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.

Cancellation Fees Are So Aggravating!

   We just got jipped out of $50! Our boat insurance policy came due at the end of July. We didn't want to renew so we didn't send a check. I think that is universal. If I don't send you my money, I don't want your product or service! Well they didn't get the hint and auto-charged our AMEX credit card $360 for the next year's coverage. I called to reiterate the "No thanks" and asked to be refunded.

   Evidently there is fine print in the initial contract (which no one reads, but should for this exact reason) that says if they don't have written notice of cancellation upon the renewal deadline, they will automatically charge you. They can give us a refund of the whole amount if we provide proof of insurance that we switched to another company. We didn't. We are just uninsured on the boat. So we get a refund but it's prorated for the 20 days of unwanted coverage we've had since the last policy ended AND we have to pay a $50 cancellation fee for not notifying them in writing that we didn't want to renew. So stupid. I didn't send you a renewal check = I didn't want to renew.

Work and Play

   This week, I had the opportunity to spend a few days in St. Augustine for the Florida Public Relations Association's annual conference. I am an incoming board member for the Ocala chapter (president-elect) and felt strongly about attending this conferene. The original cost of the conference was $595 plus lodging at $130/night for 3 nights. Including the cost of travel and food, this conference WOULD HAVE cost me over $1,000, which is not in our budget.

   So what I did, was write a proposal to my administration outlining what I would get from the conference both professionally and personally. This is most comonly known as an ROI, return on investment. What is your employer going to get back from their investment in sending you to the training? Some of the highlights included in my proposal were crisis communications, event planning, social media tactics and leadership development. I sent a complete agenda with my letter and indicated which sessions I found to be most interesting and beneficial for my position at work. My request was approved.

  Not only did my agency pay for this training and the lodging expenses, I was authorized to take my department car - saving on gas, and I was given a per diem check for food expenses.

   I tell you I drove to St. Augustine, stayed in one of the nicest resorts in the state - the Renaissance World Golf Village Resort (Google it, it's sick), received 3 days of professional development training and delicious food while I was there, for nothing. I spent my last $5 on the afternoon of my return on a cup of Starbucks cofee.

   If you have the opportunity to travel for work, ask that the company pay for as much as possible. Keep receipts for everything you pay for personally, which is tax deductible. Also, while you're working, try to "play" during all your free time so you get some personal benefit from your trip as well.

Pet Expenses

   I do believe if you decide to have an animal, you have to commit to properly caring for said animal. Vaccinations, flea and heartworm prevention, food, etc. All of that stuff costs money. If you can't afford the cost of care, then you can't afford the animal. Some people overlook this when they're doing their budget, and then when it's time to make a vet visit, they pass because they don't have an extra $150. Which jeopardizes the health of their pet and isn't fair to them. And they don't use preventative care because the monthly doses are expensive. A 6 month supply of Trifexis - heartworm, flea and intestinal parasite combo pill - was $90. Ouch. However, choosing a combo pill instead of purchasing a med for flea and heartworm individually was a $50 savings.

   One opportunity to save on vaccinations is to check with your local Humane Society. Sometimes, they will offer vaccinations for dirt cheap (a whole set for $20-$30). Unfortunately, our dog is not spayed and because our county feels so strongly about every animal being fixed, they will not offer us the discounted services for our "in-tact" female dog. Bummer. Another way they stick you, is a $30 fee on a rabies tag for in-tact animals. Typically a rabies tag is only $6 if your animal is spayed/neutered. I passed on the tag altogether. I have the certificate - it's good enough for me.

   I saved on this vet visit by purchasing a package my vet offered. For an extra $40 now, Willow's 6 month check-up, parasite check and vaccinations ($80) will be free. It was a $40 savings. Same savings concept as paying your car insurance every 6 months instead of monthly.

Shopping in Bulk

   If you don't have a member card to a wholesale warehouse store like Sam's Club, Costco or BJ's, I highly recommend investing. The membership is usually about $100 a year. If you have a parent or sibling in town, consider going halvsies on the membership fee and one person in each family gets a card. In Ocala, we have a Sam's Club. My mom and dad have a card, and we have the other one.
   Purchasing meat and dry goods in bulk can be a huge savings for your grocery bill. Produce is trickier because you have to be sure to eat it all before it goes bad or it's wasteful. Yesterday I spent about $100 at Sam's. The same amount of food would have cost me probably twice as much at Publix - my other primary choice for groceries. Here's the breakdown:

   I bought a 5 pound (80 oz.) bag of shredded cheddar cheese for $10.96. **Shredded cheese freezes well. The texture and taste is absolutely fine when it thaws. This week's Publix price for the same cheese is $2.99 for an 8 oz. bag. For the amount I purchased, that's an $18.94 savings....for cheese! I use 4 - 1 quart freezer bags and package it when I get home. One bag goes in the fridge, the other 3 in the freezer until needed.

   Speaking of freezer bags, Sam's sells Ziplock quart freezer bags in bulk (a box of 4 boxes 54 count ea.), 216 bags for $10.97. Publix has 50 count boxes for $4.89 each. That's 200 bags for $19.56, a savings of $8.59 when shopping at Sam's.

   The biggest bang for your buck is the meat section. I found pork chops for $3.28/lb vs. $3.99/lb at Publix. On the 4 pound package I bought, I saved $2.89. Not a huge savings, but still good. Now boneless, skinless chicken breast, I won't buy anywhere else but Sam's. They consistantly sell this product for $1.77/lb. Publix's sale price for chicken breast is usually $2.79 and regular price is $4.99/lb. I bought 2 packages of chicken breast for a total weight of 13.5 lbs. At Publix's regular price, I saved $43.47 by shopping at Sam's and even if Publix had a sale, I still saved $13.77. I package the chicken breast and pork chops in freezer bags in 2 person servings. When you take it out to thaw, throw in some marinade and dinner is ready to cook!

   If you eat a lot of produce, you can save a bunch there too. I usually only buy berries, lettuce and asparagus there. Paper products and toiletries are another place to save - shampoo/conditioner, vitamins, razors are a huge savings, toothpaste, you name it, they probably have it in bulk. 

   If you manage a family of more than two people and you're not buying in bulk, you're wasting your money. Period.  

Finally Making Progress

   We noticed our credit card bill was creeping back up into the "unaffordable" range since January when we had great success in drastically cutting our bill. Our goal for June was to get it back into our comfortable zone. Well, we did it! In comparison to February-May's bills, June was - at a minimum - $500 lower than any other bill since January. We followed a simple rule of thumb, "If you can't put it in your belly or in your gas tank...don't buy it." Anything that was not a necessity was put on the back burner.
   In addition to the low(er) credit card bill, Ian has been killing it at work. His hard work really paid off this month with a nice little commission pay check. All that extra is going right to the savings account and NOT toward a high credit card bill. #success
   Our goal for the next few months is to enjoy the summer, the boat and the hunt camp without spending a bundle. The urge to buy new fishing and camping equipment will have to be squashed! Make due with what you have is the key. Remember, there are people out there that are happy with less than what you have.