After coupons: $5.60

Hubby's transaction
Before sales and coupons: $38.34
After sales: $24.04
After $10 off 10 deal: $14.04
After coupons $10.29

That is $79.55 worth of groceries for $15.89
WOW! I LOVE moneysaving mom! And the new blog is going on my bloglines. I cant tell you how many times reading frugal blogs has saved me money, especially moneysavingmom in particular!



I'm not going to make a list, so here's a picture of the goods.

My spending plan

Last night we picked up our Costco groceries, butter, cheese, etc. When I spotted and loudly gasped at their very soft body pillows. I had purchased one more then 2 years ago but now it was flat and not fluffy soft. I had been looking and waiting for another one for a few months now. However this is the first time Costco had them in stock! And they were on sale $9.99 instead of $14.99! Ohhhhh! But we're trying to save money, spend less. . oh but so soft and fluffy! I'm quite sure DH knew this inner monologue was going on because he said 'Oh just get it! You know your going to regret not buying it!' Love him! Had I been alone i probably would have been good and walked away, but reported my find to him later.

That's how our money gets spent, a spouse finds something they want and the other spouse encourages the first one to buy it. We both want each other to be happy, and we certainly don't want to bum the other one out so we encourage the purchase. But its not helpful to our bank balance, and it need to be curtailed somewhat. My plan to spend less is:

Shop alone: When I do a rite aid or Walgreen's coupon hunt Dh goes off and looks at things by himself. Sometimes that adds a few items to the cart. Especially if we go to a department store or mass retailer. However the problem with this is its hard for me to get the car. One or two days a week I need to make sure I have the car and that I don't let other things side track my shopping. Plus dh does not want to shop when he gets home from work, he would rather stay home and relax. If I go he wants to be with me so he comes too, I need to get it done when he's at work.


Thrift stores: For some reason we've gotten out of this habit, I'm not sure why. But we both enjoy shopping at thrift stores and its much cheaper for the pocket book. I want to very seriously consider every non-sale purchase there. Its easy to brush it off and say oh 'well its only $6, the thrift store is already so cheap' but the truth is they generally have great sale merchandise. Why spend $6 when I can get it half off? We don't buy under ware, shoes, or pants at the thrift store but everything else is game.

Keep track of money, OUT LOUD: Dh does not pay attention when I tell him at the start of the two weeks that we have X amount of money to last. He doesn't subtract money spent from the total. I need to keep a more accurate running total and constantly update him.

Stop eating out: We tend to be on the go a lot and generally grab meals while we're out. This is unhealthy and expensive. I need to get a better list of meals that can be prepared without knowing exactly when hubby will be home. I love to cook, he loves to eat my cooking and its better for us. NO EXCUSES! However we did allow one meal out per week.

Buy things that matter to us: I can tell you very few purchases from the past two weeks, yet I know we spent a ton of money. I want to stop buying the kind of items we can't remember and just buy the ones we do. At the thrift store. On sale!

We used to be really good on all these points but as we became good at them our available money increased and gradually we lost the habit. I like being frugal. I like really appreciating the 'small' treats. Its time to go back to our penny pinching ways!

Now if you'll excuse me I have a very very soft pillow to stroke, I mean cuddle. :)

Thrift store finds

Isn't this cute? No not the cranky calico, although she is adorable! I'm taking about the sheet. I picked it up at good will a few days ago. It had a pink tag on $1.29 pink tag day.


Close up shot:

I grabbed it from the sheet section. Dh threw it in the washer for me. Yesterday I went to fold the dry, clean 'sheet' only to find that it is in fact a tab top curtain panel! Whoops! I already have blue (tab top no less) curtains in the nursery, they were the curtains from my bedroom in college. I'm considering putting this one up between the two blues. They are not the same color but I think it might work anyways.

We picked up a lot of good stuff there, including 2 soft pink tagged shirts one for me and dh. He bought a new feeling fleece that he LOVES for $5.99. The dogs got a 'new' football for $2.99. We only buy them cheap toys, they are toy killers! I love shopping the thrift store its such an adventure. Sure you may not find the black pants that you need, but you might find a really great sweater or a new kitchen gadget.

Cake decorating class

I'm having so much fun! The ladies in my class are very nice and the instructor is crazy. Not to mention, YUM! My husband loved my cake. I made a (scratch) yellow cake with chocolate buttercream frosting, then decorated with mint and vanilla buttercream frosting. I was the only one that made different colors and flavors of frosting. I figure since I'm doing it I might as well make it interesting. I'm also the only one who made a scratch cake. Everyone has a kitchen aid mixer, which makes baking from scratch very easy. I wonder how much I save baking a scratch cake instead of a mix. My (frugal isn't that wonderful?) instructor buys cake mix at Grocery Outlet for .99 a box. I'm tempted to compute the price of a scratch cake! But i have all the needed ingredients in my pantry and I don't remember their individual prices. However if I need more I think I'll price everything out. Because I'm just that nerdy!

My cake was not a work of art! But its the first one so I don't intend to beat myself up about it. We needed 3 batches of frosting, stiff, medium, and thin. My medium frosting was the constancy of thick! I have plenty of frosting for a few classes. I made 4 batches of thin (accident!), 1 of medium (which is now stiff), 1 of stiff. I do need to make another batch of medium. The instructor drew the design on my cake, a simple 4 leaf flower. I filled it in with yellow, then outlined in orange. When my husband saw the cake he got very excited and said 'Is that a propeller??' lol sure honey. Like I said I dont mind that this one is not a masterpiece I had lots of fun making it and I really enjoy eatting it!

More cake decorating supplies

I spent another $14.42 at Michael's

Cake circles 12" $5.49 - 40% off coupon $3.29
100 ct disposable bags $19.99 - 50% off coupon $9.99

Yesterday I spend another $9 at the dollar store on toothpicks, 2 sets of Rubbermaid tag a longs, 2 containers for frosting, parchment paper, gallon sized Ziploc bags, sandwich bags, and sisors.

Today I bought two spreading spatulas for $1 total at the thrift store. we went to the thrift store first then to the craft store. Dh was looking at the cake decorating supplies sighing over the prices, when he spotted the spatulas we had just bought for $4 each. It seemed to cheer him a little, he said 'at least we aren't spending $8 for spatulas!'

A few days ago i bought meringue powder, flavoring, and coloring for $9.44

Which brings my total for supplies to $62.42! OUCH! Thank goodness I've been using coupons or it would be a lot more!

Kitchen Aid stand mixer! Woo!

I managed to blow out my hand mixer last week. Normally I would shop around for a replacement while waiting for a good price. But I needed one to make the 3 batches butter cream frosting required for class. My instructor said blowing out a hand mixer was a common problem when making icing. Dh and I talked it over and decided now was the time to invest in a stand mixer. I LOVE it! I wanted blue but all my appliances are white or black. I'm not a fan of white appliances because they yellow with age. Black it is.

Can I just tell you how thrilled I am with it? I have wanted one forever but in till this kitchen did not have room for one. Once we bought the house funds became too strained to purchase it without planning. We bought ours at the nex for $236 and we will have a credit of $23 on the card statement making the total $213 no tax on base. The same model was $300 at sears on sale for $280 plus tax. I have $140 saved. That means only $73 will come out of the family budget. My husband had said I could have $150 towards the purchase but I was waiting till next month to buy it. I got exactly what I wanted, for less then hubby said I could spend!

Who can afford to shop retail??

Yesterday I want to Jcpennys to spend some of my gift card. I was in need of panties! Of course being me I headed straight to clearance sections and didn't give the 'sale' racks a second glance. I ended up finding 9 pairs I liked. I spent $22.31 on 9 pairs. Full price total was $69!!!! Oh my! Who can afford to blow $69 on a little more then a weeks worth of underwear? At the same time I found 2 clearance bras for $11.19 each or $22.38 total. Full price for the bras are $28 or $56 total! If I had paid full price for 2 bras, and 9 pairs of panties I would have paid $125! That's a lot of money for underwear!

After I picked out the undergarments I headed to the ladies clothing racks. I found a beautiful white cardigan for $15.99 very thick and warm normally $44. I also found 2 wrap around long sleeve shirts for $7.99 each normally $22 each. Had I spent retail for all of my purchases it would have cost me $213. That's my monthly grocery budget! I cant believe how expensive everything is getting. Even on sale for 50% off (which is a rare sale) everything would have been $106.50. I paid $76.60.

Jcpenny is a department store I would consider moderate, cheaper then Macys and more expensive then Target. But it seems like their prices are getting to be outrageous. Maybe its not that the department store prices are going up? Maybe I'm just so used to buying used/deeply discounted that pure retail is totally shocking? I love quality clothing, but there is no way I can afford to spend $213 on 2 shirts, a cardigan, 2 bras, and 9 pairs of panties. Its a good thing I have an eye for clearance, since I'm not about to buy second hand panties!

Cake decorating class

It seems my $10 student kick was far too low cost to be my only supplies. I had a feeling I would need a few more items but in actuality I need quite a bit more! I spent another $18.18 and I estimate I only have half the things I need.

I bought
piping gel $3.49
Cake Leveler $2.99
4pc coupler set $1.99
2 packs clearance holiday baking cups $1.58

Total $10.05
- 10% student discount
+ tax
Final $9.72

My expensive purchase was my turn table. They had a plain model for $8.99, or a non-slip footed model for $12.99. I had a 40% off coupon to use. The basic model would be $5.39 after coupon my instructor says she puts a wet towel under hers to keep it from slipping. The footed model was $7.79 after coupon no towel needed. That's a difference of $2.40 for a model I like much better. I'm just fine with that. Total after tax $8.46.

I need meringue powder, cardboard cake serving boards, flavorings, disposable bags, pointed scissors, tooth pick holder, a ton of shortening, powdered sugar, and 3 small lidded bowls. I'll going back to the craft store a few times to buy things with coupons. I'm thinking Costco for the shortening and powdered sugar. I already have some Wilton coloring, those colors will do just fine for the next week at least. My husband offered me a plastic tool box to carry everything in, and since this is a week when every penny matters I'm going to accept. I'm hoping that the next class wont be as costly supply wise because I'll have the main stuff. In the mean time this one looks like a lot of fun!

After christmas sale

My base's store (called NEX) was clearancing out a bunch of Christmas stuff. I saw CARTS filled to the brim with gift sets! I bought two of these lotions sets. They were originally marked $18 each!!! Can you imagine?? I paid $9 for both!

I also picked up 2 foot care sets. Normally $11 apiece! I paid $5.50 for both!


I also bought my mother in law's main Christmas present for next year, a snow baby. It is normally $40 and I paid $10. No picture of that.

Walgreens

I love money saving mom! Sunday morning I did not have a lot of time to clip coupons and match them to deals before we left. So i booped onto coupon mom to see what she recommended. All I had to do was quickly flip through the coupons to find the ones that she suggested.



Alka seltzer orange $.99 ($4.99 before coupon and rebate)
Excedrin free + $2 overage ($3 before coupon and rebate)
2 nature's bounty vitamins $4.29 ($12.58 before sale and coupon)
Lash blast mascara $4 ($7 before coupon that a nice lady gave me!)
Lash blast mascara free after register coupon

Total before everything $38.68
Total after sales $30.11
Total after coupons $14.11
Total after rebate $9.11

Organix rebate

My Walmart has a rebate for Organix shampoo or conditioner. The rebate form was on the bottle. I believe it was $5.98 before the rebate, I would check but my receipt and form are already sealed in an envelope.

Rite Aid deals

Dryer balls $2 (as seen on tv brand costs $10)
Better homes and gardens oven mitt with cookie mix $1.49 (5.99 before clearance)
3 kleenex $3.49 ($6.87 before sale and .50 off coupon)
120 gift tags .62 ($2.49 before clearance)
bag of bows .74 ($2.99 before clearance)
Bayer children's asprin free ($2.69 before sale and coupons)
Gold bond lotion $5.49 ($9.99 before sale and coupon)
Garnier shampoo $1 ($4.19 before coupon, sale, and rebate)
Soyjoy bar free ($1.39 before sale and coupon)

Total before sales, rebates and coupons $38.60
Total after sales $22.32 after sales
Total after coupons $14.82
Total after rebate $13.82
+$1.71 tax
=$15.53

Read the labels!

This afternoon as I was sitting here blogging about my blessings I took a cold pill. I glanced casually at the box and noted it said decongestant free. For some reason my brain took that to mean 'non-drowsy' WRONG! As I was wandering around the house working on random things (my favorite way to clean! Its amazing what I get done) I suddenly became completely exhausted. I mean lay down and go to sleep immediately exhausted. I figured my cold was kicking into gear and started texting my husband that this cold was going to be a dozy. Then I saw the medicine box on the table. Hmmmm I wonder. . . Flip it over to read 'may cause extreme drowsiness!' You think?? I'm glad it was just a 4 hour pill, I feel much better now if a bit foolish. I could have accomplished more today, had I not medicated myself into oblivion!

Safeway Deals

Safeway has 18oz jars of Jiff peanut butter on sale 2 for $2! You have to use an in-ad coupon to get the deal. I wish I had more then one ad! The price for two is normally $6.58!

How does a cupcake get a cold?!

Last night I heard funny noises that kept waking me up. Now I sleep with a husband, two dogs on the floor, however many cats that want to sleep on the bed, and the rest somewhere in the room. (Can you tell it gets pretty toasty with all of us in the same room) So random noises don't bother me, why was I waking up to this one? Because I was making the noise. Because it was my chest wheezing with every breath I took. This morning (surprise surprise) I woke up to the start of a chest cold. I'm so bummed! My husband is not home today which means i get to take the dogs outside in the cold all day long. Plus hubby has this weekend off and we have nothing we HAVE to do. But we were planning to find some snow somewhere to spend the day sledding and playing with puppies. We've been planning a snow day since before Christmas (when we got bogged down with commitments) and who knows if he will get enough time off to do it again. Days off can be rare in his command! As I'm rapidly descending into a cranky 'woe is me' attitude I stopped to count my blessings.

1. I do not have to call into work sick. Less will get done around my home, but I'll do what I'm able and it will be just fine.

2. A warm house

2. Plenty of food and tea

3. Fully stocked medicine cabinet full of cough drops, cough syrup, and cold medicine. All of it purchased free or cheaply. I remember when having a cold created a financial hardship for me.

4. Incredible insurance should this be the Bronchitis I think it is. I can (when I'm able to get an appointment sometimes that is a squeeze) walk into the doctor, have tests run, walk out with a wide array of medicine and not pay a cent. I can not tell you how much I LOVE that. I'm well, not the healthiest individual and military medical has been a huge blessing. Its not something I take for granted! The incredible medical coverage is a part of why my husband intends to make a career of the military. I've had my share of bad military doctors (that is a story for a later post) but I've also had some incredible ones.

5. My mom. Should I need her, or simply want her she will come over here and harass me till I feel better. No pampering from my mama! She will help with things if I need it but her sick cure is to bug, and it works. :)

6. The internet, tv, dvds and several bookcases of books to entertain myself with.

7. The biggest, My husband is HOME! I've spent the last 4 years of our relationship with him gone more then home. So what if I have to be sick by myself for a day? Big deal! I've been sick many times when he was gone, when there was no relief in sight because I would be well long before he came home. Ok so the man doesn't handle sickness very well, and can get cranky about the whole process but he will take the dogs outside all day. And he will get me things I want. But most of all if i need him to do something, he will be there.


I'm still sick and tired But I dont feel so bad anymore. I'm blessed and I dont intend to take it for granted!

Yogurt Update

My first batch of yogurt was successful! It was less tart then store bought, but not as thick. Next time I plan to use powdered milk miked into regular milk or made thicker then normal. My husband and I have a hard time using a gallon of milk before it expires, now when its getting close to the expiration date I'll make a quart of yogurt.

ASPCA commercial

Yesterday I was moved to tears by a TV commercial. It was an ASPCA commercial showing abused and rescued animals. It was not a long commercial and I think I saw no more then half of it before I had to walk away and hug my big goofy dog. This dog is the bane of my existence. Oh he's pure love but he is also stubborn, willful and frequently in trouble. There has been two times in the past year that I was considered re-homing him (a practice I strongly believe against) but decided to see it through. It has not been easy. But I think he's slowly turning into a great dog.

My second hug went to hubby's baby girl. My 4th cat, and the most stubborn. She was injured at 2 months old, and it was predicted she would not live. Hubby and I nursed her back to health, she went EVERYWHERE with us. That girl was at our wedding! We forced water and liquid food down her for days. I remember the exact moment she started acting normal again. She's so precious, even if she's quite an ornery snot. I hugged her next because she was mad at me, and getting a big mommy hug didn't help her mood any! Why was the darling kitty mad? Her dinner was 45 minutes late. I'm watching images of animals without limbs because of abuse and my girl is angry her dinner is late? Wow.

Besides making me sad the commercial, made me grateful for the animals in my life. For our ability to pamper them with a special canned dinner every night, high quality food, toys, cat stands, blankets, play time, chews and all the love they want. When we moved and our cats hid upstairs in their carriers for days the things that comforted them most were each other, things that smelled like us, and most of all us. Our animals are strongly bonded to us, and I consider it an honor to have earned their love. I think its so important to really commit when you bring an animal into your home, its not always going to be easy or convenient but the pay offs are huge.

Yogurt check

I just looked at the yogurt and its still milk. It says it takes anywhere from 4-11 hours and I bet mine will take the long amount. Our house is chilly! I can not stand the taste of yogurt (i intend to eat it in a smoothie, or in place of sour cream) even the store bought flavored kinds. When I was reading yogurt making recipes they often advised to add honey to the finished product. So i added honey (best honey ever, its from a local farm and I can taste a hint of blackberry in the honey), jam, and homemade granola to some of the yogurt I bought for starter. Its not bad! I still don't adore it but I can eat it with out cringing. Yogurt is so healthy that I'm going to find a way to get it inside of me, even if I detest it!

Homemade Yogurt

I've got my first ever batch of yogurt in the oven (incubating) right now. I hope it turns out! I know homemade yogurt can be tricky, so it may take me a few batches to get it right. Personally I HATE yogurt but its something I need to eat anyways. My hubby loves yogurt. Homemade is supposed to be less tart and its defiantly cheaper. I bought whole milk for the first few batches. Half a gallon of whole milk cost me $1.99. Half a gallon is 2 quarts (8 cups). So making a quart of yogurt will cost me a little more then .99 cents when the yogurt starter is added. A quart of plain yogurt was $1.99. I'm sure if I use powdered milk the cost will be even lower.

Heres the recipe I used

New years

Happy New Year! We celebrated this year by making a special dinner and relaxing on the couch. Truthfully I would have preferred a different celebration, but with Christmas just behind us and the mass of needed repairs it was not in the budget. How did we celebrate? I made fondue, we drank wine, watched a movie, watched fireworks and kissed at midnight. Cost:

Fondue:
8oz provolone- $2
6 oz smoked Gouda $4
8 oz leftover Swiss free
6 tbs brandy free
loaf of crusty bread $2
Total $8

Wine:
Riesling $8 used for fondue and drinking
Champagne $5 (never opened lol)
Total $13


Movie:
Pirates of the Caribbean 3-free (we use blockbuster online)
Hairspray-free
Total $0

Fireworks: free. We have a great view of the city across from us.

Kisses:Priceless! Hubby is frequently gone for holidays.

Total was a simple, calm holiday with a special meal: $21