Close But No Cigar

   So after all our best efforts this year, we were shy of reaching our goal of saving $10K in one calendar year. I'm not disappointed though, because we saved WAY more than we would have without this effort. Our savings account is in a really healthy place. And bonus - now that we have adjusted to this low-spending life style, we can keep it up and save even more this year! 
   A small setback was launching a side business. We decided to start a crib and baby equipment rental business as a side gig. We spent about $1,000 on cribs, pack n' plays and other items, and another $1,000 or so on advertising in the month of December. We knew this little business adventure would set us back in the savings department, but we thought it would be a good time in our life to start something relatively low-risk and see if it could turn into a legit business that could be a primary income in a few years. We live smack in the middle of retirement country and those folks are always having family visitors/grandkids and it does have the potential to really take off. We will see. That being said, if we had put that $2,000 in the savings account instead, we'd be really close to our goal. So we did pretty well!
   We hope to save a few thousand more by mid-year 2013. We'll start with a good ol' fashion fiscal fast! Our pantry and freezer are completely full...to the point where things come tumbling out when you open the cabinets. One week of no spending whatsoever starts today!

Thrifty Christmas

   As I mentioned in my last post, we made a great effort to keep spending to a minimum this Christmas season. I would say it was a big success. My biggest homemade gift project was Christmas tree yard signs made out of pallet boards. Ian brought home two pallets from work (free) and tore them apart for me. I made some measurements and he cut them for me as well. **good husband**

   I made a list of friends and family I wanted to make them for and decided I would need 8 trees. So we cut the wood in pieces starting with 18" and progressing down to 4" in 2" increments. We bought a few pieces of 1x2 and cut that into 4-foot pieces to serve as the trunk of the trees. I assembled them with 1 1/4 inch screws. (Hindsight, I would have bought longer screws. These didn't hold as well as they should have.) Then, I painted the whole thing green and stenciled "Merry Christmas" on the boards in the middle and finished it with a gold star on the top 4" board. I already had the craft paint so this gift for 8 people only cost us the price of a box of screws and 1x2 wood pieces.

   I have a few friends that are many miles away. Not only would the wooden tree yard sign be impractical to ship, I also wanted to send them something that showed how much I miss them. I found these white ceramic mugs at Wal-Mart for $3 each (typically you can get them at the dollar store but they were out and I didn't have time to wait until more came in.) I bought 4 to make 2 sets. I printed out a map of Florida, my state, and one of their states, Georgia and Alaska. I cut the maps out and traced them on the mugs with black permanent marker. I also wrote the words "Far Apart, Close at Heart" on the inside and outside of the rim. So I kept the Georgia and Alaska mugs and sent the Florida mugs to each of my friends that I'm missing dearly. 

   Lastly, I am a wino. I collect wine corks as I drink and therefore have hundreds (friends do contribute). No judgement. So I do like to make things out of them. My brother was visiting from California for Christmas and he and his wife are also winos. It runs in the family I suppose. What better gift for them than many things made of wine works? None better. I found an old picture frame in the office we weren't using and would likely never hang again. That was the base for my corkboard, especially since it already had a hanger on the back. I also made a coaster set and trivet set. And tiny painted Christmas tree.

   I beleive I spent less than $10 on gifts for 11 people/households. Our inexpensive gift giving could not have gone more according to plan!

Holiday On A Budget

   Our commitment to save $10K in one calendar year is down to the wire. We have saved about $7,100 since January 1, 2012. We have only 2 months to get the remaining $2,900 into the savings account. How will we do it with the holiday season at our doorstep?

   Limiting Gift Giving - We simply cannot afford to give everyone in our family and all our friends and coworkers a $25 gift. It's not happening. Here are a few ideas: Labor of Love coupons - Complete deep cleaning for their house including dusting, windows, organization, laundry, etc. A day of serious yard work - hedges, weed pulling, tree trimming, mowing. Free babysitting. Cook dinner for a whole family. Get creative! Make your gifts - if you have a talent like jewelry making, crafts, baking, use it. Bake bread, cookies, fudge, anything edible. Pinterest and other websites have thousands of ideas for making gifts using inexpensive supplies. For years I've been making things out of wine corks as gifts. Pictured above: this pattern works great for cork boards, hot pads and coasters. I've also made wreaths, reindeer and other holiday things. For kids - I found this children gift giving rule and I think it's perfect. Kids don't need 50 gifts under the tree. It also doesn't help them appreciate what they have. Try this: 1 thing they want, 1 thing they need, 1 thing to wear, 1 thing to read.


You Do Not Want a Grocery
Bill This High!



   Hosting Dinner - For Thanksgiving or Christmas, the grocery bill can kill you. Appetizer/finger foods, turkey or ham (and some families do multiple turkeys, like us), side items, desserts, wine and other drinks. One household should not have to pay for everything! Suggest a potluck dinner to your family. The hosting house provides the main dish and each person or couple can contribute one or two items. This also helps incorporate other family traditions and cooking styles into your holiday. If you do have to foot the bill, try making your grocery list now and pick up a few items every week to spread out the spending. Look for things on sale! 

   Mailing - Christmas cards are really fun and a good way to share pictures and updates with your family. With the internet and social media, there are lots of ways to do that without mailing everyone an envelope. Consider an e-card that you can create online. Send an e-letter about your family news via email and attach a couple of photos. Snail mailing Christmas cards can cost you $25+ depending on the size of your family and friend circle. If you need to mail packages to multiple family members that live in the same city, consider bundling the gifts in one flat rate box with instructions. My mom's side of the family lives in Statesboro, Georgia in 3 seperate households. We put everything in one box with nametags on the gifts and it saves us a ton so we don't have to send 3 boxes.   

      

Only 2 Months Left!

   Although tucking money away lately has been really difficult, our last credit card bill was down several hundred dollars from the previous months. So, this proves we are still being very conscious of our spending and trying not to make unnecessary purchases. With our bills paid, we have a little extra in our checking account over and above our comfort zone so I'm dumping $400 into savings. We only have 2 months left in our calendar year to get out savings account balance to $10K.

   However, holidays are around the corner which means lots of spending. Decorations, food, gifts, office secret Santa parties, printing and mailing Christmas cards, travel expenses to visit family - where does it end? Now is a good time to set some ground rules for your household to keep your budget in check. 

• Limit gift giving
• Pot luck holiday parties
• Make your own decorations
• Do you really NEED another scarf?
• Check online sources for cheap travel

See next blog entry for a holiday budget makeover!

  

Was Hiking/Camping An Inexpensive "Vacation"?

   No. In the sense that hiking the Appalachian Trail was not a vacation by any meaning of the word. In any way, shape or form under any circumstances would it be considered a vacation. It could be considered an anonym. It was the most physically exhausting and strenuous thing I have ever put my body through. But it was an accomplishment and my husband and I bonded in a totally new way. A survival kind of way.

 

   Anyway, here's the spindown on the spending for this week-long trip (About half of our equipment we purchased with giftcards over a few years. So some of it didn't come out of our pocket but here is the budget anyhow):

• Tent - $25 Gander Mountain brand on clearance
• Tarp - $8
• Sleeping bags, rated for 40 degree temp. - $40 each.
• Sleeping pads - $40 each. (One was a hand-me-down so we only had to buy one more.)
• Hiking packs - $70 each. (One was a hand-me down so we only had to buy one more.)
• Cooking burner - $30, and compact gas tank x 2 - $6 each.
• Light-weight cooking set, 2 pots - $25
• Camping dishes - $20
• 10 gallon water bag we didn't use - $30
• 800ml water bottles w/ survivor kit inside - $10 ea. x 2
• Hiking boots for Ian - $75 Columbia brand on clearance (I bought mine years ago)
• Misc hiking food, granola bars, meat for homemade jerky, oatmeal, tuna, ramen noodles, mac/cheese, nuts. - $50
• High-ankle socks for both of us - $16
• Hiking shorts for me, 3 pair - $25 for all three, non-name brand
• Doggie hiking pack for Willow - $35
• Retractable leash for Willow - $20
• Books and maps - $28
• Hiking poles, collapsible set of two - $20 
• Misc. chapstick, bandaids, etc. $20

For a grand total of $649 plus 2 tanks of gas in the truck, $160, to get to Georgia and back. So you're looking at about $800. For a week in the woods. Was it really a money-saver? No. But we bought this stuff over several years so we weren't out of pocket $800 on the week of the trip. We purchased less than half our gear the week before the trip. So really, maybe $150 plus gas. ** And mom and dad chipped in for gas :) Was it really a vacation? NO.

Fiscal Fasting Again

   We spent a lot of money the last few weeks on camping and hunting equipment. Hobbies are expensive. To get back on track, we're doing another fiscal fast - a spending freeze. Ian took my car to work instead of the truck. The gas mileage in the camry allows him to commute the whole week on one tank of gas. Whatever is in your fridge, pantry, medicine cabinet, has to last until the week is over.
   Lucky for us, we have plenty of packaged frozen meat in our deep freezer. But the side items were hard to come by. Tuesday we had chicken and canned black beans. Wednesday, we had chicken and mac n' cheese. Thursday we had beef stuffed peppers and rice (I had fresh bell peppers from Sams Club the week prior). Yesterday, Ian took a whole chicken out of the freezer so tonight we'll roast that. I have about 5 little red potatoes left from last week that we will throw in with the chicken and call it a night.
   Lunch was a little harder. I was all excited about the 2/3 loaf of bread in the bread box - egg salad, tuna salad, grilled cheese.....I took it out Tuesday and it was covered in mold. Ugh. We were also out of crackers. We ended up making salads topped with leftover chicken from the previous night's dinner. One day I think I ate a can of peaches and some string cheese for lunch.
  #gettingby

Coupons Are Not Just For Groceries!

   When people hear the term "couponing" they immediately think about grocery store savings. But the truth is, you can save even more money on clothing, make-up and things like that with coupons too. This past weekend I saved $12 on cosmetic items just by clipping the weekly paper coupons.

    I recently noticed that I have an entire outfit in my closet that I got for $7. On three seperate occasions I found these great deals: 1 - I had a $10 coupon for Kohls that I received in the mail. I found a maxi dress on the clearance rack for $8. The dress was FREE. 2 - I saw these Vera Wang black pumps at Kohls for $26.99. I told myself I didn't need another pair of black shoes and went home. At home, I checked the mail and found a $10 coupon for Kohls. I went to put it in my wallet where I found $10 Kohls cash that I had forgot about!! So the next day I went back to Kohls with my $20 in coupons and bought the shoes for $6.99. 3 - At the beginning of the year DSW mailed me 2 coupons for $10 each, one for my birthday and one for being on their mailing list. With the expiration date approaching, I really needed a small black cross-body bag. So I went to DSW and wouldn't you know, in the entry way was a display of solid colored cross-body bags. One of them was black. It was $19.99. I used my coupons and got this bag for FREE.