LRJohnson Saves

With my little bit of energy I organized today. I’d never actually done a price book, despite my love of Amy Dacyczyn. I decided after a Costco visit that it was time-I knew from the prices that I keep in my head that the prices on a couple items were great, but other items were not good deals, to say the least. It’s time to give my memory a break, and let other items besides prices find room in my head. I feel good about my grocery expenditures-average of $103 over the last 17 months-but it will be nice be able to stock up confidently when I see a truly great deal.

I did already have a lot of prices in my head, and was able to make more entries in my spreadsheet Price Book than I thought. I have a Rule of Thumb column, for standard cutoffs that I use all the time at all stores (pasta 50 cents a pound or less, etc.). I have columns for the four other stores I shop at regularly, plus a column for “other” stores. Instead of one page per item, I did a list of items, so I will have two landscape pages total to start. By using just 2 grocery receipts and what’s in my head I’ve got a good head start. It’s surprising how many prices I’ve memorized, and then I just had to peek at the container to check the total weight.

I also put together a list of what I have in my Presents Stash. I have 16 person-specific gifts, and nine miscellaneous gifts that could go to anyone, and are good hostess gifts, or even “it’s been a bad week-feel better” gifts. Making the list also helped me figure out where holes are, so I can look that much more carefully at garage sales and thrift stores for certain people.

I’m going to bed early tonight. Still not up to par, and just a whole lot of nothing on TV.

The lack of posts mean nothing except a bad cold. Still on the Challenge, Month Four. The gas & electric bill is down even more. No spending other than the monthly utilities.

Other Saving Advice people have serious health issues, mine is just a cold that makes me sweat in bed so my poor bed smells. I get cold outside the covers then sweat in the covers. Grrr.

I’m cranky but nothing sleep and patience won’t fix.

I went to Costco today, and it was a little overwhelming. I was so very grateful for The Challenge. There was so much stuff, and so much unnecessary stuff, it kind of stunned me. Huge cans of nuts, and sweets, and tasty gooey fatty rich stuff. There was some granola at $8.69 for a bag the same size as my homemade batch. Even if I bought a handful of dried cranberries and pecans, mine would cost less than $2. Bread at a "deal" for $2.50 a loaf! A lot of items I wouldn’t have bought regardless, but on other items, I was glad to be able to say, "No, not on The Challenge."

It reminded me of when I’m invited out, and I don’t really want to go, and I say “I can’t stay up that late”, which is true, but I’m glad I have the excuse, I’m not upset about it. Declining a purchase due to The Challenge isn’t a burden, it’s freeing.

I also saw a large number of...large people. I’m overweight, I’m not trying to ding anyone, it was just that the excess was a tonic for my system, and made me less interested in the foods.

I think I might actually do a price book. I’ve been a Huge Amy D fan, fanatic, for years, and I don’t have one. (Usually just levels in my head: tuna never more then 50 cents a can, pasta 50 cents a pound, canned veggies 3/$1). But there were some items, a very few, that were better prices, and I’d like to be able to track that. I was able to get good cheddar for $1.85, where I’ve been fighting to get $2.25 cheese elsewhere, and in fact I got grated real cheddar for $1.78 a pound.

So in this place of mighty mounds of massive muchness, I bought: cheese, tortillas, spinach, carrots, and eggs.

My Guy used the new tortilla molds, and I ate a very pretty, very tasty tortilla shell bowl filled with beans and spinach, with some cheese and non-fat sour cream and salsa. The shell was great, and it’s baked so it’s low fat. And it really was pretty; not something I usually notice about my food, but pleasant.

I’m re-reading Tightwad Gazette, for the zillionth time. Every time I’m energized, and every time I take away a new idea. This time, I’m planning on making more gift items, food and craft, for birthdays and Christmas. If I get really together, I could do a weekend a month on craft things. Shhhhh...don’t ell the people I’m trying to convince I’m lazy. I am lazy, but I find making bath salts and other gifts fun. Some people might not believe me.)

Making food items would be practice for Christmas and used for birthdays. Also, for those who have been generous with hand me down items. (Can the term hand me downs be used for non-clothes items?!?) Two ideas to start-the homemade toffee, four ingredients, and candied orange and grapefruit peels: uses “waste” and syrup can be used for waffles and pancakes. I know that when I have a large stash of jam, I like bringing jars to people for various reasons: they quit smoking, a birthday; they’ve had a rotten week, they helped me out at work. It’d be nice to vary the little treats.

I walked to work today, and walked back, with a stop at the post office and a thrift store. I rode my free recumbent bike, and ate well. I have avoided “bad” TV. So much clean living. I love reading the forms and blogs; I really feel like I have found a frugal home. I am surprised at how fond of or connected to people I can be, when I’ve never met them.

Spending: The thrift store had a whole lotta nothing going on, but I did give my P.O. $1.21-three regular stamps and a couple two centers to use with old 37 cent stamps.

Upcoming spending: the Oyster Festival is next Saturday, and I love oysters, cooked and raw. I also want to go camping in the next few weekends; we have the gear and would use regular groceries, but extra gas and site fees would be expenses. Otherwise, I see no expenses in my near future that aren’t them same old utility bills, groceries, etc.

Thrifty Ray bought a blender. As I commented on her blog that I like to make breakfast shakes, I also mentioned that I’d been meaning to try and make pureed soups. So I stood up and made one, using some steamed broccoli I had the other night. Reconstituted dry powdered milk, broccoli, a tiny but of bouillon, and about a tablespoon of ranch-type dressing (left over bottle-I put a dash of water in it, swished, and poured it in the blender). I then blended, nuked, and had really good soup.

Usually I like my own concoctions, and sometimes I’m the only one that eats them. But this soup passed the My Guy test! So now I have a new simple recipe. I think I’ll play with variety-cauliflower, carrots, pumpkin puree. Try some spices. I love being able to control the ingredients-sometimes low-fat foods have a lot of gunk in them. I’d be willing to serve this to guests, it’s that good. I can also use the idea to make “cream of” soups used in casseroles and other recipes-I can make it thicker to have the condensed version.

I love finding a new little trick. This one, homemade soup in minutes from left over veggies, is definitely a keeper.

Using the recumbent exercise bike is becoming a habit. I think once it hits a month it’ll be pretty routine. Also, watching less TV is becoming a habit. I’m using the time on the bike as my time to watch “bad” TV without guilt. Otherwise, I’m watching mostly TV I deem decent, or even better, listening to more music.

Today repetition paid off; I was able top bust out a double batch of muffins and a batch of granola in minutes. Plus I made my first batch of homemade popsicles in my new ten-cent mold.

I used the big bag of quick oats I got from Freecycle, as part of the grain in the muffins, and for the granola. I took a cheapo can of papaya, drained part of the juice for popsicles, and blended the rest into a puree for the muffins. I put some of the puree back in the popsicles for texture and color. I used some homemade bread crumbs for the muffins too; we make them more quickly than we use them. I also use soy flour instead of eggs, and substitute apple sauce for half the fat. Since it’s the second time I made the granola, I altered the recipe to make it cheaper, and lower-calorie. (I can’t necessarily say healthier; I’m trying use up some corn syrup, which ain’t the best, and I also used some Splenda, which some might object to.) The oven was used for both the muffins and the granola, and now I have snacks and breakfast galore.

The first time I made muffins it took a while. Now it’s so familiar, and I can use what I have on hand.

It’s Amy Dacyczyn’s basic recipe, Tightwad Gazette II, page 164.
* 2 to 2-1/2 cups flour/grain (substitute oats, cornmeal, bran, etc. for part of the flour)
* Up to ¼ cup fat (Oil, lard, butter, etc. Applesauce can be substituted for part-or all if you don’t mind dryer muffins.)
* 1 cup milk (reconstituted dry powdered, or regular, or soy, or some juice)
* 1 egg (can substitute 1 heaping tablespoon soy flour and one tablespoon water)
* Up to ½ cup sweetener (sugar, corn syrup, brown sugar, Splenda, honey)
* 2 teaspoons Baking powder
* ½ teaspoons Salt
* Up to 1-1/2 cup additions (moist or dry. Raisins, shredded zucchini, mashed banana, sunflower seeds; the choices are endless)

Preheat to oven to 350. Bake 20 minutes at 350 in lightly greased muffin tins.

Homemade breadcrumbs: put bread bags with unused heels or broken pieces of bread in the freezer. Next time the oven is used, put all the miscellaneous pieces in a metal container in the oven after using it; let the left over heat dry the bread out. Put these pieces in a tub in the cupboard (I use a one gallon mayonnaise tub). When the tub is full get out the Universal grinder, and grind all the pieces. Store in an airtight container. Use as a topping on casseroles with butter or margarine; used as a breading for oven-fried fish; sneak into muffins. I only dry the bread every few months, and I grind the crumbs maybe once or twice a year, when I’m in a rare kitchen putter mood.

Friday was payday. I hadn't known. I've been spending so little it wasn't a concern. It was a glorious feeling. I could see some wo-workers were a little surpised.

I transferred some money in to my ING account to celebrate. In fact, more than the paycheck was. The Challenge? It's Money in the bank, Baby!

Today’s Garage sale Haul:

Five smaller gifts $2.00

Manual chopper .10

Popsicle molds .10

Potholder (silicon) .25

Crazy light bulb .25

5 CDs 10.00

Colander .25

Tortilla shell molds 1.00

Raspberry Bar .50

That’s $2 gifts, $11.95 household, and 50 cents entertainment.

The CDs were the big expense; otherwise it would have come under $5. However, I feel like a good used CD, in a case with inserts, is not a bad deal at $2 each (they were 2.50 each, 5 for $10). I got The Best of Eric Clapton, Tori Amos- Little Earthquakes, Rolling Stones-Stripped, Neil Young-Harvest, and Patsy Cline’s Greatest Hits.

I tried to find a picture of the light bulb online and was unsuccessful searching for novelty bulbs. It’s an incandescent, regular bulb shape. But it has silicone “spikes” on it, in a pattern, in three different colors. A little odd, but it spoke to me. It’s not exactly my style, but we have a bare bulb fixture in the laundry room so I put it in there.

The five smaller gifts include a nice bunch of candles for one of the women who periodically brings me gorgeous cardigans. My gifts stash, or either person specific or good general gifts, is growing nicely.

For the household items, My Guy was really excited by the Tortilla mold set; I figured he’d be which was why I was willing to spend a dollar. It came with instructions, and we hope to bake some molds soon. I love the idea of the tortilla shell for a salad being low-fat baked instead of fried. The chopper also excited him, as he plans to use it for onions. The colander is a nice sleek metal thing which will replace the battered melted plastic one we had. I’d kept my eye out for months for one at a low enough price.

If you ever hold a garage sale, consider hanging the clothes. I’ll bet you sell at least three times as much. At a few places, since I don’t need any clothes except fancier work stuff, I’d take one look at a piled high table and pass. It was even worse when the stuff was piled on sheets or tarps on the ground. Maybe there were excellent items in those piles, but I wasn’t up to looking, whereas I’ll always flip through any hung clothing.

The popsicle molds excited me; not sure how soon I’ll play with it yet. I have lots of ideas re: gelatin, yogurt, jams, iced tea, juice, canned fruit, canned fruit juices, etc.

I had a bunch of clothes that I took in to be exchanged. These were bought pre-Challenge, so I wasn’t sure how to handle the money aspect of it. I could have gotten cash back but I certainly wouldn’t have counted it as income. I exchanged for 3 items, and spent less than I exchanged for. (I used the rest of the credit to pants for My Guy for which he’ll reimburse me). I got two $10.99 dresses and a $12.99 skirt. I wasn’t going to count these an expense on The Challenge because I didn’t put any money out, and if I didn’t have exchange credit there’s no way I would have ever bought them. If anyone has an issue with this, I can reconsider posting it as an expense. I have some work events coming up that are going to require that I bump it up a tad; I know that to some an $11.99 dress is cheap, but to me it seemed quite high end.

I forgot to conclude the Clear Lake story (driving down to help my dad’s wife with a piece of property a couple weeks ago). As far as gas (3 hour drive), D paid to fill up my tank, and I almost worried about it, except for two reasons. First, My Guy and I went down there to perform manual labor to help her. Second, sometimes when I feel generous and give someone something or treat them, it can be a small frustration when they say “oh no, you shouldn’t,” or act embarrassed, when I truly want to be generous. So I figured that it’s good to learn to graciously receive if you want to give a lot. On that note I also accepted when she took us out to eat, at a nice little Mexican restaurant with very reasonable prices. As an extra bonus, I got a little travel kit that she wasn’t using-a facial scrub, cleanser, lotions, etc. It was awfully nice seeing D, and I was a little jealous of My Guy who went later in the week to get some more done.

I traveled for work again. For this trip I had 2 co-workers with me, and I went to a Department Store for the first time in quite a while. Idly browsing, as the others were the ones who had chosen this activity, I was just flabbergasted at the prices. I know we all gasp at $1,200 blouses and $3,000 dresses and the like. I can now be shocked at much less. I was looking at 50% off racks, and being just shocked that a skirt could be $120 reduced to $60. Some of the clothes were quite lovely, but I just can’t see shopping like that. I suppose that I could conceivably want a high end work outfit at some point and buy a nice skirt and blouse, but it would be such a rare, thought out occasion. As in once every five years, perhaps.

The funny thing for me is that I could have bought clothes if I had wanted to. I have money. I thought to myself, “Maybe if there is a deep clearance $10 skirt I’ll try it on.” I further thought, “Do I actually want any of these? Am I not buying (or even seriously shopping) because of The Challenge?” I was very pleased to be able to answer that no, I wasn’t interested. The Challenge is something I take quite seriously-I’m on Month Four and I’ve really worked very hard at not bending any rules at all-I mean I sweated whether recycling income was acceptable on The Challenge. (I decided it was.) But no, I wasn’t longing, craving, desiring, or even kinda wanting. Challenge or No, I am not depriving myself when I choose not to buy clothes at this price level. I felt very free, actually. Light and unencumbered.

And the end of the story is, my workmate bought a purse and wallet, and she was going to toss her old wallet. Now I have a beautiful wallet in excellent shape to replace my current one that has had a broken clasp for months. Of course I will look for a way to repay her; she didn’t want money, and even if I did have homemade jam in stock her family wouldn’t eat it. However I firmly believe that to continue to be gifted with hand-me-downs, it’s important to offer a tangible “thank you” periodically to those who hand down. Perhaps the next time I make a batch of bath salts she’ll get a jar.

Amongst those on the forums I get so used to the frugality that I am surprised at the spending and consumerism “out there.” It’s very heartening to come back and be re-grounded with the benefits of simplicity, frugality, and gratitude.

My Guy had a job fall in his lap; what a good day. It’s part time, so he can still be kind of a bum, which he defines as “being incredibly involved in his own pursuits.” The job is for a non-profit, small and local, so he’ll feel god about working there. A bonus is that it’s decent money, so the part time will pay full bills. (He spends like I do, which is nice.) He wasn’t even looking for work, which makes it all the better.

I used a huge chunk of this month’s entertainment budget and treated him to a big celebratory burrito, and even got him a SoBe drink he loves-it surely does takes a mighty celebration for me to pay for a beverage at a take out place. With my little burrito, I spent $13 out of entertainment, and I feel good about the expense.

My water aerobics buddy wants to take a “semester” off too, so that’s good. I biked five miles today on the recumbent, and may do some more. I’m fitting in to some stuff I couldn’t before, so another good thing. Saving on the workout budget will help with the medical bills I’m still working on.

There’s nothing on TV tonight, and I’m glad. I’ll take a bath and blog and bike and putter. The end of the season has come at an excellent time for me, right when I wanted to cut out some bad TV. That will leave me with 6 regular shows next fall in primetime, many of which I tape (an hour becomes 40 minutes!). I do still watch some syndicated sitcoms and news and Oprah from 5 to 8. Since I have no kids, and my commute is 3 minutes, and my house is pretty clutter free, and I’ve admitted I’m lazy, this should come as no huge shock.

I figure if I’m cleaning house, hanging laundry, biking, washing dishes, etc., I shouldn’t feel too guilty about watching. I would like to move more towards music though. When I was younger, boy I had no time for TV, it was music music music.

The coffee is pre-made for tomorrow and the smoothie is in the blender just waiting to be blended for breakfast. Nice.

I think I’ve decided not to do the water aerobics for one session. I have the recumbent bike (24 miles so far), and $3.88 a class is a lot, especially since I miss some due to work travel. I’m bummed at leaving my friend, but maybe I can save in that category and go in August for the next session. I’ll be able to walk to work most days if I skip water aerobics, which is a definite plus.

I’ve spent $504.02 this month. That includes rent, and sadly enough a couple of May expenses. One was on purpose; I had so many medical bills in May post-dated a check and mailed two payments in one envelope. The other was accidental; My Guy bought stuff at Staples that I needed to pay ½ of, for $18.76.

I’m in such a cranky mood today; another headache. I’m going to watch movies on the couch.

When I was little, we’d get to pick one item each time we went to the grocery store. The item was usually on the cheaper side; maybe grapes, or a can of smoked oysters. I still sometimes treat myself to one item. It’s usually no more than three dollars, and is still usually fruit or smoked oysters. The idea that shopping always involved a treat probably wasn’t the best lesson; however learning that treats can be little is something that I still benefit from.

I have a case of popsicles in the freezer that I got for a dime apiece in the winter. They are the fancy all fruit kind, very tasty. They are a treat. It’s not the cost that makes them a treat; it’s that they are a sweet and that I have no more than one every couple of weeks.

If I live simply, and without too many frills, little things can feel like such treats. The less I spend the more bang I get for my treat buck. I spent ten times more dining out in two months, January and February, than I have spent in the last three months. I am enjoying the recent meals out so much more.

Cheap(er) treats (the more infrequent, the better):
Sticking a load of laundry in the dryer instead of hanging it.
“Blowing” $5 in a thrift store or at a garage sale.
Having one can of soda.
Getting a burrito from the local place (less than $5)
Making a day a no chores day, even if I have to do a little more the night before.
“Blowing” three dollars at the dollar store.
Sharing a fancy $2 can of soup and not cooking.
Having a fancy three dollar coffee or smoothie from a store
Getting a couple items off the dollar or value menu at a fast food place.
Pulling out the dusty paper plates to avoid dishes.

I’m not talking about having these be treats because I can’t afford more. Heck, I could do all these things at least once a week if I wanted to. But why would I want to start taking something for granted, when I can really appreciate it as a luxury?

Treat items can be things that were previously taken for granted. I’m working my way off of club soda and seltzer, and am drinking tap water. Bubbles are now a treat. (Originally when I quit drinking years ago, I gave myself permission to spend as much as I wanted on non-alcoholic beverages. Now I'm trying to get over being spoiled.) If I got a mocha every day, it wouldn’t be a treat, but since I always make my coffee at home, a store-bought cup once every six months can be pretty special. Forget the ski trips, the Nordstrom trip, the daily Starbucks trip, the luxury car – I’m easy, give me a popsicle.

I’m not sentimental, yet Garrison Keillor made tears rolls down my cheeks, with a simple prayer.

I’ve read Lake Wobegon Days numerous times and always love it. I just now picked up Leaving Home, a Collection of Lake Wobegon Stories. The stories are funny and poignant. You may have heard some of the stories on the radio show A Prairie Home Companion. I see Keillor’s books all the time at yard sales and library sales.

At the end of the first tale, a man lies in bed and thinks, “Thank you, God, for this good life and forgive us if we do not love it enough.”

I need to print that for myself, for when I forget to be grateful.

Well, I am a major goob. I was moping like a big baby, then I looked at a few blogs and Hot Diggity, there is a mighty amount of success going on. So many goals reached and exceeded. Ignore the fuss in this corner-some people are total rock stars right now!

I felt like Taylor Hicks, doing the full three months of spending less than half my net, and I'm dancing around on top of the world, and I got only one (cherished) kudos. I guess need more validation than I thought. My savings account is full, but clearly I have issues than money can not solve. It's funny, I'm a grown woman but sometimes I'm just like a little kid.

I love the recumbent bike. I earned 9 miles of cruddy TV tonight.

And I'm weaning myself off of club soda. I miss the bubbles, but I'm hanging on.

When I decided to take on the minimum wage challenge, I didn’t realize both how little and how much it would affect my life.

I apologize for this image being sideways; it was the only way I could make the print big enough to read, without fiddling a bunch more, which I can not do due to major head pounding.

For new folks, a reminder of how I’m determining income: California minimum wage of $6.75 at 40 hours a week at 4.33 weeks a month is $1169, less 7.65% FICA ($90), one-half percent SDI ($6). I’m assuming no federal or state tax liability, due to low income; that may be an erroneous assumption. $1169 – $96 = $1073. If I sell a book on half.com or recycle, I’m allowing that income. It doesn’t add up to much, my extra income is averaging $8.31 a month.

I’ve put $117 in “savings,” and I’ve started an emergency/big purchase fund that has a whopping $5.88. I have $278.82 “banked” for non-monthly expenditures; for example, I have budgeted $51 a month for car insurance, which I pay semi-annually.
The areas I thought would be more difficult were eating out, entertainment, and gifts. The area that has actually been the most difficult is medical.

I’m using the YNAB budgeting system to track my expenses for this challenge; the spreadsheet cost me $19.95, so I’m considering this my $20 dollar challenge. My spent of $1073 is $519 less than my average per month last year. (I know I have some banked, but it will be spent on non-monthly budgeted purchases.) Adding back in the $39 I put into "savings" under the challenge, I saved an additional $558 for the $20 challenge. This makes for $1674 in savings in three months for my $20 Challenge.

My Guy has been thinking for many months now about getting an exercise bicycle, or a trainer to put a bicycle in, or a recumbent bicycle. We read Consumer Reports, and we price shopped a couple of times. It turns out that recumbents are expensive, and trainers are more expensive than we would have thought. (If it’s just something you hook a bike to, shouldn’t it be much, much cheaper than an exercise bicycle?) Recumbent exercise bicycles are great, but evidently one needs to spend more to get a quality one- more so than with regular exercise bikes. So we had just kept pondering. We are often that way with big purchases, whether shared or individual. That way when we do finally take the plunge, we are pretty comfortable, and it’s definitely not an impulse buy.

We went down to Clearlake this weekend to help out My Folks with their little piece of property. Do some landscaping, learn how to start gas and water, etc., for when we caretake, and spend some time getting to see D before she and my dad take off for other continents. I was the labor; My Guy actually has a background in this type of stuff, so he and D were the Planners. Well, there was a shed of stuff that was gonna get hauled away, and I figured we should really de-clutter and take advantage. I looked in another shed, and there was exercise equipment.

As we dragged a bike to the Garbage shed, I realized it was a recumbent, in great shape. D wouldn’t be using it for at least a couple years, if ever. We loaded it into the car, and brought it home. This model seems to be going for $599. (D bought it at a Garage Sale, not sure how much, but definitely not even close to $599.)

My Guy went 6 miles this morning. We are happy with our find. I plan to "earn" TV by biking when watching.

I’m on auto-pilot, that’s what it is. I couldn’t exactly come up with right term of why I’ve been doing fine on my (Modified) Minimum Wage Challenge, without lots of effort, but Priceplus nailed it. I’ve often noticed that he’s a man of fewer but more pertinent words, and he’s done it again.

I do not have to work at living frugal now; I’m on auto-pilot. I’ve kept my old good habits going, that enabled me to even think about doing this, and my newer habits (eating out much less) are starting to sink in.

It makes me think of Jeffrey’s post on collecting 101 Painless ways to save. How many of us do frugal things that feel very easy to us, and we can’t see why anyone would think bulk purchased cooked from scratch plain oatmeal would be Painful? We think hanging clothes is just another same old. Others of us may have been shocked at the idea of cutting things out, or buying things used, or making things from scratch. Well, it’s not so much a matter or hard or easy, or painful or painless.

If you have never hung laundry, and have always had clothes come out of the dryer, hanging clothes takes getting used to. Maybe you need a rack or a line. Maybe you currently wash 6 loads at once and can’t hang it all. You might not have cloths pins, not know that clothes dry in the house or on mild days, not like the look of the hanging clothes, be put off at the stiffness.

Over time, you get into a groove. You know how much will fit on the drying space you have. You learn that hanging clothes on hangers can help you fit more on the line. You get used to stiff socks, and you put your work shirts in the dryer for five minutes when they are almost dry to avoid stiffness and ironing. You find a good place for the rack, and you realize that clothes pins can have lots of other uses as well. It used to take more time, but now you hang them lickety-split, maybe while watching the tube or listening to the radio. You get to be on auto-pilot.

It’s the same task: hanging laundry. But it went from hard to easy, painful to painless. There are skills out there that I didn’t have, and when I worked to get them it was a learning curve, but now they are easy. And other ideas, I’m intimidated by, but can tackle one at a time.

It really goes along with my idea of habits being the key (my second favorite post, from April 7).

Take on one thing at a time, fine tune it to your lifestyle (go generic and store brand for almost everything but decide you must have Campbell’s chicken noodle soup), do it over and over, and you’ll be on auto-pilot.

Hit the 10 pound mark, halfway there. The nice part: I haven't made any drastic changes, just bumped up the good habits. Next goal: 176 for my Credible threat challenge. Then I'll aim for 165. Then 150. And that is it, I tell ya.

I’m just bopping along in frugal land, racking up the no spend days without effort. I pack lunches, my needs are met, what do I need to spend on? That’s a good thing, because May was not the best on medical expenses, and June promises some other hits, such as water aerobics, and July in car insurance.

I’d like to finish May off with maybe a grocery run and that’s it. I think I might have another gas hit to drive 3 hours round trip to Clear Lake, but that’s to see family, and My Guy and I will have a fine time. He’s planning on packing lunches for the drive; so nice to not have to convert someone.

A lot of the free clothes I got are working out very well. I’ve gotten some compliments, and I keep blurting “It was free!” The nice thing is that a lot of people have responded “That’s the best-free clothes” or “I love getting hand-me-down from my sister” (mom, etcetera.) Nice to know that my co-workers not only aren’t snobby, but think free hand me downs are darned cool. I’m talking up Freecycle a lot.

There's a bill in California that might bump the minimum wage from $6.75 to $7.75. Boy, I'd be rich that that extra $150 plus.

I Picked up the Freecycle peanut butter; three 18 ounce jars. Since My Guy can take out 64 ounces in a week, no fooling, these will not go to waste. I also got a bag of quick cooking oats, and a liter of tonic water. I’m so excited by Freecycle I put in for fluorescent light bulbs with small threads. I hoping they fit in our chandelier fixture in the living room.

The homemade granola I made is really good, so that’s good news. I ate pinto beans for lunch, along with fruit, and tortillas and beans for dinner. Frugal, healthy, and, bonus time, tasty.

For the weekend I might be driving to meet with one of my folks. My folks are going to be traveling the world come 2007, and we might be somewhat caretaking a small piece of property with a trailer about three hours away. It could be that in a way, it will be like a free vacation house. However no details are worked out; we just know we’ll be very happy to see her and have the nice drive this weekend.

Tonight is bath night (as it so often is). I put in a good days work so will sleep the sleep of the just.

I picked up my bag of Freecycle clothes. I hit the jackpot; here’s my haul:

Five tops, three dressy scarves, two purses, two pairs of pants, two sweaters, two pairs of sweatpants/sleep pants, one winter scarf, one skirt, one pair jeans, one dress jacket.

Some items I’m not sure I’ll wear, because they are not my usual, but I’m looking to explore a little bit, and this exploration doesn’t have a price tag. I may choose to give away some of these items, and that’s fine.

I also have eight items for the “see if it fits in September; if not toss” hamper. The items I chose not to keep at all fit perfectly in a duffel bag I chose not to keep. I was trying on clothes for a full hour, and it was all free, all of it. That beats garage saling, though I was enjoying my quarter blouse today. I got a compliment on it from the director of the agency, and I blurted “it was twenty five cents!” I could learn to tone my frugality enthusiasm down, I suppose, to look like less of a goober, but I get such a kick out of it. I think I’d rather be a goober than embarrassed about my frugality.

I also got another call back from a Freecycle person that I had thought didn’t get my e-mail; three tubs of peanut butter may be in my future.

We used a gift certificate that we had for the town the clothes were in, to make the 10 mile drive even less of a gas hit. It was okay, but I can’t see paying actual money for what we got. It’s nice to know that when I do go out to eat, I get more of a bang for a 6.95 Mexican dish than a 12.95 plate with soup and salad deal. I also again realized that portions are too darned large. We could have probably split an entrée and an appetizer; but since it was a gift certificate I don’t regret it too much. My Guy is picking up the tip since the certificate was mine, so no expense, a point in the meal’s favor.

As if my day didn’t ring enough frugal bells, one of my frugal buddies at work dropped off a vintage Pyrex refrigerator container, a half pint jam jar, and I note asking me if I want more jam jars.



These two women (I’m not sure which it was this time) have brought me beautiful cardigans over the last couple of years. I particular like men’s golf sweaters.



I do my best to keep these women in plum jam, but I may need to ramp up my contributions-I so appreciate their gifts. (I tried direct repayment and didn’t get anywhere.) These two women are so elegantly well-dressed, it thrills me to know that much of the clothing they wear is from thrift shops and garage sales. Neither of them carries any extra weight, so everything they do wear, no matter what the cut or style, looks beautiful.

Oh, and yet more frugal good news. I have a garage saling date for Saturday, and I made a big pot of beans so I have seven lunches in the freezer. Oh happy day.

I hiked quite a bit today; it was a very nice time with good friends, and a needed workout along with needed nature time. I live in an exquisitely beautiful area of the country, and each time I drive home I realize that I don’t take enough advantage of that. We hiked uphill through the redwoods, to a meadow with wild flowers and oak trees, and got a beautiful view. I had sweat on my brow from hiking uphill. We stopped at the brewery afterwards, but one of the many benefits of no longer drinking is that I was quite happy with ice water only, so it was easy to be free. We sat on the back patio and enjoyed more sun. And then I’m the perfect permanent designated driver.

I’ve arranged my first successful Freecycle pick up. A woman listed a bag of clothes, sizes 12, 14 and 16, some “slouchy”, some “dressy,” all “in good shape.” I’m picking it up tomorrow after water aerobics. I figure even one acceptable piece will be worth the gas money, and more will be gravy. I’m hoping that someone either has gained or lost a bit of weight and that these are nice clothes that just don’t fit anymore. I’m a 16/14, working to a 12, so this is perfect. I hope the pickup goes well; the concept of Freecycle, an exchange of goods that benefits both parties with no cost, is very frugal, and ecologically sound as well. I’d be thrilled if three items work well for me, especially for work. I lack items that are slightly dressier for work, so this is a need, not a want; something I thought of before asking to pick up a bag of stuff. If the items don't work, I have a collection of thrift store donations ready to go.

Very good day; only expenditure is a full tank of gas. The gas is less noticeable than the medical as far as budget hits, but I did groan for a minute or two.

The bath water is running; a luxury that I'm not sure I could ever give up.

Except for regular bills, nothing much happening on the money front. And we don't have that many regular bills: rent, Netflix, cable, phone, and PG&E. So spending has been low. I was in Sacramento with a car, and I thought about making a Trader Joe's run, and I didn't need anything, so I passed. Then I thought about going to Big Lots just to check it out, but passed again. I don't have any needs right now. I even passed on the super cool Deseret Thrift Store, thinking if I hit it every two months it will be more exciting.

This is all good, because I have another medical bill for that "bad" mole - over a hundred dollars. This thing is going to end up costing me around $250 by the time I get all the bills from the various people who cut off, carried, or looked at the funky thing. I am determined to stay on the challenge, and not get derailed. I have to remember that the healthcare I am getting is better than many receive, and what I pay for it is not comparatively high at all.

Somehow against that new $100 making granola and adding herbs to the vegetable garden seem low impact. However, since I do love granola in my yogurt, and since even the bulk cheap stuff isn't really cheap, the granola is a good move. Now that I know a basic recipe works, I can explore less sweet, less fatty options as well.

Well, now that I ponder it, the granola and herbs this weekend aren’t small measures. Anything that I do or learn to aid in healthy eating or long-term frugality is another tool to add to my tool belt. All my little tricks and skills can come together to keep me on the Challenge despite medical mishaps. That means being frugal has given me control and a sense of security-things that I value.

Tomorrow I go hiking with friends. Shared gas money will be the only expense, as I am packing a lunch.

We’re doing a little gardening this year. Here on the northern coast of California, it’s not the best gardening area for some items, but we though it might be nice to try. Tomatoes (the littler ones seem to do better), lettuce, cucumbers, and squash. In black pots, container gardening. It was a mini-investment: with the dirt it was $34. We’ll be able to use the dirt next year, especially since we have compost. I am hoping that we get at least $34 dollars of produce this year. That won’t be too hard, with the price of lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers what it is. I do have to admit that My Guy has done all of it so far, while I was out of town. I told him I’d pay half into it, so I can’t yelp about the dirt cost.

The gas and electric bill was down again, to $122.48. Our changes are making a difference. Big headache today, but if it calms down, some garage saling.

I was on the road again. It looks like work is going to be like that for the next couple of months. I used my per diem money to go crazy on fruits and vegetables at the stands I passed while driving. (The flights were sold out.)

Strawberries, cherries, asparagus, pea pods, an apricot. I pretty much got drunk on fuit and vegetables. Driving in the sun, through the redwoods. It was nice.

I got the medical bills I was expecting; the lab and pathological review bills for my “bad” mole removal. A mighty hit: $126.94 total. In fact, for the $75.15 bill, I sent two checks-one for $35.15 is dated June 1, so I’ve already spent some June money!



It’s funny to me that I've been hit in areas that I have less control over, and that in other areas where I do have more control, such as entertainment or groceries, I've been okay. I’ve had less trouble than I expected curbing my temptations. (Aside from that ridiculous $17.93 purchase of 4 cups that sure taught me a lesson.)

For details of why the beginning budget does not start at $1073, or why the balance is greater that the budget less spent, see prior budget update posts. Essentially, it’s lower than $1073 to compensate for any category I overspent last month, and the balance is larger for money I’ve banked. For example, I budget car insurance every month but pay it twice a year.

If worse comes to worse, I do have the $39 in savings for each month, $117, for emergencies, but I really would rather not touch it. As it is I’m only saving three and a half percent of my net income.

If anyone ever has any questions about what the expenditures were in detail, I’d be happy to explain any of them. The oddballs I can think of right off the bat: “Misc.” In April I subscribed to Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine, to learn some investing basics, and that $3.59 didn’t seem to exactly fit in to household or entertainment. And in May, I mailed something for $9.84, but it wasn’t exactly a gift, so I called that miscellaneous.

I thought April was a tough month, but I think May might even be tougher. Since my car has been fixed up, and my health seems to be going well, I’m really hoping that June and July don’t have those hits, where more than 25% of my budget gets spent in the categories of health and auto service.

Yesterday I spent $2.80 at garage sales for 12 items, at an average of 24 cents an item.

What I got:

a small frame

Tupperware thingy perfect for spaghetti

four gifts - Jeff Gordon ponchos stuff for two NASCAR fan friends, a porcelain lemon for a collector of fruit things, and a wool sweater in excellent shape

A very nice high quality child’s sweater that I will give to some grandparent or parent at work (I stuck it in the bag of clothes for a dollar bag)

Clothing for me: one piece footy jammies (these things sell new at $35!), a sweater, a nice blouse, and a pair of slacks

A shirt for My Guy

I spent perhaps two hours at the sales, and I’d say used no more than half a gallon of gas maximum.

I can’t recommend garage sales enough. I’ve heard various arguments against it, but I feel they have their place. “It’s too easy to buy things you don’t need.” If someone has trouble scooping everything up I understand that. But if you avoid garage sales for this reason, you miss the items that you do need. I’ve been wanting a crock pot with a lift out crock for quite a bit. I was able to get a very nice one last week for $3. I’d have missed it if I hadn’t gone to the sales.

One thing that I plan to use sales for this year is gift shopping. I’ve gone to thrift stores and garage sales with a different mindset: if I see something a friend would really like, I buy it, then stick it in a gift box until a birthday or Christmas comes along. I’ve gotten nine gifts for $4.90 so far, an average of 55 cents apiece. Since I didn’t have to pick out a gift, what I have selected has been very spot on-I feel confident that most of these gifts will please the recipient.

Now, you won’t always get lucky, but sometimes you hit the jackpot. One year I was getting cases of 24 canning jars for a buck. I’ve been looking for footie jammies for years, and now I own them for a quarter. I also saw other people’s jackpots waiting: at this one sale, there was a large quantity of beautiful large sized women’s clothing. A woman who wore a 2X to a 4X would have had an excellent selection of high quality clothing that looked very well taken care of, at excellent prices. Even though I didn’t need any of those items, there was part of me that was excited for a woman to come along and see that smorgasbord!

One last thing about garage sales: they give me an appropriate sense of sticker shock when I am at regular stores.

Although I’m proud of taking on this (Modified) Minimum Wage Challenge, I’ve been worrying that my overall life is not that different and therefore there are no stories to tell. I’ve been wondering why this has been a relatively smooth transition.

I came to the conclusion that I haven’t had to give up a lot of things. When I had little money I did without, and got used to it. When my debt was gone, and then my income increased, I didn’t upgrade my lifestyle much, and when I did upgrade, it was in small ways.

We didn’t start buying convenience food when we could, so I don’t miss it now. I’ve always bought the cheapest bulk oatmeal, so I haven’t had to give up instant oatmeal with flavors, or fancy low carb oatmeal, or cold cereals that are expensive. We didn’t start buying precut vegetables, or frozen pre-made vegetables and sauce, or frozen meals. We didn’t start buying the more expensive fruits and vegetables like asparagus and pineapple, except as rare treats.

We never got a dishwasher, so washing by hand is what we do. We rarely bought many cleaning items beyond bleach and ammonia which we used diluted and sparingly, and didn’t have a variety of Simple Green and 409 and other cleaning agents. We never paid someone to clean the house.

We didn’t have TiVO or satellite TV or a Plasma TV or Full cable to give up. We felt that getting Netflix and the $9.95 cable to get us a small number of channels was quite luxurious. (I’m still keeping them on the Challenge, partially because My Guy is a partner in these bills and I do not want to negatively affect him with My Challenge. We thought long and hard before committing to baby cable and Netflix and made the decision together).

We didn’t switch where we bought clothes, such as Ross Dress for Less, though we may have bought more items. We didn’t buy new CDs, or DVDs, or accessories. We weren’t into household decorating items except for the infrequent item we fell in love with.

I never bought lattés or any coffee out. I never bought soda or water from vending machines. I kept packing a lunch.

So there wasn’t nearly as much for me to cut back on, because we never added it once we had more money. And that’s why my Challenge may be boring. Some stories that I can not tell:
-> I’m adjusting to making my own coffee in the morning.
-> I’m getting used to our once a week housecleaner not coming.
-> I’m getting used to only having a handful of channels.
-> I’m overcoming my desire to clothes shop at Macy’s and Nordstrom.
-> I’ve switched from the Salad packs to buying the lettuce, yea for me.
-> I tried beans for the first time in a while, and they’re not bad.
-> You know, making oatmeal isn’t so hard, why did I ever buy instant?
-> I’ve discovered the bread thrift store.
-> I’m experimenting to see if I can handle store brand shampoo.

Here is what I want to tell people who are moving out of debt or have increased income: don’t add on luxuries you don’t need, because you can’t miss them if you haven’t had them.

I’m going to bed soon, as I’m supposed to have regular sleep patterns to help prevent migraines. Tomorrow I’ll get up early, same reason, and go Garage saling. Again, Christmas shopping. And I’ll be doing a ton of recycling-a small portion of it stuff I’ll get money for.

Boring is good. I sometimes feel like it’s odd to like a Friday night of hanging laundry, washing some dishes, taking a nice long hot bath, doing some writing, and reading some blogs. But my life feels very restful, not empty. I do not miss the drama of my youth. I don’t need the constant ups and downs and activity. I’m going to nuke a brown paper bag of popcorn, crawl in bed with my book, and sleep the sleep of a contented woman. If I could of watched myself at 35 when I was 15, I would probably be horrified, but the reality is that if I knew at 15 how much more at peace I’d become, I’d be very jealous.