No-Spend Tricks and Tips

If you read our original post about No-Spend January and our follow up confession just a few weeks in, you know that we have good intention, but are no means perfect when it comes to not spending money in any given month.

Take today for example...we went to lunch on a gift card and went slightly over with an extra child eating with us and tipping the waitress.  We did however spend much less than normal and because of that I will call it a win for now.

I have loved hearing how some of you are following along and how some of you have tweaked No-Spend January to fit your family.  Let's face it, there is no true one size fits all and finding what works for you is the key to success.

That being said, I have a few ideas on how to better save, so here we go!

Don't shop!  Stop giggling, please.  I am serious.  Let me tell you- the fastest way to spend money is to wander down the aisles of a store.  Target, anyone?  These marketing people are good at what they do, ya'll, just saying.  We used to tell our kids to hide their eyes when we saw something we thought was inappropriate.  (yes, we are THAT family!)  People- HIDE. YOUR. EYES.  Don't go in a store when you do not need anything- it is just too tempting!  This includes Amazon!

Make a list! If you MUST go in a store, go in armed with a list and STICK. TO. IT!  Again, I am serious!  Do not deviate from the plan.  Buy only what you want and get out fast!

Use coupons and gift cards!  I use to love to use coupons in the grocery store.  It became a game to me and I loved the challenge.  Hey, I had little kids, I needed some entertainment outside the house.  But it works and combined with sales, you can save a lot of money.  As for gift cards, if you have them, use them wisely!  Look at menus ahead of time, know what you can afford, and then go and enjoy!  Thanks to a sweet friend, our meal out today cost us very little.

Avoid sales!  OK OK, yes, buy stuff on sale when you can, but DO NOT just go looking for sales.  If you do not need something, buying it on sale is NOT saving money.  I know a lot of people with stuff piled in closets that were bought on sale.  Not being used, not being enjoyed- just taking up space "in case" and a complete waste of money.

Practice self control!  Ask yourself, "Do I really need this?"  Better yet, write it down and see if in a week or two you still feel that you need it,  Often times when we remove ourselves from the immediate "I NEED that" moment, we see the value in waiting or even passing things up.

Stay strong!  Yes, sometimes we just need to make a decision and stick to it!  I had a Stitch Fix delivered last week- in the middle of my No-Spend month.  I do not usualy go out to clothes shop as it makes me a wreak, so this is a way I often buy clothes.  Huge praise that for once only ONE item called my name.  I quickly put the others in the return envelope and left the magical pants, which fit like a gem, on the top to consider.  The following morning as I stood considering them again this is what came to mind... you said NO SPENDING!  Surely you can do this, don't be a wimp.  Surely you have better self control.  As quick as I could I stuck those pants in the bag and sealed it, and sent them on their way.  It might seem like a small thing to you, but I am telling you the more we deny ourselves and show some restraint in random spending, the easier it gets. You can do it!

One more week to go- we can do this!  And I can't wait to see how much money we have indeed saved!  How about you?

Blessings,

4 Ways to Save Money While Eating on the Road

Yes, we are finally back from our unexpected "vacation" with dad and are settling back in.  On Wednesday I will share a few fun photos for those of you that are remotely interested. ;)  I finally made it to the grocery store tonight so this family can eat more than just things I scavenged out of the freezer.  Time to get back to real life folks!

But what fun memories we have tucked away.  And yes, we ate our way through more than several states.  Out of the three weeks gone, 7 of those days were actually spent on the road.  For very long periods of time.  Add that up, and that is 21 meals on the road or potentially in a hotel.

Now don't get me wrong, our family enjoys eating out occasionally but it can get old, well, except for the 7 year old who has a thing for restaurants and would eat out every meal if you let him.  But between the expense factor and the fact that one of us has eaten foreign food for 4 months, let's just say that 21 meals out was not going to cut it.


No worries, this momma had a plan!  Not just for our sanity, but to save money!

Yes, you can save money eating on the road.

Here's how-

Pack a cooler!
We actually use two.  One holds all of our things that really do need to stay cool!
Our standard items-
Mayo and mustard
Tortillas
Lunch meat
Apples
Bananas
Rolls
Baby carrots
Fruit
Individual containers of diced peaches, pears, and applesauce
And a few Mountain Dews to keep dad awake!  Despite the HUGE time change and jet lag, my hero drove every minute of the trip except the day we picked him up from the airport.

The other cooler bag fits perfectly between the two second row seats and holds snacks and such.  Many of the snacks for this trip were given to us by a sweet friend (thanks Andrea!!!) and the "such" includes napkins, plastic utensils, and the plastic cups which we use to hold said snacks.

This is our standard lunch on the road, just like it would be at home on any given day.  Much cheaper than a $6.00 meal x 6 people= $36.00 for a bad-for-you lunch!  Plus, I figure that the fewer public restuarants we are in, the less likely we are to pick up random germs!

Take advantage of hotel breakfasts and possibly mid week meals.
Here's the deal.  If you are going to pay for a place to stay (have you seen the cost of rooms these days) you might as well make sure they have a free continental breakfast.  Yes, some hotels' ideas of breakfast are better than others, but most have at least yogurt, juice, fruit, cereal, oatmeal, and bread of some sort.  Most these days even offer waffles or pancakes, and, much to Colby's delight, some even have doughnuts.  We make sure we eat well and often grab a piece of fruit for the road to have for an afternoon snack.

A newer trend at many hotels these days is some sort of buffet for dinner during the week.  I remember when that used to be light snacks, but these days the offerings are quite substantial and by adding a piece of fruit, you could easily have a decent meal.


Share meals at restaurants
Usually by dinner we are ready to be out of the car, are tired of picnic lunches, and want to actually sit down for a meal, so we do usually eat at restaurants in the evenings. One way to save on meals is to share!  Our girls are famous for this when they can find a place with fajitas.  Most restaurants do not mind sharing and often their portions are too big for one person anyway.  Even an order of fries at Five Guys can be split between three in our family! (Anyone else love that restaurant?)

Another way to save costs is to eat lunch, a cheaper meal, in a restaurant, and have your picnic from home for dinner in your hotel room.  Many rooms have microwaves you can use to heat up food you bring and we have even been known to heat water in a coffee maker and make mac and cheese. (yes, when you are on the road as much as we are, you learn to be resourceful)


Pack a crock pot!
Yes I did!  My husband rolled his eyes at me but I am pretty sure he appreciated the home cooked meals. We actually do this quite often, especially if you are going to be in one place for more than a night and if you are out all day sight seeing.  Just pop a roast, chicken, or pork loin in before you head out and when you come back to the room exhausted after a day of fun, your meal will be waiting for you.  I often wonder what the maid service people think, but so far no one has ever said anything to us.  We shared a meal with friends once and they brought their electric griddle along.  It was great and a much easier way to visit old friends than in a restaurant.

No, we are not cheap.  Well, maybe a little, but the reality is that I not only want to eat fairly healthy on the road, but to save money. After all, the money we save on something as trivial as food can then be spent on much better things - like family fun! ;)

Are there more money saving ideas?  I am sure there are and we would love for you to share how you too save money while eating on the road!

Linking up with friends-

Blessings,

TOS CREW Review- Christi the Coupon Coach-Couponing Made Simple

 


Couponing.  Heard of it?  Yeah, I thought so.  You would have to be a hermit hiding under a rock these days to not know that there is a coupon frenzy going on in the United States. 
There are lot of sites out there to help you get started,  lots of coupons and lots of money to be saved.  The problem is where does one know how to start. 

I have a solution!

Christi the Coupon Coach, aka Christi Bassford- wife and mom to four,  has taken all the details and ideas and put them into one simple to follow book,  Couponing Made Simple.  I spend a lot of time reviewing kids' products, so yes, this one was just for mom.  As many of you know, I also am passionate about saving money, so with our recent move, new stores and no more military commissary, I was eager to look at couponing with a fresh stat and review the "rules of engagement".  That's military talk, don't 'ya know! ;)

 

Let me tell you about what this book IS and ISN'T, then we will get into some details! 

 

First- the chapters-

Success Stories- She has lots to share here and throughout the book.  They are fun to read (pictures included) and hopefully will inspire you!

A New Way to Shop-A quick overview of what couponing is.

The Language of Couponing- BOGO, Blinkies, OPP, Peelies.  Lost yet?  Christi will explain it all.

Organization System- Learn some of the different ways people organize.

Step by step process- By far, the best way to know exactly what to do!

Tips and Tools- Each time you shop you will learn something new, usually from mistakes.  The easy way to learn is from the lessons learned from someone else.

Couponing Ethics- This is NOT about breaking rules and being obnoxious.  This section should be a must read for anyone out there using coupons.

Networking and Communicating- Using the resources out there explained.

Bonus Sections- Other places you can save!

Beyond Couponing- Christi is a Christian and not afraid to proclaim her beliefs.  Love this about her!

 

Some Take Aways

 

 "This is not "Extreme", but Real couponing for Real people.
I teach buying a reasonable amount of products using an organizational system that takes a reasonable amount of time for great savings!"

 (from the website)

 

 

That quote is one of the first things that attracted me to this book.  I have read many ones like it.  I even own a few.  But be forewarned...some can be extreme.  I am not an extreme shopper.  I do not have nor want a closet full of toothbrushes, or toilet paper, or whatever the sale of the day is.  I do however want enough to get me through until the next sale comes along. 

 

It is not ALL about coupons.  Several chapters Christie writes are about finding savings in other forms-  yard sales and thrift for example.  Those are  GOOD places to save money and she has some great tips and ideas for you.

 

It doesn't have to take all your time.  I am a busy homeschooling mom of 4, who has a life.  And is still trying to settle into a new town and life, thank you.  I do not devote hours to couponing.  Nor does Christie tell you that you have to.  She does however offer several different ways to cut (or not cut) and organize coupons.  I encourage you to find what fits for your time and motivation level and go for it.  This is not the time to try to keep up with the Joneses.

 

My family does not eat a lot of processed food.  There - I said it, because I know it is one of the arguments against couponing.  There was a time that we did and yes, we saved A LOT of money then.  Let's face it, there are a lot of coupons out there for boxed, canned and bagged food.  If that is where you are, then you will find BIG savings.  Trust me.  Also trust me though when I say if you eat a more back to basics diet you can still save.  We do. 

 

 

You do not have to do it alone!  If you are one of those people that loves looking up sales, comparing prices and making lists, God love 'ya.  I am not one of those people.  I, instead head to those people's blogs and use what they have so faithfully put together.  Christi says it is as simple as a Google search of your favorite grocery store plus coupon matches plus your town or state.  In other words, for me I did this week HyVee+CouponMatches+SouthDakota.  You can do the same thing for drugstores which are by the way, my FAVORITE places to save money. 

 

 
 
You do not have to spend money to save.  Christi does recommend buying a paper per family member, but if you are not at a place you can do that, then don't.  I have at most bought two.  Now, I have also been known to ask people for the coupons they are not using.  If you know of a neighbor or relative is just trashing them, be bold and ask for them!  There are also lots of free sites out there that will notify you of store sales, store coupons and manufacturers coupons out there for those items.  It's called stacking, and Christi does a great job of explaining it all.  Promise.  Just as a side note, I do pay a few dollars a month to use a site called The Grocery Game that does that for you as well.  I just found that I liked the way it was laid out best and I like the forums that have amazing people saving amazing amounts of money.  It works for me.  Again, find what works for you and get busy!

Ok, so for a small, and I mean small example.

I am new in this small town and the only gigs here are the farmers market, HyVee (never heard of them before a few weeks ago!) and a Walmart, so I am still trying to figure out what best fits our needs and budget.   It has been a challenging learning curve.  Meat prices alone are at least double to what I was getting at our military commissary.  BUT, Christi reminded me that there are still savings to be found.  I have asked when markdown day is and I am again relearning to stock up on meat when it is on sale.  No coupons necessary, just a watchful eye.

Again, we do not buy much processed foods these days, but there are still essentials out there that we need that you can find coupons for...milk, butter, mayonnaise, mustard, oil, peanuts, an occasionally healthy chip (is there really such a thing?) and the dreaded cereal.  Yes, I am still trying to get that one out of our lives but that is when the other family  members call a mutiny meeting.  Juice is another big one.  We do not drinks sodas, coffee, or tea here so water is pretty much it.  Because of that, and again the possible family mutiny, I do still buy juice and allow the kids to have one glass each in the morning.  Yes, I am mean that way and that would be another post.  Vitamins, toothpaste, toothbrushes, toilet paper, tissues, hair care and soap are yet other items that we utilize coupons for.  We have lost our major drugstore chains here, but I assure you that with their sales, coupons and loyalty cards, you can get much of that stuff free or for very little money.  DO NOT buy that stuff without using a coupon.

 

So here was a little experiment...

 

 

 

First off, this was not my weekly grocery run.  I went out specifically to buy only items I had coupons for.  So none of these things were on sale at the time.  But I spent $33.03  and saved $ 9.75 .  Two items were not coupon items- the crab and the peaches.  Like Christi says look for sale on meat (fake, I know, but for my diet) and on seasonal produce.  Both were rock bottom prices so I bought them.  Had I been smart, and not still a bit frazzled from the move, I would have only bought what was on sale AND used coupons for those items.  Yes, it may mean you have more of one thing than another for that week, but after a few weeks it evens out and you "shop" from your pantry instead of buying at full price out of desperation.  It also may mean you alter your menu to take advantage of sells. 

 

Either way, you have saved money.  Was this example a ton of savings?  No.  But every little bit adds up and in no time you have extra money in your budget.  I have personally saved a ton of money couponing.  There are times I have saved more than I spent.  It is a great feeling and even fun when the cashier cheers you on.  Or when your husband tells you how proud he is of you. 

 

If you want to get started, Couponing Made Simple,  $18.00 or $4.99 in Kindle,  is a great resource for you.   Fix yourself a cup of tea, sit down with this book and let Christi coach you through the steps.  She will bless you greatly and probably even save you some money along the way.

 

 

 

Fun Fridays-Saving Money in the Kitchen with breakfast and lunch

Welcome back!  So glad you are sticking with us as we find more ways to Save Money in the Kitchen!

 

Last week we talked about one of my favorite subjects- Snacks and Desserts!  This week we are on to two of my least favorite subjects as far as the kitchen is concerned- breakfast and lunch.  Sad, but true!  I am not a huge morning person so breakfast just does not excite me and as far as lunches go, well, there have been times that lunchtime alone could have driven me to send my kids to public school.  Seriously!  The thought of putting money in their hands and having someone else feed them has tempted me many a time.  I mean, I already cook dinner for them every night- what else do they want? ;)  Why, lunch, of course.

 

But let's start with breakfast since it is fairly easy.  And let's look at the villain of the day- CEREAL!

I know, that is harsh, but hear me out.  It is processed.  It is sugar laden.  It is dye saturated. AND IT IS EXPENSIVE!  Very expensive.  And we are s-l-o-w-l-y weeding it out of our lives.  If there is one area in our diet that I have to struggle with my family over, this would be the area!  They love cereal.  And I used to be the queen of cereal.  Stack coupons with sales and you can sometimes get it at a fairly cheap price.  But, we have become a twice a week, cereal eating gang, and not very interesting cereals at that!  My goal- shhhhhhhhhh, don't tell, is no boxed cereal!  Most boxes of cereal cost $3-4.  If you only go through one box a week that is $12-15 a month just on cereal.  And we KNOW that no family goes through just one box a week.  Honestly, before I was convicted about the health reasons not to consume so much, I simply just could NOT justify spending so much money on cereal.  It bugged me!  Still does. 

 

So what does one eat instead?  Now, THAT'S a good question.  For those of you who know me or have followed the blog for a while, the first answer should come as no surprise-

 

MUFFINS!  Yes, we have a thing for muffins.  They are cheap and easy to make.  Always double the batch when you make them and freeze the extras.  Pretty soon you have a wonderful assortment to pull out of the freezer at least once a week.  My tip- don't wait til morning to make them.  Yes, it smells good in the morning, but most of us just don't have time for that.  Make them the night before and move on!  Or spend one Saturday a month making several batches to freeze.

 

 

PANCAKES AND WAFFLES!  We do this at least once a week as well, often on Saturday when dad makes them for us!  The key here to to make more than you can eat and freeze the extras!  Then you can pull out frozen ones and toast them in a minute.  Saves you money from buying in the freezer section of the grocery store and are much better for you.

 

 

EGGS!  Eggs are inexpensive compared to many breakfasts foods.  If you are blessed to have your own chickens, well, just don't tell me as I will covet them!  Scrambled eggs, french toast and breakfast casseroles are easy to whip up.  We even do a breakfast casserole overnight in the crock pot that we love!  Great for when company comes too!

 

BISCUITS AND FRUIT! Another quick thing to make.  I keep a homemade biscuit mix in the fridge that all I have to do is add milk to.  No need for expensive canned ones.  Mine may not be as pretty, but they are healthier and cheaper! 

 

OATMEAL.  Notice the lack of an exclamation.  That is purposeful.  Y'all, I do not like oatmeal.  Gag!  But luckily my kids and hubby do.  It is healthy for you and cheap.

 

OK, you get the idea.  Again, the key to saving money is to stay away from convenience food.  You pay for it.  Don't fall into that trap.  I know, you don't have a lot of time in the morning.  I understand, I am busy sleeping, remember.  Make things ahead of time and become best friends with your freezer.  Your budget will thank you.

 

Now, the dreaded lunches.  This was once such a problem at our house that I came up with a weekly lunch schedule and did not deviate from it.  Monday- Pizza, Tuesday- sandwiches and so forth.  I was tired of cooking, tired of trying to decide what to fix and even more tired of four kids having four different opinions on what we should have.  While they are older now and slightly less opinionated and therefore we do not follow the strict schedule, we do tend to repeat the same basic things. 

 

PIZZA!  We do make or have homemade pizzas once a week for lunch.  I have a simple recipe that makes a large enough pizza for the kids for lunch AND  makes one or two personal size ones to freeze.  I layer them between wax paper and then freeze in a baggie.  Then, when I do not want to take the 10 minutes to make the dough, I just pull out four of the personal sized ones and pop them in the oven.  I keep these on hand all. of. the. time!  Who would have thought that homemade pizzas would be a time saver but here in our house they are lifesavers!

 

SOUP! We do this about once a week as well.  Choose your favorite, simple recipe, make ahead and freeze.  Better for you than the canned stuff.  Since I cook a whole chicken almost weekly I will often just make chicken and rice or chicken and noodle soup the day after deboning a chicken.  We use brown rice that takes longer to cook so I make it in batches and then freeze 1 cup servings in baggies ready to just dump in the broth.

SANDWICHES! That same chicken also makes good sandwiches.  Processed meat is expensive, don't go there.  Even PB&J is cheaper.

MAC AND CHEESE!  What kid does not like mac and cheese?  Elbow noodles are a dime a dozen.  Just add a little milk and butter and a cheese of your choice and you are on your way.  Dye free!  Yes, it took my kids a little while to get over not having it from a box. But, yes, they did get over it.

LEFTOVERS! Sorry, but you know I had to go there.  I do not particularly love leftovers either but I refuse to let good food go to waste, so we do eat leftovers several times a week.  Usually there are several things to choose from and the kiddo who gets to the kitchen first when called gets first dibs.  I am fair like that.

Sure, it is easy to grab convenience food from the grocery store, but I am here to tell you, coupons or not, those foods are one of the fastest ways to run up your grocery bill.  Don't think so?  Look at your  last grocery receipt and add it up.  You will be surprised what convenience costs these days.  Staple items like flour and sugar can be bought in bulk.  Cooking from scratch and eating real foods, ones God made- not man, really will save you money!  And your health as well.  Bonus!

So, what are you fixing for breakfast and lunch at your house?

Hope to see 'ya back next week for more money saving tips!

Until then, blessings,

Linking up with Amy from Raising Arrows!

Linking up with Caroline at The Modest Mom!

No Spend February Results, Thoughts and Confessions

It is March?  How did it get to be March?  I think each month goes by quicker and quicker.  My husband thinks the last two months have gone by slowly, and he blames my no spend madness.  I had even entertained the idea of a no spend March entitled Mad March, but my 15 year old threatened to change the name at the last second before the posting and call it Mad at Mom March, so I let it go.  She is, remember, my IT girl and would do it!  But, I digress...

When we started on this journey in January it was multiple reasons.  To save money, to rethink our budget, to get a grip on our spending and to not add to the life we were in the process of decluttering.  Let's face it, it is pointless to get rid of stuff, if you're only going to replace it with new stuff.  That, as someone said to me recently, is the challenge.  January was fairly easy.  February was a little harder.

So let's look at how we did.  Be nice please.  And forgiving! ;)

~We had 5 ice cream cones at McDonald's.  Can't remember exactly how much it was, but let's say just under $5.00.  Here's my excuse- our rental house was put on the market, and one Sunday we had about a hour and a half heads up it was being shown.  Yes, we loaded kids and dogs in car and since it was too cold to go to the park we treated the kids to ice cream.  I figured it was a cheaper than wandering aimlessly around in WalMart!  Especially with the mood I was currently in.  'nuff said!

~We also ate yogurt at Sweet Frog for Valentine's Day, but in my defense we used the money the kids had gotten in cards from their Grandmother.  It was perfect timing since dad was out of town!  Thanks Mom!

~We went to Sweet Frog again! (do you have one of these places???  oh my goodness- yummy!)  Our excuse this time (do you notice a lot of excuses this month?) Our 15 year old got her braces off after two years and daddy wanted to celebrate with her.  He's the hero!

~While last month we only spent money paying bills, buying gas and buying groceries, this month we did extend our spending to a few other categories such as haircuts, clothes (hey, one of the boys needed underwear- trust me on this one!), and home maintenance.  As I stated before, these are a few of the categories we put money towards each month, not just random spending. 

~We did not use any entertainment money, save the ice cream, and did not get our monthly "free" spending money, save some money that my hubby took out to treat our college daughter to dinner when he visited her.  As a matter of fact, his entire flight and hotel were "free" thanks to built up mileage and old credit card points.  Oh, except for that darn $20.00 baggage fee.

All in all, still a lot less money going out and for sure a lot more thought went into the spending that did take place. 

What did we learn? 
People who vow not to buy anything for a year are amazing.  Or liars ;)  Things run out, wear down or are just plain needed sometimes.  What about stamps?  Batteries?  New underwear?  Just saying...

We take the ability to buy things we want for granted.  And that is sad.  Just because we have the money does not mean we have to spend it.  I tell my kids that all of the time.  Now why do I not listen to my own advice?

We are an instant gratification society.  I do not want to be an instant gratification family!

Sometimes learning to wait is a great life lesson, even for grown ups.

We will not die from not eating out!  As a matter of fact, we will probably be a lot healthier by not eating out!

A side note on eating out...
     Wanna know who missed eating out the most?  The 5 year old.  Day after day he asked, "Can we eat out today?"  Folks, it is not like we eat out a lot.  Maybe 1 time a month for dinner and 2-3 times a month for lunch.  Seriously!  But that became THE question of the day.  Drove. Me. Crazy!
It seems that eating out no longer had become a treat, but an expectation.

What do you mean we are not eating out.  I deserve this.

 

Friends, we deserve nothing!  We are owed nothing.

 

The reality is that all we deserve we are free from because Christ died on the cross for our sins.

 

Going out is great.  And a fun treat. But I desperately want my family to see it as that- a special treat.  One that lights their eyes up and makes them think, wow, there must be something special about today.  Not just, this is what we do.  Let's face it, there are millions of people that do not have the luxury of eating out...let's not allow ourselves to take that privilege for granted.

 

OK, stepping off soapbox now! ;)

 

Continuing on- I am thankful for these past two months.  I am grateful for a family that allows me to shake up their lives occasionally with my grand ideas and then patient enough to flesh out those ideas.  I am thankful that God uses those crazy ideas of mine to teach us a few lessons- some of which I pray we never forget!

 

Blessings to you all,
 



Linked up today with Caroline, at the Modest Mom!

No Spend January Thoughts and Results!

I can hardly believe that in three days the month of January will be over.  2013 is moving forward whether we are ready or not.   It all started with a simple idea to save money by spending less.  Spending less and saving more!  Great idea.  In theory.  But let's just be honest up front, it was challenging.  But not in the ways I imagined.

Here's how it shook out.  We budget each month in certain set categories.  For the month of January we decided not to spend in any of those categories except groceries, bills, tithing and gas.  In what I will call "savings" categories, our money went into those dedicated accounts as normal, but was not used.  Examples being, home maintenance, vacation, school supplies, etc. " Fun money" categories that usually get taken out as cash remained in our account- for example entertainment, clothing, and the allowances my husband and I give ourselves for pocket money.

I would like to say that we did not spend an extra penny outside the allowed categories.  That would not be quite honest so here goes:

We did spend about $45.00 to send two boxes of things to our college daughter.  She did not have enough room in her suitcase to fly everything back and so we had to bend here.  She did, after all, need her clothes!

I allowed my two middle kids to go to the movies one afternoon.  The deal was that they pay for it themselves.  My kids only go to the movies about twice a year.  Seriously!  We are just that strict on movies.  But this was one the older one really wanted to see and it was not going to still be in the theaters in February.  She spent her money and while I may have lost a few points with you all, I gained lots of points with her.  :-) Some things are worth it!

Other than that we have been faithful.  No lunches or dinners out.  No little treats at the gas station or food at co op.  No candy bars at the drug store.  Funny thing, the 5 year old seemed to miss it all the most.  He would ask if he could have a treat, I would look at him and he would say, "Oh that's right, it is no spend January."  Yep, I think he thinks that is really the name of the month.

As for me...well, I do not NEED anything, so I did not  feel like I really deprived myself of anything.  But, yes, I saw those 75% off Christmas sales or buy one get one free ads and felt a twinge of oh no, can't do that.  But really, guys, I did not NEED that stuff anyway.  It would have been just buying to buy...pointless and wasteful.  Shame on me!

 I did not do without things I NEEDED, I did without things I DID NOT NEED IN THE FIRST PLACE!

So where does that leave us?  About $500.00 richer!  And more content.  And empowered to make better decisions.  And challenged to change up our budget a little.  And crazy enough to declare a...

NO SPEND FEBRUARY!  Who's in?

Oh, and one little disclaimer on that...we are going on a date night for Valentine's Day, thanks to a gift card given to us at Christmas.  Just want you to know in case you see me out!  ;)

And for those who joined in with us this month, thank you!  I hope you were blessed and challenged a little as well.

 

No Spend January!

So how's your money situation looking?  Did you overspend in the month of December?  How about January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, and November?  Do you look around your house at the stuff and wonder just where your money went?

Budget.  The dreaded "B" word in many people lives.  But years ago, a wise friend encouraged us to introduce a budget into our lives and since then we have looked at our money in a whole different light.  It is no longer the scary demon in our lives but a tool to do what we want and help the people we want to help.  It is a good thing!  That doesn't mean, friends, that we never make mistakes or spend frivolously.  We are human, after all and I do like fabric.  and quilts. and candles. and books.  But when we get derailed, we try to quickly get back on track and move forward, learning from our mistakes.

Thus is born - No Spend January!

 

 To help tightened up our belts and get us back on track this family has committed to spend NO EXTRA MONEY, outside of titheing, gas, bills and groceries for the month of January!  NONE!  As an extra incentive, I kindly told everyone that they would hate to be the one I wrote about as the failure at the end of the month.  I am nice that way!

So...
 Entertainment Budget - saved.  No eating out, no treats at Walgreens, no movies, nothing. 

  LOTS MORE TIME TOGETHER AS WELL AS MONEY SAVED.

Clothing budget - saved.  We just had Christmas, ya'll.  And quite honestly, most people in this house have enough clothes to dress the neighborhood.

Haircuts - saved.  We cut the boys' hair in this family already, so if you see the girl's hair getting a little long, be kind and look the other way.

Fun Money - saved.  My husband and I each get pocket money for the extras that come up on a daily basis.  You know - the "where did that money go?" category!

Time for honesty - that will be almost $500.00 in savings with those categories alone!  And those things are just wants, not needs.  And there is a difference.  And sometimes we just need a gentle reminder.  Wow, do you know where your money goes?  As for the other budget categories for long term things that we put a set amount of money away for each month for car maintenance, house repair, homeschooling, vacation, etc, all those catagories will be still added to like normal - BUT NONE SPENT.

Thus - tithe sent, bills paid, groceries bought and cars gassed up, but other than that - NO SPENDING!! 

Wanna join us?  Better yet, NEED to join us?

A little prayer from me to you!
Lord, Help us to be better stewards of our money.  Help us to make wise choices and to use YOUR money to bless others.  May we all know the difference between wants and needs and to trust you to supply us with what we need.  For those that are struggling, Lord, grant them patience and wisdom as they reevaluate their money and spending habits. Thank you for all you have blessed us with and for all you are doing in our lives.  To YOU goes the glory!  Amen!



Linking up with Melinda at Weiser Academy!

CREW Review- WealthQuest for Teens

WealthQuest for Teens is an online program to teach kids ages 14-19 about money and all that goes with it.  Developer and teacher, Jill Suskind, uses her years of research and knowledge to teach kids to be financially fit- 

 

"A financially fit person...actually has great habits that produce a clear and predictable set of results- money in the bank for later, money going toward helping others and the planet, and money being spent on what matters to you."   

- quote from Jill.

 

When you download WealthQuest you will get access to the online program, the printable Basic Seminar QuickStart Guide (eBook) and the Parent's Guide.

 

 

Jill broke this 6 week program down for us into these parts-

 

Week 1- Online video and Workbook Basic Seminar- Here your child will complete the 7 video modules and the online workbook.  These modules cover topics from your money habits and attitudes to money management and require typing in some personal answers.

 

 

 

Weeks 2 & 3- eBook (Basic Seminar Quick Start Guide)- This printable workbook reinforces what your child has learned and in small assignments challenges them to think about how they feel, make goals and think about how they want to use their money to achieve their goals. 

 

Week 4- MoneyTrail Lesson- Using the recommended, and free, MoneyTrail.net kids learn how to manage their money in accounts they set up.  Jill recommends 6 categories, or silos, in which to divide your money.

 

Week 5- Choose a book to read about money- Here Jill encourages the student to pick a book of interest about money and read it.  She later challenges you to keep this habit up at least once a year.

 

Week 6- Master what you have learned!  This week is dedicated to finishing the reading of your chosen book and any assignments you may not have completed, as well as making a charitable donation that you identified as an interest in earlier in the program.

 

How we used this program- My 14 year old went through this program, though we intend for our 18 year old to go through it as well on a college break.  While we are open about money in our home,  we have not had any formal training in that area for the children so I was excited to give this program a try.  My daughter easily downloaded the needed materials on her laptop and was on her own from there.  Every few days we discussed what she had learned and discussed her thoughts and feelings as well as added our own ideas.  The QuickStart guide mentioned weeks 2 and 3 have 30 days of assignments so it did run a little longer than suggested.  Because this is such a comprehensive course, we plan on using it as part of our Home Economics credit for high school.  While we followed Jill's recommended 6 weeks for our review, you could easily do this program in much less time, especially if you doubled up the eBook assignments.  The videos are fairly short though it can take a little more time if your child is spending time thinking about and answering the questions.

 

What We Thought- I very much agree with Jill that we as parents need to do more than just assume our children will learn about money with no guidance from us.  I also think she provides a great starting point for learning that also opens the path for communication between parents and children.  Like anything, I do think you need to follow closely to interject any personal family beliefs that she may not mention.  For example, one of the "silos" (categories of places to keep your money), is titled Heal the World.  While we think charitable giving is a wonderful goal, we did emphasize that for now and for our family, that was to be considered tithing.  One of the things I loved about this program was that Jill encourages you to make it fit for your family and that it will look different in every situation.  One thing that nagged on me was the word WEALTH in her title.  BUT, let me quote Jill on something-

 

"Wealth...means 'the amount of money you need to have the life you want and to make a difference in the ways that matter to you.'  For each person 'rich' is a different amount....It's up to you to decide what 'rich' means to you."

 

I appreciate her making this more clear and it was something we spent a lot of time talking about.  As Jill states "the intention of this program is to empower teenagers with habits and attitudes about money that lead to wealth"  However that may look to your family!  This is NOT intended in any way to be a get rich program.

 

Straight from the 14 year old- "My favorite part about this program is that it's so teen focused. The subjects in the videos were talked about by teens. The workbook was to the point so it didn't take too terribly long. I really enjoyed the program and teaching style. Like Mom already said, the only thing that bothered me was the use of the word wealth. Probably because when you hear the word "wealth" you think a greedy old miser (; But I'm changing my view on this because of WealthQuest."

 

The Parent Guide- This may very well be one of the best parts of this program in my opinion!  This 58 page guide discusses the need for the course, has an overview of the program so you can know at a glance what your child is learning, discusses allowances and jobs and encourages you to really think about money and how you want to teach your child.  It is well written and very informative.  It remind me that OUR thoughts and feelings about money can easily shape those of our children and must therefore be well thought out and then clearly communicated. 

 

I encourage you to check out the short video about Jill and her program.  I do think it is a good resource and worth the money to use!  Jill is currently working on an Advanced Seminar, one which we would be thrilled to try as well!

 

 

WealthQuest for Teens is normally $50.00 but is now on sale for $39.95.   

 

  Disclaimer- We received WealthQuest in exchange for our honest review of the product.  The opinions expressed are our own and were not influenced by the company in any way.

Salsa! and two week challenge results

Our garden is finally starting to produce TOMATOES!!  We are so excited because our crop last year was pitiful!

Tonight we are turning this-

Into this!

Here's how-

Salsa

2- 14 oz can diced tomatoes (We are now using 3-4 cups fresh!)

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 1 small can green chili's

3/4 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. garlic powder (or fresh clove, chopped)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp/ sugar

1/4 tsp. garlic salt

Combine ingredients and puree in food processor.  Serve with chips!

Two week freezer-pantry challenge update-

This challenge was pretty easy for me, honestly.  We had lots of meat that needed to be eaten so I did not even have to get creative with our menu.  Even the salmon cakes were a huge hit, since we ate them when the oldest was gone for the evening.  (Any seafood makes her turn a little green around the gills!)  I shopped for the basic staples we normally get at the first of the month and use throughout the month (remember for us this includes any toiletries) and then we were gone for about 5 days right after our 2 week challenge.  Once back I did a quick mid-month run and we were set for the remainder of the month.  Here is the breakdown-

First of the month-$198.17

Mid- month-$49.94

Total-$263.65

Approximate savings- From last month- Just over $100.00, from the month prior- Just over $300.00!

All in all a success.  We have pocketed an extra $150.00 for fun money for our Busch Gardens day next week with friends.  If you are looking for an easy way to save money without selling your belongings, try eating off what you have in your pantry and freezer.  It works!

Coming up next week- Two new reviews and a sneak peak at what we have been doing this summer!  Plus a two ingredient dessert recipe you won't want to miss!

Have a great weekend and stay cool!

Once a Month Shopping and Two Week Challenge

Last month I posted about Once a Month Shopping, so I wanted to give you an update for the month of May.  As I suspected, my total for the month was down...yea!  Once you have stocked your pantry then you just fill in when needed, waiting until sales if you can.  Again, I would be happy to share my master list, just shoot me an email.

First of the month-Commissary- $146.59 (this was mostly meat, but I also picked up cereal, butter and a few other staples I saw on sale)
                               Kroger-$109.84 (this included staple items on my list we keep stocked, plus fruits and veggies for the first two weeks)

Mid month small shop- $44.81 (this included eggs, milk and fruits and veggies only)

Total- $301.24  WOW  For a family of six, I am VERY happy with this month!  Once our garden comes in I hope to be spending even less on veggies!

We will be doing the same for June, with one minor change...A TWO WEEK FREEZER-PANTRY CHALLENGE!

Here's the plan...

My first two weeks of our June menu are planned around what I have in the pantry or freezer.  It's time to defrost the freezer and the money saved will be extra spending money for a fun mini vacation we have planned in July with friends!  (dual-tasking at its best!)

See the need for defrosting?!

For me, this will mean buying only the staples from my master list that we are out of, and some fresh fruits and veggies for our first of the month shop.  NO MEAT!  Gonna use what we have.

Basic Menu includes things like spaghetti, Ham and potato frittata, chicken, broccoli and rice casserole (doubled to freeze 1),  barbecued chicken, salmon cakes and Mexican casserole to name a few.  Don't think the family will even notice we are using up the stockpile.  (Except the salmon cakes which I am pretty sure they will turn their noses up at!)

I would love for you to join me in this two week challenge...you still have a few days to plan before the first of the month shopping.  Tweak the plan to what works for your family.  Your goals are to:

1- Save money!
2- Use as much as you can from your freezer and pantry.  Go on- be brave and peek at what's in there.  You might be surprised at what you find- like salmon!  Then get creative and share with us your plan. 

We would love to encourage you this month so take a minute and let us know what you will be doing!